Jim Mumford

Gung Hay Fat Choi, Chinese New Year is here!

| February 19, 2015 | Categories: Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
Typical "Lucky Bamboo" plants for sale in Hawaii. Photo: Ken Starr
Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in the Chinese calendar. The Chinese observe a lunar calendar, meaning each month begins when the night sky is darkest, on the new moon. The New Year starts with the first new moon and ends with the full moon 15 days later. This year, Chinese New Year falls on Thursday, February 19. We begin the year 4713. We love holidays at Good Earth Plants and Greenscaped Buildings. Who doesn’t? And being plantscaping professionals, we always associate holidays with the plants that represent the occasion. The plant associated with Chinese and Chinese New Year is something most people know as “Lucky Bamboo.”… Read More

Show Your Valentine Love with Something That Lasts: A Tree

| February 12, 2015 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Sustainable Living
Photo: Jonny Hughes/Flickr Creative Commons
Valentine’s Day is upon us again. As if we could possibly forget it. We have been bombarded since New Year’s Day with advertising reminding us to buy those chocolates, roses and greeting cards for our sweetheart. It’s wonderful to show someone special that you care about him or her. At Good Earth Plant Company, we think there are better ways to do it, at least from the perspective of an Eco-Warrior. Chocolates and flowers are fine, but they don’t last. If you want to give a gift that symbolizes everlasting love, plant a tree. Trees contribute significantly to the health of our planet.… Read More

Hear Jim Mumford on “Communities Digital News Hour” Thursday, Feb 5

| February 5, 2015 | Categories: Indoor Plants, Media Coverage, Sustainable Living
Jim Mumford of Good Earth Plants in San Diego on Communities Digital News Hour radio, commdiginews.com
If you know anything about Good Earth Plant Company from reading our blog page, you know how much we all love what we do to enhance and transform our clients’ environment, health and well-being with plants and flowers. A very close second is educating people about the many benefits of plants. I never miss an opportunity to communicate all the ways human beings rely on plants and benefit from them, and the need for us to think about how to preserve and cultivate more plants in our urban environment. If you’ve heard me you know how enthusiastic I can get! I have a new opportunity to reach more people through a regular column starting this week with the online news organization Communities Digital News, based in Washington DC.… Read More

The Art of Living Walls Around the World

| January 29, 2015 | Categories: Biophilic Design, Living Walls, Sustainable Living
One of two living walls at the airport in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Photo: Courtesy Green and Grey
Living walls are springing up around the world as more people recognize the importance of incorporating nature into our everyday urban world. At Good Earth Plant Company and GreenScaped Buildings, we couldn’t be happier to see this trend. One of our Good Earth Plant Company employees recently took a trip to Shanghai, China as part of a course at San Diego State University. While there she saw many examples of living walls and other ways China’s largest city found ways to bring nature closer to the people living there. Here are some of my favorite examples of amazing living walls around the world.… Read More

News From Good Earth Plant Company: January 2015 Newsletter

| January 26, 2015 | Categories: Awards & Achievements, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Newsletters
Good Earth Plant Company Leaflet Newsletter
Click here to read the January 2015 edition of the Good Earth Plant Company Leaflet newsletter. Highlights this issue include: Read about our latest activities in the President’s Letter Learn about our latest featured projects See photos of living walls in Shanghai, China Check our Calendar for fun, informative green themed events in San Diego Get our newsletter delivered right to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter email list. Visit the home page of our website and scroll to the end of the page to provide us your email address.

Resolve to Get Connected in 2015

| January 22, 2015 | Categories: Good Earth Plant Company, Indoor Plants, Living Walls, Sustainable Living
My first plant selfie of the year at the TPIE show in Florida.
Happy New Year! Can you believe we are 15 years into a new century? I’m getting inspired at the Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition (TPIE) in Florida, one of our hottest trade shows and conferences, literally. This group knows its audience well. Who wouldn’t jump at the chance in most of the U.S. to attend a trade show located in sunny south Florida in January? Back home they would be shoveling snow and only dreaming of the warm weather ahead. I’m motivated by the opportunity to meet and learn from other like-minded people, including a meeting with members of the nonprofit group Green Plants for Green Buildings.… Read More

Beyond the Chia Pet: Plants Using Their Heads

| January 15, 2015 | Categories: Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
This plant head project from A Chef in the Garden looks like she is from the islands.
  Did you get a Chia Pet for Christmas? Chances are you or someone you know did, or maybe you’ve gotten one in the past.Would you believe 500,000 Chia Pets in all their versions including Sponge Bob, President Obama and Willie from Duck Dynasty have sold every year for over 30 years? That’s a lot of ch-ch-chia! The Chia Pet is even in the Smithsonian. True. There is something about the idea of turning plants into people that has intrigued gardeners and artists for decades. I confess I’m obsessed with plant heads and find myself collecting photos of the best. Lately I’ve been running across a lot of projects with this theme, and so I decided to use my head and share them with you.… Read More

Resolve to Recycle More Than Just Your Christmas Tree

| January 8, 2015 | Categories: Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Sustainable Living
With the holidays in the rear view mirror, you should have your previously living cut Christmas tree down by now and out of the house. But the job isn’t finished until you make sure to recycle the tree. The easiest thing to do for most households in San Diego is to put it out for collection with your regular greenery pickup. If you don’t have greenery pickup, there are 16 drop-off locations available. The City of San Diego will accept your tree through January 23 by either method. After January 23, the Miramar Landfill Greenery will take it year-round, along with any other vegetation for recycling.… Read More

Jim Mumford and Good Earth Plants in Entrepreneur Magazine, December 2014

| December 29, 2014 | Categories: Biophilic Design, Living Walls, Media Coverage
Entrepreneur Magazine has featured Good Earth Plant Company and a quote from Jim Mumford along with client Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group (B&BHG) about the living walls created for its Pizzeria Mozza restaurants in West Hollywood and Newport Beach. Entrepreneur Magazine including living walls as part of its Top Trends in Business for 2015. We agree! Read the feature article here.

A Merry Message from Jim Mumford and Good Earth Plants

| December 24, 2014 | Categories: Green Roofs, Living Walls, Newsletters
Ho Ho Ho! The holidays are upon us. The Good Earth Elves have been busy decorating our clients’ homes and businesses for the season, including our custom creations for commercial clients Qualcomm and Illumina. My busy travel schedule not only taught me a lot, it made me appreciate San Diego even more than I already do. Out of the four conferences, I thoroughly enjoyed Nashville (it was cold – 28 degrees) and the Cities Alive Conference. Lots of Jim in Plants conversations about green roofs and living walls (vertical gardens) and how to design them, what system and plants to use and how to maintain them long term.… Read More