Good Earth Plants Gives Thomas Jefferson School of Law a Natural Makeover

The fresh new planters are looking great thanks to a little TLC from Good Earth Plants Company.
One of our favorite projects ever stemmed from installing the living wall on the fifth floor of the new Thomas Jefferson School of Law (TJSL) downtown. We installed the original living wall in January 2011 and it got rave reviews. Here’s what it looked like then: Because the client was so pleased with our diligent, detail-oriented performance (and our tidiness too), we also got the contract to install all of the built in planters on the fifth and eighth floors (not quite a green roof), ground level and the interior atrium. We performed maintenance for the first year, and then due to budget constraints, the school decided to take the service and care of their plants in-house.… Read More

Getting Schooled about Plants, Nature, Biophilia and Wellness

Architects designing today’s hospitals are merging art and evidence-based research to create environments that promote health and healing. Views of nature, natural light, earth-toned color schemes and the sounds of nature all help patients heal more quickly, and they suffer less from depression or side effects. Starting with a study in 2002 by University of Texas professor Roger Ulrich which we have written about before, there are now over 1,000 studies and they all prove the same thing. Plants and nature promote healing. It’s serious science and it is finally starting to be taken seriously. This week, the San Diego Business Journal published an article about changes in the approach to architectural design of hospitals and other healthcare facilities to put these principles into practice.… Read More

Explore Workplace Wellness at San Diego Workshop July 23

Can a workplace evolve to become a place where people are healthier after a day of work than when they arrive in the morning? Good Earth Plant Company and GreenScaped Buildings is pleased to support “Wellbeing @ Work,” a workshop on making workspaces healthier, more ergonomically friendly, and ultimately more effective by allowing people to work at their very best. The event takes place on Thursday, July 23, from 7:30 – 11:30 a.m. at the bkm OfficeWorks Showroom and is sponsored by Steelcase, the leading manufacturer of furniture for offices, hospitals, and classrooms. Human Resources Professionals, Risk & Safety Managers, Corporate Wellness Officers, Facilities Managers, Corporate Wellness Consultants and members of the San Diego design community are all encouraged to attend.… Read More

Living Walls With An International Twist

Our first living wall made out of preserved moss panels imported from Italy. Photo: GreenScaped Buildings
Even though we’ve been installing living walls and vertical gardens in many forms for nearly ten years, there is always something new to learn and to work with. GreenScaped Buildings installed its first ever project this month using preserved “moss” panels. These panels are imported from Italy, and there isn’t anything else like them. They are fire retardant, preserved and super easy to care for. The panels are actually made of preserved lichens. Lichens are composite organisms, which include the properties of simple algae and fungi. They are similar to mosses but don’t have stems or leaves. The lichen is collected without any damage to the vegetation or environment and is hand applied to the panel backing.… Read More

Urban Agriculture: Why Eating and Buying Local Matters to the Planet

With so many farmer's markets and other local food resources in San DIego County, it's easier than ever to buy local food products.
We get asked a lot to create edible walls and green roofs that are roof top farms. I recently ran across this thought-provoking article, thought-provoking for me at least as a person who thinks a lot about our relationships to plants, nature and the Earth. This research in this article shows 90 percent of all the people in the United States could eat foods grown within 100 miles of home. The study was conducted by two engineering professors at the Sierra Nevada Research Institute run by the University of California at Merced. Read it here. Many people have talked about the need to support local food supplies for many reasons.… Read More

San Diego Downtown News: ‘Living Walls bring life to the city’

The 2017 Pantone Color of the Year "Greenery" is in nearly all our projects, like the living wall at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in the East Village area of downtown San Diego.
A recent article by Delle Willett in the San Diego Downtown News showcases several of our living wall projects in Downtown San Diego. It’s terrific to see how developers and building owners are integrating nature into the urban environment. Living walls are now featured in (or on) upper-end hotels and restaurants, designer retail stores, chic spas, exclusive clubs — basically any place looking for distinction, something that makes them stand out from their competitors. Good Earth Plant Company and GreenScaped Buildings is happy to help them stand out! Included in the article are our walls for the law firm of Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch, LLP; the Westgate Hotel; the newly opened Urbana rental flats in East Village; and the Thomas Jefferson School of Law, which we built in 2011 and is still the biggest living wall in San Diego.… Read More

Get Fresh Ideas at the Good Earth Plants Spring Open House June 5

Purchase nursery grade plants and pots at outstanding sale prices Why should San Diego’s microbreweries have a monopoly on happy hour? Enjoy happy hour Good Earth Plant Company style during our 2015 Spring Open House and Plant Sale at our warehouse and demo garden on Friday, June 5, from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Jim Mumford and the entire team at Good Earth Plant Company have fresh ideas and exciting new projects at this annual event. The Open House takes place at Good Earth Plant Company’s headquarters, 7922 Armour Street in San Diego. See a map here. Tour our living lab including green roof systems, an edible living wall, our Aquaponics system and the latest in living wall technology.… Read More