Sustainable Living
The confetti and streamers are finally cleaned up, the holiday decorations (mostly) put away for another year. It’s time to begin 2017 with a clean slate. Doesn’t that feel good?
It’s also a good time to look back, take stock, make some observations and learn some lessons. Applied to this blog, we try to provide useful, informative, and sometimes just plain enjoyable information. How do we know if we’re doing a good job?
Thanks to technology, we know when people are clicking on our website and reading blog posts, not just the most recent post but every single blog post we’ve ever published.… Read More
Kermit The Frog Was Wrong: It IS Easy Being Green
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
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
Real vs. Fake: The Christmas Tree Smackdown
The debate starts up every year about this time. We’re no closer to settling it, but it doesn’t stop me from trying. So choose up sides, and let’s go.
Which is better for the earth, a real Christmas tree, or an artificial Christmas tree?
There’s a little twist to this discussion in Southern California: our ongoing drought. Despite the welcome rain in San Diego County earlier this week, California is in its third year of a serious drought.
The average Christmas tree grows for an average of six to eight years before it reaches the typical six to seven-foot height for cutting and display.… Read More
San Diego Isn’t As Green As It Should Be
When the newest Green Buildings Adoption Index report came out earlier this week ranking the top 30 metropolitan areas in the United States, I checked it to see where San Diego stood. It would be in the Top Ten, right?
No – and we didn’t even make the Top 20.
In the report by the commercial real estate firm CBRE Group Inc. and Maastricht University in the Netherlands with the U.S. Green Building Council assessing the percentage of green, environmentally friendly and LEED certified buildings in the region, San Diego ranked 21st.
This is pretty disappointing to me. San Francisco came in first, with 73.7 percent of its office space classified as “green.”… Read More
Don’t Kill Your Plants With Kindness
We love our endless summer in San Diego, but it’s a nice change to finally feel the first hints of fall’s cooler temperatures. The time change back to standard time isn’t too far off either.
Even San Diegans start spending a lot more time indoors at this time of year. It motivates me to communicate with our clients and you my blog readers about the importance of maintaining a healthy indoor environment when we start spending more time living and working indoors.
You can imagine my reaction when I read this week in the Wall Street Journal about a new study claiming indoor plants could actually be BAD for your health.… Read More
Projects Inspiring Us At Good Earth Plants RN
Regular blog readers know about my passion for improving our communities and our health and well being through strengthening our connection to nature. It’s amazing to me how something simple like introducing natural elements in our work environment like plants and natural light can reduce job stress and improve our health overall.
I get inspired when I see people around the world creating projects taking this simple idea and making it real. Yes, I also admit to being a little envious too, because I would love to see more projects like this in San Diego.
Several projects got a “wow” out of me and I’d like to share them with you for your daily dose of “wow” instead of a basketball trick shot or cute pet video.… Read More
Our 12 Tips to Prevent Stormwater Pollution Runoff
I heard the weather report like everyone else, but I never expected the steady amount of rain we received in San Diego County this week, did you? After more than 100 days without measurable rainfall, it was a welcome sight.
Rainfall has many benefits, but there is one downside. When rain falls in San Diego after many months of dry weather, pollutants that build up on surfaces like rooftops, parking lots and streets get washed into our storm drains. The reason it’s a big deal: those storm drains dump out directly into the Pacific Ocean, and all those pollutants end up in the water hurting sea life.… Read More
Get Down On The Farm: San Diego Farm Tour Day is September 17
If I asked you to name San Diego’s major industries, you would probably come up with tourism, the military, maybe biotech or craft beer. The one I bet you’d miss is agriculture and farming.
Agriculture is the fourth largest industry in San Diego County. It’s a two billion dollar industry. San Diego County has more individual farms than any other county in the United States. Remember this if you get on the TV show “Jeopardy!”
Most of our local farms are small boutique farms growing ornamental trees and shrubs, indoor plants and flowers. This is two-thirds of the farming income. Avocados take up more land but generate less profit.… Read More
Go Green When You Remodel Your Home
Plenty of people put off home improvement and remodeling projects over the last few years due to America’s Great Recession.
Get ready for a new look in a lot of homes – maybe even your own. Several major industry studies predict a big jump in remodeling activity.
The Joint Center for Housing Students of Harvard University projects a trend for home improvement and repair expenses to reach eight percent by 2017, nearly double the historic average, based on its own model it calls the “Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity” or LIRA. And who are we to argue with Harvard? The website HomeAdvisor and the National Association of Home Builders reports also agree with the Harvard outlook.… Read More