nature

Pushing Nature Into Urban Planning with Living Walls

| March 12, 2015 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Indoor Plants, Living Walls, Sustainable Living
Pure Fitness living wall at the Westgate Hotel by GreenScaped Buildings
  The Downtown San Diego Partnership, the leading advocate for the revitalization and growth of downtown San Diego, recently offered this observation and it stopped me in my tracks: “For the first time in 100 years urban growth has outpaced suburban growth.” Assuming this is true, as an advocate for integrating nature into our everyday environment, I see opportunity. Think about the typical suburban environment. There are yards, parks, and other spaces where nature is present. Now think about the typical urban environment. It’s full of concrete, glass, shadows and hard surfaces, but not a lot of nature or plants. This means people like me need to push even harder to make sure nature is included in urban planning.… 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

Give Thanks For Good Earth Plant Company’s Trivia Contest

| November 13, 2014 | Categories: Agriculture and Farming, Environment, Good Earth Plant Company
Which of these popular Thanksgiving vegetables is native to North America, and which ones are not?
Part of our mission at Good Earth Plant Company is to share what we have learned and educate our clients and friends. But we also like to have fun, so why not combine the two? Welcome to our first Good Earth Plant Company Trivia Contest, first in what we hope will be a long running series. We will give you ten questions on a specific theme. The rules are simple. Email your ten answers to Katelyn@goodearthplants.com The person who gets the most questions right by 12 midnight on Saturday, November 15 gets a swell prize: your choice of a beautiful potted orchid, or a $20 Starbucks gift card.… Read More

Tips for Preventing The Time Change From Affecting Your Health

| October 30, 2014 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Sustainable Living
Don't forget to "fall back" this weekend on Saturday, Nov. 1.
This weekend we change our clocks from Daylight Time to Standard Time in the U.S. and Canada (unless you’re reading this from Arizona, Hawaii, four U.S. territorial islands or a few small spots north of the border). Before going to bed on Saturday, November 1, turn your clocks BACK one hour. You’re welcome. Our public service announcement for the week is concluded. Now for our safety message: Next week, be extra careful commuting, especially driving home. The transition to standard time increases motor vehicle accidents, especially fatal accidents and pedestrian vs. car accidents. It is estimated that sticking with daylight time year-round would prevent 195 deaths from car accidents, and another 171 pedestrian fatalities.… Read More

Go Green at Sea: Royal Caribbean’s New Ships

| October 2, 2014 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Living Walls
This new living wall aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship will really get around. Courtesy Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean is known for its extravagant cruises and for keeping its guests happy with the latest shipboard innovations. Its ships “Oasis of the Seas” (what a great name!) and “Allure of the Seas” feature the perfect balance of activities and relaxation. Where better to relax in the middle of the deep blue sea than in the green of the Royal Caribbean Central Park? This version of Central Park is an onboard neighborhood garden covered with 12,000 beautiful living plants. Good Earth Plant Company was thrilled to learn about this, and we are so glad to see ships growing real plants instead of displaying all replicas as many have done in the past.… Read More

Tips From Good Earth Plants To Keep Your Plants Healthy This Fall

| September 25, 2014 | Categories: Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
Fall leaves remind us of nature’s cycles—letting go, embracing change, and making space for new growth
Earlier this week it officially became Fall 2014, although with our recent warm weather it may be hard to believe.  Good Earth Plants wants to make sure you have the knowledge to tend your plants properly throughout the fall season. We know in the fall leaves change colors on the trees, and the weather cools down. How does this affect our indoor plants – or does it? Yes, our indoor plants react to the change of seasons, too. During the cooler seasons, there are fewer hours of daylight and the sun is farther away from Earth in the Northern Hemisphere. With less sun shining, we tend to leave our windows closed and turn up the heat.… Read More

Go Green With Good Earth Plant Company for National Indoor Plants Week

| September 4, 2014 | Categories: Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
Summer is over and the big holidays of the year – Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s – aren’t too far away. But before this, one of our favorite holidays at Good Earth Plant Company is coming up next week. So get ready to celebrate, it’s National Indoor Plant Week September 15 through 19. What, you haven’t made your party plans yet? No problem. Good Earth Plants can get you started as we celebrate by spreading awareness on the benefits of having indoor plants in your work and home environment. Anyone can participate in this holiday. As professionals, we give you the information you need.  … Read More

Wendy’s Gets What Green Means

| June 19, 2014 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living
Katelyn Hutchings in her green office at Good Earth Plant Company with over 200 plants.
You may be thinking, “Why is Good Earth Plants discussing a Wendy’s restaurant commercial? Don’t we get enough commercials in our lives!” I realize this is not like our typical posts, but Wendy’s is on to something we’ve talked about for a long time. In the new Wendy’s commercial for its “Summer in a bowl” salad, two women are eating the salads in their office. While they eat, the office begins to transform into a beautiful, green outdoor atmosphere. They love it! Wouldn’t you love to see your office turn inside out? See the commercial here: When you have plants in your office, the air quality improves. … Read More

Changed by Fire: Thriving After Disaster

| May 16, 2014 | Categories: Awards & Achievements, Good Earth Plant Company, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
Scenes from the Cocos fire. Courtesy NBC 7
Introduction: This blog post is not the normal bits of advice or inspiration about green building, plantscaping, or living walls. After the events of this week in San Diego and an unusually early start to what appears to be a long, hot summer and wildfire season to come, I couldn’t help but think about my own experiences surviving – and even thriving – after a wildfire. I wrote a lengthy journal entry about my experiences with a wildfire in 2003, when my own home was burned to the ground in the Cedar Fire. While many things were destroyed – including my marriage – new life literally did grow from the ashes, taking me in a direction I never could have imagined.… Read More

Cleaning the Polluted Air: Easy as Planting a Tree

| May 15, 2014 | Categories: Environment, Gardening, Sustainable Living
If we don't address our pollution issues and clean our air NOW, we could all end up living under a dome.
Life provides too many distractions: phone calls, emails and everything on Facebook. When time allows my thoughts to wander beyond my little world, many times it rests upon how we can improve the environment or at the least, reduces our negative impact on it. Almost always, plants find their way into my ideas for helping the situation in one way or another. The recent wildfires in San Diego County brought clouds of black smoke, ash and the loss of primarily native vegetation in undeveloped areas. Our first responders are working hard to contain the danger, but not without the loss of trees and habitat.… Read More