nature

Time For Thanks at Good Earth Plants and GreenScaped Buildings

| November 23, 2016 | Categories: Awards & Achievements, Good Earth Plant Company
Good Earth Plant Company's original business location on a Thanksgiving nearly four decades ago! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
It is (already!) Thanksgiving 2016, and I’m thankful for many people in my life. Thanksgiving is a good time to let them know. I’m thankful for: • My folks: far from perfect, but great role models and teachers. They set a good standard and give me plenty to both admire and laugh about. • My son Ted: just enough of me in him to make me proud, just enough “other” to make him interesting. He is going to save the world. You watch. • My daughter Allie: although she tries to deny it, she is way too much like me – plus smart, capable and talented.… Read More

Summer Gardening Projects Let Kids Get Dirty and Keep Parents Happy

| June 9, 2016 | Categories: Biophilia, Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing
Share your spare veggies and other produces with co-workers this summer.
Kids are counting down the days until school is out for the summer. Don’t we all remember that feeling? If you’re a parent, you have a different perspective. Something like, “oh no, how am I going to keep the kids busy and out of trouble all summer!” Why not encourage your kids to do something that comes naturally? Encourage them to get their hands dirty in fun gardening activities. Take advantage of San Diego’s summer weather to work on projects outdoors when it’s cool enough, and indoors when the sun is a little too strong. There are many age appropriate opportunities for gardening and art projects that will instill a love of nature that will last a lifetime.… Read More

Good Earth Plants Says ‘Be Nice To Your Mother (Earth)’!

| April 14, 2016 | Categories: Environment, Good Earth Plant Company, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
We can't function well mentally or physically when we are breathing oxygen depleted air. Adding plants to your indoor environment can help a lot. Good Earth Plants can help!
It’s hard to believe Earth Day was a brand new idea well within my lifetime. The first Earth Day took place in 1970. It is now an annual event celebrated on or near April 22, coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network. It reaches more than 192 countries each year including hundreds of communities in the United States. Every day is Earth Day at Good Earth Plant Company! We love it when the rest of the world pauses to focus on environment issues and finding good solutions we can adopt on the official Earth Day, which is April 22. San Diego can brag about its Earth Day Fair, which is the largest free, all-volunteer Earth Day event in the world.… Read More

Recycle, Repurpose, Rejoice: Eco-Clever Christmas Trees

| December 23, 2015 | Categories: Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Sustainable Living
The most universally loved symbol of Christmas is the Christmas tree. This makes us happy at Good Earth Plant Company, as trees are so important to our ecosystem and represent shelter, food, and diversity in Nature. Some people love a fresh-cut tree, and others are happiest with an artificial tree. There are good arguments for both being eco-friendly. The trees here fall in a completely different category. They are all made of unusual recycled materials, everything from tires to shopping carts to books. It’s the ultimate in eco-cleverness and we love them all! We know on Christmas Eve you are busy getting your Christmas celebration together, so we won’t make you read a long blog post, even one of our incredibly informative ones.… Read More

Good Earth Plants Holiday Myth Busting

| December 4, 2015 | Categories: Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living
Many myths circulate at Christmastime, and several of them deal with our favorite holiday theme plants. The Good Earth Plants Eco-Warrior is here with his Myth Busters hat on to help you out by spreading the true dirt. Myth 1: Poinsettias are poisonous. NO, poinsettias are NOT poisonous! It has been a real battle to bust this myth. Some sources attribute the rumor to a 1919 poisoning case in Hawaii that led to the death of a two year-old child. At the time, the cause of the poisoning was incorrectly determined to be a poinsettia leaf. Poison control centers nationwide say a child or pet weighing 50 pounds would have to eat 500 poinsettia leaves to even start being affected, and that might be due to plant overload versus outright poisoning.… Read More

Get Fresh Ideas at the Good Earth Plants Fall Open House on Friday, October 16

| October 13, 2015 | Categories: Environment, Good Earth Plant Company, Green Roofs, Indoor Plants, Living Walls, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living
In San Diego we are blessed to enjoy the last bits of summer weather almost until Halloween. Good Earth Plant Company loves to take advantage of this with our annual Fall Open House every year in the middle of October. This year, our 2015 Fall Open House and Plant Sale at our warehouse and demo garden takes place Friday October 16, from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Open House takes place at our headquarters, 7922 Armour Street in San Diego. See a map here. What’s behind our invitation to you? Everyone at Good Earth Plant Company is very proud of the work we do, and we love to share what we are about.… Read More

Going Green is a Cruise

| October 8, 2015 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Good Earth Plant Company, Sustainable Living
This new living wall aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship will really get around. Courtesy Royal Caribbean
The cruise line Royal Caribbean got our attention last year when Good Earth Plant Company learned that two of his ships, “Oasis of the Seas” and “Allure of the Seas” featured their own onboard living walls covered in 12,000 beautiful living plants for their passengers to enjoy. We were – and still are – so glad to see ships growing real plants instead of displaying all replicas as many have done in the past. Royal Caribbean recently got in touch with us to let us know about some of its additional efforts to be environmentally responsible while sailing on the world’s oceans.… Read More

Let’s Talk Sustainability in San Diego at the 2015 Green Building Conference & Expo

| August 27, 2015 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Environment, Good Earth Plant Company, Indoor Plants, Living Walls, Sustainable Living
The Good Earth Plant Company living wall at the SDGE Energy Innovation Center is one of our favorite projects. See it at the USGBC Green Building Expo on September 22.
One of the silver linings of our current drought in San Diego is that it has gotten more people thinking about sustainability and the big picture issues surrounding our use of water and other natural resources. This is a great thing! Thinking leads to talking, and talking leads to doing something. The more we start integrating cutting edge sustainability strategies into San Diego’s buildings, homes, and communities, the more we can improve our well-being. This is something I write about a lot on this blog. In September, I’ll get a chance to talk about it at the third annual San Diego Green Building Conference on Saturday, September 22 at the SDG&E Energy Innovation Center.… Read More

Quiz: Are You Getting Enough Vitamin N – as in Nature?

| August 13, 2015 | Categories: Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Nature and Wellbeing
Are you and especially your kids getting enough vitamin N - as in Nature? Good Earth Plant Company San Diego
If you’re a regular reader of our Good Earth Plant Company blog, you know one of our favorite topics to write about is the connection people have to nature and how much nature influences our well being. We learn more on an almost daily basis how important it is for all of us to integrate the natural world into our urban lives in the workplace and at home. Wouldn’t you like to know how well you’re doing, and what specific things you should do to increase the presence of nature and plants in your life? We found this ingenious little quiz put together by some smart people at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality & Healing.… Read More

Water Your Trees Like Mother Nature Would

| August 6, 2015 | Categories: Environment, Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Water and Water Conservation
Using a bucket as a drip irrigation system works well with trees. Be sure to cover the bucket to prevent accidents with children. Photo: Courtesy Goleta Water District
Two weeks ago, I wrote in this blog about our drought and the importance of preserving our trees. Go ahead and let your lawn turn brown. If you can only afford to water one thing in your yard, water your trees. One of my Good Earth Plants blog readers (thank you!) asked, “What is the best way to water my trees so they get the most water? Is there a trick to it?” We love smart questions and we will answer it here. Since we can’t always count on Mother Nature watering our trees in a Mediterranean climate during a drought, we need to help.… Read More