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Blog Posts By Category: Green Living

Things are Blooming at the SDAF

2011-10-07 11:58:37

October is an exciting time at the San Diego Architectural Foundation as they prepare to host their annual fundraising event, Orchids & Onions 2011 Awards Ceremony & Silent Auction, honoring outstanding architecture, planning, and urban design projects throughout San Diego.

This is an amazing and inspiring event for anyone working or interested in design and architecture or anyone who is looking to spend an evening with some of San Diego’s finest architects, interior designers, and landscape architects.

This year’s event includes nominations for projects including the Fletcher Cove Community Center Remodel overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Solana Beach by Stephen Dalton Architects and El Take It Easy a farm to table Mexican Restaurant in North Park by OBR Architecture.

Some of our projects are also nominated for awards this year including the living wall and atrium at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in downtown San Diego and the Sharp Memorial Hospital Green Roof.

We are looking forward to a wonderful evening and hope you can join us to celebrate so many amazing architectural and design projects in our community. Who knows we might even come home with an award. Either way it is sure to be an event you won’t want to miss.

The event is scheduled October 27, 2011 with a Pre-Party & Silent Auction upstairs at Westfield Horton Plaza Event Space and the Awards Ceremony at the historic Balboa Theater.

For Tickets  | Learn more about the San Diego Architectural Foundation



We wanted to extend a big thank you to everyone who attended our Open House and Plant Sale last Friday and Saturday. We enjoyed sharing our work with you and hope you learned a little bit more about Green Roofs and Living Walls and were able to score some great deals on plants. 

 

The following are some photos from the event.
 

Thanks again!

 



The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has achieved 10,000 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certified Commercial Buildings according to a recent article on GreenBiz.com.  According to the article LEED-certified commercial space now totals 1.3 billion square feet of property around the globe. The project that brought the USGBC to this milestone was the Live Oak Family Center, a two-story LEED Platinum building, in Santa Cruz, CA.


This milestone demonstrates the rapid expansion of green building but according to the USGBC we still have a long way to go to make a significant impact.


We at the Good Earth Family of Companies are excited to be a part of this movement and continue to support Green Building initiatives. “It is fantastic to be a part of something that really will have impact on the environment.  In addition, it supports the construction industry and a green economy,”  said Jim Mumford.


Green Roofs and Living Walls can contribute to a buildings ability to earn points towards LEED certification by reducing heat the island effect and storm water run-off, reduce energy costs and provide habitat for native plants and animals, and improve indoor air-quality.


Read the Full Article 



Now Thats a Bright Idea

2011-07-13 15:45:00

A study by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture found that food in a supermarket traveled an average 1,500 miles to get to the store. This got us to thinking.


What if the fruits and vegetables we get at the grocery store didn’t have to travel at all? 


That’s what BrightFarms out of New York City thinks as well.  The company designs, builds, and finances hydroponic greenhouse farms on supermarket rooftops throughout the United States. This concept not only eliminates distance food travels but also eliminates time, costs, and even CO2 emissions from the food supply chain. In addition BrightFarms grows fresh fruits and vegetables with no chemical pesticides or agricultural runoff.


To learn more about BrightFarms and the benefits of rooftop vegetable gardens watch the Story of Lettuce or visit their website at brightfarms.com.



We're thisclose to finishing Thomas Jefferson's exterior landscaping (we're waiting on only one plant for the street level planters!) and soon we'll be waiving buh-bye. Well, ok, we'll continue doing maintenance! In the meantime, check out a few pictures and brief descriptions of each part of the project on our updated portfolio page!

And stay tuned, we've done a few smaller projects over the last few weeks that we'll also be sharing - a living wall at a private residence in Del Mar, and a green roof atop Cuyamaca College's Water Conservation Garden's straw-bale house (which we shared pics of in our last blog post)!



Last week we helped install a small green roof on top of a straw bale house at Cuyamaca College's Water Conservation Garden! If you've never been to this part of the campus, you're missing out! With nearly five acres, the area showcases water conservation through beautifully themed gardens, including those created with native plants and also some done in vegetables. Admission is free and and you can either view the Garden on a self-guided tour, or visit their website to see details on some of the great programs they offer for people of all ages.

