Biophilic Design

Nature’s Way To Boost Employee Productivity

| September 28, 2017 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Environment, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
American workers are known for their productivity, and while we aren’t number one on many lists, we remain in the top five overall on nearly all of them. So it’s kind of shocking to me to read the results of a Gallup Poll from June 2017 which found two-thirds of all employees in the United States say they are “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” at work. These employees aren’t applying themselves. They are just getting by. Most of the time they are checked out. Presenteeism is a new term defining employees that are present, but not engaged. This is not a small thing.… Read More

Millennials Push Us To Green Up The Suburbs

| September 20, 2017 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilia, Environment, Green Roofs, Nature and Wellbeing
Three generations of Mumfords together at La Jolla Shores celebrating Mother's Day in better times, May 2016: (L to R) daughter Allie, Mom, and yours truly.
The Millennial Generation is full of pleasant surprises. No, I’m not being sarcastic! I know the Millennials pretty well through my son Ted and my daughter Allie, their friends, and plenty of my employees and colleagues I meet at conferences and meetings. It is a big mistake to stereotype Millennials or dismiss them. They are the largest single generation in the United States today, 75.4 million people between ages 20 and 36. There’s no way 75 million people are alike enough to agree on anything or act a certain way. But people follow trends and when that many people go in a particular direction, we need to pay attention.… Read More

Bringing the Green Road Show To You

| August 31, 2017 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Case Studies, Good Earth Plant Company, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
In the annual Chapman University Study on American Fears, the fear at the top never changes. In 2016, when people were asked about 79 different fears, giving a presentation is number one among personal fears, followed by heights and crawly things. Lowest: clowns. As my family, friends, and colleagues know all too well, this isn’t a problem for me now. It wasn’t always this way, but now I love to talk to groups of people. One of my favorite things is to give presentations on integrating nature into our every day lives. It’s a passion, not a phobia! (I don’t have a problem with heights creepy crawly bugs or snakes either).… Read More

In Business, Green is Good

| August 17, 2017 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Case Studies, Environment, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
  When did you last spend time outdoors? You might think everyone is outside enjoying summer weather and school vacations.  In San Diego, there’s hardly a day all year when you can’t be outside in short sleeves (or less). Buried in a report by the Environmental Protection Agency from 1989 is this shocking statistic: people in industrialized countries include the U.S. and Europe  spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors. Specifically, people spend 93 percent of their time indoors, with anther five percent in transit in a car or public transportation, and just two percent outside. I’d like to think this number is lower in San Diego, but even if it’s 80 percent, it’s still a sobering reality.… Read More

Your Questions About Moss Walls Answered

| August 10, 2017 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Living Walls, Moss Walls, Plantscaping
Moss walls can fit in any space under conditions where a living wall isn’t feasible. Contact Good Earth Plants if we can add one to your office OR your home!We predicted two years ago in this blog moss walls would become the hottest trend in interior Plantscaping. Here’s the original post just to prove it. We had no idea how right we were! Moss walls are hotter than ever. They are the perfect alternative when a traditional green living wall isn’t feasible. In many ways, moss walls have significant advantages: they can be installed nearly anywhere at less cost, with zero maintenance.… Read More

Hiring an Interior Plantscaping Service?

| August 3, 2017 | Categories: Case Studies, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
Good Earth Plant horticultural technicians Carlos and Marco install plants at the Alpha Project in San Diego serving homeless..
You’ve admired or flat out envied the beautiful plants in other offices, and you’ve read all about the many benefits of interior Plantscaping. So you have decided it’s time to improve your business or organization’s workspaces and hire a professional to help you. You’ve made a great decision. Even if this wasn’t the way I’ve earned a living for close to 40 years, I’d be just as enthusiastic about all the benefits you, your employees, and your customers and guests will enjoy as a result. Now in addition to everything else on your plate at work, you’re probably wondering how exactly how to go about hiring the right company to create the perfect green spaces in your home, office or building.… Read More

Serving Up a Summer Blog Salad

| July 20, 2017 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Sustainable Living
So many plant related news items cross my desk that make me say “huh” or “really?” or “wow.” Or “you’ve got to be (kidding) me!” I had to clean up that sentence using “kidding” for our family-friendly blog but you get the idea. Let me catch you up on a few of them while I’m filling my own brain at the annual Cultivate 17 conference in Columbus, Ohio. Using Vinegar On Plants During a Drought In Japan, scientists say they’ve created greater tolerance for drought conditions in plants by growing them in vinegar. Scientists at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science conducted their tests on the Arabidopsis plant, which is called Thale cress.… Read More

The Green Fix for Good Health

| July 6, 2017 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
One of the best things about celebrating the Fourth of July is that everyone in Washington D.C. stops what they are doing to join in on parades, fireworks, and barbecues like the rest of us. But they’re now back at work. Healthcare reform remains at the top of the agenda. Don’t worry, I’m not going to discuss coverage or insurance here. This blog is for healthier topics than politics! But if I could give a speech in Congress or write a letter to all 535 members of Congress, I would encourage them to include a big dose of the outdoors and nature in whatever plan they come up with.… Read More

Words of Wisdom from the Dalai Lama

| June 22, 2017 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Living Walls, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living
Most people know Good Earth Plant Company for our living walls, green roofs, and other major projects. But we got our start 40 years ago on a much smaller scale. Our core business for many years is providing Interior Plantscaping services to offices, homes and other buildings, bringing nature indoors for people to enjoy. Early on, I recognized that San Diego didn’t have a firm that did short term plant rentals, so I started one. We used to have contracts with all of the local concert and event producers. Our all-time favorite was the late great Joan Rivers. We’ve also provided stage plants for comedian Robin Williams, Neil Diamond, ZZ Top and Jimmy Buffett among others.… Read More

Tips To Enjoy Summer Naturally

| June 14, 2017 | Categories: Biophilia, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
You know the years are passing when the months seem to be racing by. It feels like I just put the Christmas decorations away, but in just a few days summer will officially begin on Tuesday, June 20, at 9:24 pm Pacific Time. This is the summer solstice, the day with the most hours of sunlight all year. The four seasons are created when sunlight shifts as our planet orbits the Sun and changes the tilt of its vertical axis. We reach the summer solstice the moment the Sun reaches its northernmost point from the equator. And yes, we have four seasons in san Diego.… Read More