biophilia

Resimercial Movement: Real and Here to Stay

| October 15, 2020 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Case Studies, Indoor Plants, Living Walls, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
The resimercial workplace of the future is likely to look more like this than the open office or cubicle farm. Photo: Iva Balk/Pixabay
I have always wanted to start a blog post this way. “Don’t you hate it when…” Don’t you hate it when people smash two words together to make another new word? It’s lazy. The words are always awkward. Athleisure. Brangelina. Resimercial. You probably know the first two words, but I bet “resimercial” is new to you. Resimercial is catching hold and it looks like it’s going to stick just like athleisure for a lot of the same reasons. It’s comfortable, and it fits. FYI: for those who don’t know it, “athleisure” is traditional athletic clothing like yoga pants which are now acceptable leisure wear.… Read More

Party With Plants! – National Indoor Plant Week

| September 23, 2020 | Categories: Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
My plant friends and I are ready to live it up for National Indoor Plant Week! Photo: Jim Mumford
It’s officially National Indoor Plant Week. Yes, it’s a real thing! It’s right up there with Naked Outdoor Gardening Day in May. It is celebrated the third week of September every year. This is one holiday COVID-19 can’t ruin for us. Your indoor plants deserve a celebration. They’ve kept you happier and healthier during the pandemic. You don’t have to worry about social distancing with your indoor plants. You can gather and party all you want, no masks required! To Good Earth Plant Company, 2020 has been National Indoor Plant YEAR. People have purchased plants in record numbers. Nurseries and garden centers remained open as essential businesses.… Read More

Let Parks Plant the Seeds for Social Equity

| July 8, 2020 | Categories: Biophilic Design, Environment, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing
Everyone needs a safe place to play in nature, especially our kids. Photo: Pexels
When I first started writing this blog in 2013, one of the first topics I wrote about was the concept of biophilia, the study of the connection between human beings and nature.  I’m sure people thought the idea was a little “out there.” We have come a long way in thinking about how nature affects our well being in that time. I’m now giving thought to the social equity issues surrounding nature in these times. July is National Park and Recreation Month, an initiative of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). Park and recreation professionals promote a community’s health and well being through access to nature, green space, recreation, and fitness to create a lasting and positive impact on a community’s health and wellness.… Read More

Be Like Nature, My Friend

| June 1, 2020 | Categories: Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Environment, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
We have so much to learn from the resilience of Nature. Photo: Quinton Delman/Pixabay
Is 2020 over yet? The situation in our country and in our communities leaves me nearly speechless. It has been a rough year. First, the coronavirus hit. Second, the U.S. economy took a dive, causing unemployment so high it didn’t even seem real. Then, just as it seemed like we might get through the worse of the pandemic crisis, the senseless murder of an African-American man in Minneapolis set off a chain reaction across the U.S. of anger and hurt, including in my home town — specifically the city of La Mesa, California. Many people staged peaceful protests. Some senseless opportunists used the protests as cover to pillage innocent business owners and communities.… Read More

Post-Pandemic Office Life Can Be Exactly What You Needed

| May 20, 2020 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
We might feel like we're living in a bubble, but we have a golden opportunity to improve our indoor environments. Photo: Beate Bachmann/Pixabay
You may know the saying claiming the Chinese characters for the words “crisis” and “opportunity” are the same. Well, not exactly. If you do a little digging and read what modern Chinese speakers say, this isn’t correct. There IS a popular saying in modern Chinese communities 危機就是轉機 which translates as “A crisis is also a turning point.” It’s possible over time these two ideas have merged. People are said to use this phrase to comfort or console someone who is in a very bad situation, whether it’s their fault or not. If ever we needed consoling in a bad situation in modern times it’s now during the coronavirus pandemic.… Read More

Social Distancing: World Naked Gardening Day 2020

| April 29, 2020 | Categories: Agriculture and Farming, Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Nature and Wellbeing
Good Earth Plant Company stands behind WNGD! Photo: Jim Mumford
What started out as a joke turned into one of Good Earth Plant Company’s most popular blog post of all time. Who knew we would become the champions of World Naked Gardening Day? ‘Many are called but few are chosen.’ World Naked Gardening Day takes place the first Saturday in May. Seattle resident and WNGD founder Mark Storey probably never imagined how big his idea would get. He encourages people to help spread the word, and we won’t let him down even from quarantine. The world has changed a LOT since we last celebrated World Naked Gardening Day. We’ve missed other holidays along the way.… Read More

Good Earth Plant Company Working To #StayPlanted

| April 15, 2020 | Categories: Case Studies, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Nature and Wellbeing
It’s been both heartbreaking and heartening to watch what’s going on in the world today. For every bit of devastating news about the coronavirus pandemic, acts of human kindness and generosity give me new energy. One of the harder hit industries is our wholesale ornamental plant and flower nurseries in San Diego County. My colleagues at Olive Hill Greenhouses, Leucadia Nursery, and FlorAbunda Nursery, members of the San Diego County Floral and Plant Association who supply me with the plants for our clients at Good Earth Plant Company have seen their business drop, leaving them with greenhouses full of plants with a limited shelf life.… Read More

Nature Is Still Open

| March 18, 2020 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing
The South American Clivia plant in my yard is in full bloom! Photo: Jim Mumford
Has it only been a week since my last blog post? Since then, schools, stores, restaurants, bars, gyms, and many workplaces have closed down to try and stop the coronavirus pandemic from spreading. California residents like me and many other Americans are being asked to shelter in place. We are asked to stay at home except to “provide or receive essential services or engage in certain essential activities and work for essential business or government services.” For those few clients that allow us, we consider their plants and asset worth protecting and we are watering them. You can pick up groceries and prescriptions, take your dog to the vet, or put your trash out for collection.… Read More

Let’s Clear the Air

| March 11, 2020 | Categories: Environment, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living
In the plantscaping business, we've always been concerned about clean indoor enviroments. Photo: Mylene2401/Pixabay
Chances are good you’re spending a lot more time indoors right now. But here is the reality: it’s nothing new. Ongoing research by the Environmental Protection Agency reveals some shocking stats: Americans spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors. If you’re very young or older, you tend to spend even more time indoors. There are a lot of reasons people are anxious about health issues today. But some of us have been concerned for a long time. Here’s why: indoor air can be two to five times more polluted than our air outdoors. This comes as a surprise to many people.… Read More

Top Biophilic and Nature Design Trends for the Roaring 20s

| January 8, 2020 | Categories: Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Living Walls, Moss Walls, Sustainable Living
Pink flamingo lawn ornaments were invented in 1957. The first one had a name: Diego! Photo: Lena Svensson, Pixabay
The start of a new year would not exist the same way without the human creation of the calendar, but Nature would still let us know it’s the start of a new cycle as the days begin to slowly grow longer heading toward spring. We also feel these natural rhythms going into our 44th year in business (wow!) at Good Earth Plant Company. We look forward to seeing what’s new in our world, along with clever twists on old ideas, plus brand new concepts. We love recycling. Based on what we’re seeing and conversations with our colleagues and our customers, we’re looking forward to the following Top Plantscaping and natural design trends to start the decade of the Roaring 20s returned in 2020.… Read More