 

We're proud of our involvement in their green roof project and Paul Redeker (Horticulture & Facilities Manager) has been great to work with. They even plan on swinging by to pick up our donation of sedum tiles, and soon they'll be completing the exterior finish on the little house. We can't wait to see what it will look like when it's complete. In the meantime, here are a few pictures from our installation day:

 

Entrance to the Garden:

 

Roofer Extraordinaire Ulf Waldmann, completing the waterproofing a week prior to our installation:

 

With the root barrier, drainage layer and irrigation down, the team (Superintendent Derek Laspisa on the right, and Installer Jacob Tibbets on the left) starts installing the slope stabilization grid:

 

With our part complete, the roof is ready to plant (see a sample sedum tile on the corner!):



Art Alive 2012

2011-04-28 16:25:57

Jim's submission to Art Alive 2012! (Sorry guys - the pics do it no justice!)

 

 



If you've kept up on our blog, you know how proud we are to have been a part of Rich Williams' ArtHaus 2 project in Leucadia. And deservedly so, the project is featured in this month's San Diego Home & Garden Magazine. 


Among the many great things about the house (spectacular design, great location, awesome team, etc etc), it "is the second certified "LEED for Homes" single-family project for the region ...


The residence not only has the U.S. Green Building Council's highest certification rating of LEED Platinum, it also is San Diego's first LEED for Homes and GreenPointRated certified project. There are only a few California homes that have qualified for this certification. Williams says both programs require an independent third-party verification on the home's green features. This assures homebuyers that the residence truly has been built in a sustainable manner and helps eliminate what is known as "greenwashing," the practice of some residential developers to simply tout their homes as eco-friendly."


If you've ever been involved with the certification of a building for LEED, you know it requires a meticulous look at everything, from your internal practices, to the practices of suppliers, to every piece of material you use and how it is installed. In short - it is no easy feat! So thanks for doing what you do, Rich!


To read more about the house and its list of green components, check out the article HERE, or find the "Home Feature" article on www.sdhg.net!



Jim's New Girlfriend

2011-03-30 14:40:26

You may all remember this image as Jim, the Plant Man. (This awesome picture was created and taken by Chris Giles. Check out Chris' other great works HERE).

 

Now it seems that the Plant Man finally has a Plant Woman! We don't know her name yet, but Jim has officially made her his new girlfriend....whether she knows it or not :) 



A Superhero Scrubs the Air: The Mighty Houseplant

By Gwendolyn Bounds


"The humble houseplant is on the attack. Building on NASA experiments for air purification in space, scientists are pinpointing plant species—from the peace lily to the asparagus fern—that are particularly skillful at cleaning indoor air of pollutants that can cause a range of health problems...."


Read the rest of the Wall Street Journal article HERE!



A happy Dean is what we were shooting for, and it looks like we hit the mark! Check out TJSL's brief article about their new living wall HERE!



Okay maybe not skiing per se (although the article DOES suggest it!) but we thought you'd enjoy the renderings and pictures from the "Hill House" in Denmark. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, this single family home has an elongated green roof that essentially serves as the structure’s roof and side walls simultaneously, wrapping from the top of the building down the sides, and connecting with the earth.

 

If your green roof basically turns into a green wall, does that make it a green gwall? Or a green woof? (Don't answer that!)

 

But DO check out the LINK!



Yet another city recognizes the importance of increasing stormwater quality and finding creative ways to retain the stormwater, including using rainwater harvesting systems and building green roofs!

 

"Local schools, businesses and neighborhood groups are receiving grants totaling more than $1.2 million to fund projects to improve stormwater quality in Lexington, Mayor Jim Newberry announced Friday.

 

The projects include the installation of pervious pavements, constructed wetlands, stream restorations, rain gardens, rain barrels and a vegetated roof. Several stormwater education projects in neighborhoods, schools and on television are also funded."

 

See the rest of the article HERE!



Succulent Design Workshop

2010-11-29 09:43:52

Looking for creative and affordable gifts for the holidays? Walk away with tons of ideas at this upcoming succulent design workshop on December 4th from 2:30 to 4:30 pm!

