Environment

Human impact on the Earth’s environment is creating climate change, global warming, and polluting air, land, and water on our planet with disastrous results. We must work to reverse these effects through sustainable practices and through thoughtful design and practices.

Eight Ways to Celebrate Mother Earth This Mother’s Day

| May 11, 2017 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
Time for our annual public service announcement, if you haven’t already heard: Sunday, May 14 is Mother’s Day. You’re welcome. As we all get older, we appreciate our Moms more than ever. This is especially true if you’re a parent. Most of us have to be asking ourselves, “How did she ever put up with me?” So we try our best to say thank you with flowers, gifts, and Sunday brunch. Mom always says she’s thrilled no matter what you do. But there is another Mother we should remember on Mother’s Day: Mother Earth. Why not honor both? They both play vital roles in your life.… Read More

Got a Prana Problem? We Have The Answer: Vastu

| April 26, 2017 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Green Roofs, Indoor Plants, Living Walls, Nature and Wellbeing
Whether you think it’s an art, a science, both, or neither, most Western cultures know about the Chinese practice of feng shui. It is a complex system of rules and beliefs created 3,000 years ago to balance positive and negative energy in the world around places people live, work, and play. But I bet you aren’t as familiar with a similar practice from India called vastu. Vastu is another system of creating harmonious living and working environments in conjunction with the forces of nature. Vastu is older than feng shui, and thought to have been carried across the Himalayan Mountains into China where it was adapted to the local culture where it became feng shui.… Read More

Earth Day is Yuuuge! at Good Earth Plant Company

| April 19, 2017 | Categories: Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Sustainable Living
Do whatever you can to reduce your environmental impact. Small steps add up. sustainablity
It all started as a protest over a Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969, and from the first Earth Day in 1970, it has become the single largest non-religious observance worldwide. Millions of people in 192 countries will participate in Earth Day activities this Saturday, April 22. Chances are pretty good you are one of them. San Diego participates with the largest free all-volunteer Earth Day event in the world at Balboa Park. It takes place this year on Sunday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you attend, you can talk with 300 exhibitors, see the Children’s Earth Parade in the morning, an arts and crafts show, and plenty more.… Read More

Meet the Next Generation of Eco-Warriors

| April 5, 2017 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company, Green Roofs, Living Walls, Nature and Wellbeing
Sixth grade students from Innovation Academy took a field trip to Good Earth Plant Company’s living lab earlier this year. Students are working on green roof and living wall projects and wanted to see the “real deal.” During their visit to our living lab, we first did a power point presentation about how to build a green roof or living wall and some of the issues and concerns keeping them alive. We showed them photos of green roofs and living walls around the world. Then it was time to go outside and see them up close. Boy do they have a lot of questions, some really smart ones.… Read More

The Nose Knows When It’s Springtime

| March 23, 2017 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Gardening, Nature and Wellbeing
People who live in climates with true changes of season say they love the cycle from snow to rain to sunshine to fall leaves. It’s true there are times of year when spring flowers and fall leaves are a truly beautiful sight. Transplants to San Diego will tell you they “miss” the changing seasons. Southern California seasons change, too. The changes are more subtle, that’s all. We know it’s officially Spring this week, even when we’ve been hit by more rain (and nothing wrong with that). We are getting more hours of sunlight. Human beings instinctively feel it as part of the biophilic connection we have to the rhythms of nature.… Read More

Go Green Or Your Employees Might Go Home

| March 2, 2017 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing
The job market has been opening up. It’s great news for people who want to find a quality job. But it’s not such good news for employers trying to retain their most talented employees. Employers should pay attention to the findings in this year’s annual “State of the American Workplace” survey from the Gallup Organization. It gives them a game plan for developing the kind working environment talented people are looking for. A record 47 percent of the workforce say now is a good time to find a quality job. More than half of employees (51 percent) are searching for new jobs or watching for openings.… Read More

Bugging Out To Save Trees

| February 23, 2017 | Categories: Agriculture and Farming, Environment, Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing
If UC Santa Cruz music professor David Dunn scores a hit with his latest composition, he’ll have millions of listeners, maybe even hundreds of millions. But they won’t be spending a dime, and they won’t be singing or dancing. They’ll be dying. For ten years, Professor Dunn has created music using sounds in nature, specifically the sound of bark beetles in California’s forest as they munch on trees. Aggressive bark beetles make a LOT of noise. They also contribute to widespread tree destruction, which has been made worse due to several years of drought. His recordings of bark beetles were turned into a CD called “The Sound of Light in Trees.”… Read More

Can Plants Save The World? Isn’t It Worth Trying?

| February 17, 2017 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living, Water and Water Conservation
I started my career in the plant industry with a flower bucket stand in downtown San Diego. Now I’m heading toward my 40th anniversary in business at warp speed. It’s crazy! It took a lot of hard work, but it also took a little luck and lots of help along the way. I’m grateful for where it’s taken me. When you have the gratitude attitude, two things happen. First, you feel great. Second, you want to pass it on, and that feels great, too. In 2016, a presentation by Alpha Project Chief Operating Officer Amy Gonyeau opened my eyes to the growing scope of homelessness in San Diego.… Read More

Kermit The Frog Was Wrong: It IS Easy Being Green

| December 15, 2016 | Categories: Environment, Gardening, Living Walls, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
The moss wall installed by Good Earth Plant Company at San Diego's newest LEED Certified building, owned by Kilroy Realty in Del Mar Heights.
I don’t remember exactly when the announcement of the Pantone Company’s “Color of the Year” became such a big deal. For the last few years at least, this American company best known for creating a universal color matching system called the “Pantone Matching System” names one color every December it thinks will be the hottest color trend in the coming year. Pantone has a committee of people who watch trends throughout the year in fashion, entertainment including films and TV, auto manufacturing, the fine art world, beauty products, and interior design. The committee members notice how the color is being used, what else it’s being used with, and whether it seems new or fresh.… Read More

One Thing Could Make Going Solar in San Diego Even Better

| December 8, 2016 | Categories: Environment, Green Roofs, Sustainable Living
When I had my first Eco-Warrior “a-ha!” moment at Good Earth Plant Company, it resulted in building the first commercial green roof on a building in the City of San Diego. You never forget your first! We have built several green roofs in the decade since then, from private homes in Del Mar and Encinitas to the “Fallen Star” art installation at UCSD, to the spectacular green roof at Sharp Memorial Hospital in Kearny Mesa. We love everything green roofs stand for at Good Earth Plants. Although a green roof requires a significant upfront investment for the construction and the need to irrigate it, a green roof can be expected to double or triple the life of the underlying conventional roof by protecting it from damage due to debris, UV radiation and expansion and contraction.… Read More