Good Earth Plants and Greenscaped Buildings Will Complete the Final Phases of the New Colorful, Living Wall at Fashion Valley Mall Next Week

– By Jim Mumford, President and Green Guru, Good Earth Plants and Greenscaped Buildings

Starting August 6, we will be building the new Green Wall at San Diego’s Fashion Valley Mall next to the new True Foods Restaurant and across the street from The Cheesecake Factory. I am thrilled to not only give the city of San Diego and the shoppers of Fashion Valley Mall something beautiful to look at, but also give all residents cleaner air to breath! This is truly a case where beauty does tackle the air pollution beast as recent studies I have read show just how well a living wall will help clean the air by scrubbing it clean of particulate matter.

But let’s not forget the beauty of a living wall. It really is a piece of art carefully sculpted with all the precision of an artist. A growing trend nationwide, this will be one of the most visible examples of our work introducing the public at large to this relatively new idea of a “green wall”.

Living walls are not simple, plug and plant vertical units, but complex ecosystems requiring adequate lighting and even distribution of water for the long-term health of the plants. Equally important, is the system chosen to keep the plants anchored on the walls while they grow. It must be strong enough to hold the weight of growing plants and last a very long time. Maintenance is the key to keeping a living wall looking great and we will be caring for the wall for the foreseeable future.

I am always challenged by the aspects of a project that cannot be foreseen – and this one is no different. All the planning and conversations in the world do not flush out all of the challenges to a given project. In this case, one of the unforeseen challenges is that we are restricting our work to the early morning hours due to the proximity of the living wall to the True Foods Restaurant. Always sensitive to our clients and their need to maintain their business, we are limiting our hours so the noise and construction won’t impact shoppers and diners.

And all great ideas are the work of a team, and not just us individually. We are working closely with the Landscape Architect Rocco Campanozzi, who is relying on our expertise to help design, specify and construct the wall and make his vision come to life. Our grower, Randy Crow, is playing an important part holding our modules at his nursery while they grow to size. We could not have a successful project without Greenscaped Buildings’ Project Manager and team leader Kevin Norton along with field supervisor Aric Belrouse, who are working tirelessly to make sure the project will be installed quickly and efficiently. As a result, the collaborative effort will be beautiful and long lived.

I am certain that those who frequent the Fashion Valley Mall will have one more reason to truly enjoy their visit—and breathe a little easier. Be sure to stop by and view the new Living wall which is directly in front of you as you come in the main entrance to Fashion Valley Mall from Friars Road, across the street from The Cheesecake Factory and next to True Foods Restaurant. And if you like what you see and want to do your part to make the air we breathe even better, contact us for residential and commercial installations.