 

View this FLYER for more info!



No doubt - we're constantly trying to green literally everything we can around us. We just can't help ourselves! So stumbling upon this green retaining wall system definitely piqued our interest.


Here's a link to their site: www.smartslope.com


With a myriad of benefits in addition to the aesthetic value of this product, we hope more people consider a green retaining wall in the future. Talk about curb appeal!



Our darling Alexa shared this link with the team this morning - who knew you could throw the last of your wine in your compost bin - if there's any left, of course ;)

Check it out here...I Didn't Know THAT Was Compostable!



Get Your Seed Bombs Tomorrow!

2010-08-06 07:46:55

Come join us tomorrow at the Green Scene in Liberty Station, and get your seed bombs! Don't know what a seed bomb is huh? Well come check us out and we'll show ya! Find more info about the event HERE!

Just stumbled upon this fun little comic that provides a simple explanation of urban heat islands and what we can do to stop them (like build green roofs!) www.recombinantrecords.net/Urban-Heat-Island

Blogs are Abuzz!

2010-06-23 07:53:39

Thank you ooh.com blog for posting about our our most recent vertical wall!



Thanks www.livingwallart.com!

2010-06-22 07:57:06

Thank you Gavin at www.livingwallart.com for doing a posting on two of our favorite living wall projects!

 

From: BUILDER 2010              Posted on: June 2, 2010 3:31:00 PM
 
Green Roofs Defy Economy, See Double-Digit Growth in 2009
Chicago leads the nation in number of green roofs installed.
 
By: Nigel F. Maynard
 
Green (or sod) roofing is held up as a technology that offers a myriad of benefits for buildings as well as the general public, but perhaps it can now be labeled as recession-proof.
 
The non-profit green roofing industry group, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) in Toronto, Canada, says a recent survey of its corporate members revealed that the green roofing industry grew by 16.1% in 2009, even while other areas of the construction market and the economy foundered.
 
“Despite this fantastic progress, opportunities for future annual growth are enormous, with green roofs accounting for an estimated 10 million square feet annually in an overall flat roofing industry which replaces or builds more than 4 billion square feet in North America annually,” said Steven W. Peck, founder and president of GRHC, in a statement.
 
Moreover, the group’s annual Top Ten Cities List indicates that for the sixth time in a row Chicago led the nation with more than 562,000 square feet of sod roofs installed, followed at a distance by Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis.
 
“We are definitely seeing the emergence of more public policies and direct investment that support the implementation of green roof infrastructure due to its many public benefits, such as stormwater management, air quality improvement, and reducing the urban heat island effect,” said Jeffrey L. Bruce, chair of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.
 
As its name suggests, a green roof is one that consists of several layers of protected membranes and soil medium, and planted with any type of vegetation, including succulents, grasses, and other plants. It offers sound insulation for the building, promotes energy efficiency, and is said to help keep the interior of a house or building cooler.
 
But in addition to the benefits for the building, green roof proponents say the installations help society as a whole. It cleans the air, takes the stress off sewer systems through stormwater retention, and helps reduce the heat island effect that makes urban temperatures climb in the summer.
 
“Through the daily dew and evaporation cycle, plants on vertical and horizontal surfaces are able to cool cities during hot summer months,” the GRHC says on its website. “In the process of [taking water from the air and then evaporating it through their leaves], plants use heat energy from their surroundings when evaporating water.”
 
These attributes are the reasons more jurisdictions/cities have been interested in promoting green roof installations either in retrofits or new construction. Chicago, which is the foremost American city for green roofs, made the technology part of its commitment to green back in the early 2000s, and it’s reported that Mayor Richard Daley launched the green roof movement in the city after seeing installations in Europe.
 
As an example of the technology’s benefits, the City Hall building was outfitted with a sod roof and is reportedly 14 degrees to 44 degrees cooler on a summer day than the county office building across the street, which has a typical black-tar roof.
 
In addition, a 2005 Green Roof Grants Program has helped dozens of green roof projects throughout Chicago. At present, the city leads the nation with more than 200 green roofs that cover almost 3 million square feet.
 
Washington, D.C., which has been pushing green roofs as well, ranked second in 2009 with 190,377 installed square feet. Earlier this week, the city hosted the Regional Green Roofs & Walls Conference and Training, where attendees and panelists focused on how to achieve a higher level of green roof adoption in D.C. to meet a target of 20% green roof coverage by 2020.
 
Nigel Maynard is senior editor, products, at BUILDER magazine.
 
Top 10 Cities For Green Roofs
 
1. Chicago
2. Washington, D.C.
3. Minneapolis
4. Baltimore
5. Newtown Square, Pa.
6. New York
7. Redmond, Wash.
8. Montreal, Quebec (Canada)
9. Quebec City, Quebec (Canada)
10. Milwaukee
 
 

Source: Green Roofs for Healthy Cities



County Fair is Almost HERE!

2010-06-01 08:03:04

 

The Fair is coming! The Fair is coming!
 
We are in the midst of creating a spectacular display in the garden show at the San Diego County Fair at Del Mar. We will be located just to the left of the stage. As the theme this year is “taste the fair”, our “Good Earth Green Café” will display three living walls – an edible wall on the side of the “café”, a beautiful patterned succulent wall adjacent to it and our famous “Obelisk” from the Art Alive show at the SD Museum of Art Balboa Park. In addition, we will have multiple veggies displayed in pots and planters placed within the display.
 
The crew begins work installing the small buildings tomorrow and the whole thing will come together in a couple of days. Always a project that is both fun and strenuous, when we scheduled the time two months ago we had no idea how busy we would be this month. So it becomes a challenge to cover all bases.
 
Also at the fair, I am doing a presentation on green walls at 5pm on the 15th of June. Admission to the garden show is free, seating is limited  - so come early and enjoy the entire garden show after you have saved your seat!


We've Got the Beet!

2010-05-19 08:16:25

 

Our edible wall has created quite a stir here at the office, and some good eating habits! 
 
Don't they say that carrots are a negative calorie food? Great! Then we all lost some calories munching on the numerous baby carrots that we harvested an hour ago from our edible wall. And, although we haven't eaten it (yet!) we also found a nice-sized beet, along with its little beet sidekick, as well as some delicious white strawberries. And on another product that we're trialing, (part edible wall module, part screen), we harvested a few little baby green beans and squash. Yum! 
 
Check them out....
 

Our intern from High Tech High Chula Vista, Andres, and edibles specialist (and Vegetable Gardening Instructor at Foothills Adult School) Abby Moldenhauer, digging up the herbs and vegetables and replanting the next round!


Abby holding up two carrots curled together in the shape of a heart....awwwww, how sweet!


Cleaned up and ready to be eaten!


Although they don't look ripe, this particular variety of strawberry (White Alpine to be exact) is sweet and delicious!


Told you "we've got the BEET" (thanks for coming up with that title Abby!) and beans and squash!


 

We love to donate to St. Madeleine Sophie's Center's Organic Gardening Program! A few times a year, the good people from the Center head over our way and load up plants and containers to use in this very interesting program that serves more than 100 people. 
 
Under the supervision of horticultural managers, adult students are taught the skills and commitment that is required to maintain, nurture and care for a growing environment.
 
The Center's two-acre garden site includes two 1,500 sq. ft. facilities (a greenhouse and a propagation house) a worm farm, a citrus orchard, ornamental trees, a vegetable garden, shrubs, herbs and a variety of seasonal flowers. The propagation house provides the right environment to grow seedlings, shade loving plants, flowers and herbs year-round.
 
The greenhouse offers students a protected setting where they shade seasonal plants from the weather, ripen late-fall tomatoes, grow planters full of salad greens and herbs and pot spring bulbs. The program serves as a mini-profit center providing opportunities for students to earn a paycheck while reaping a harvest of goodwill and respect in their community.



Students stay busy selling plants and organic vegetables at the Center Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The public is Welcome!

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WESST CORPORATION GETS LEED CREDIT FOR USE OF INDOOR PLANTS
from Joe Zazzera, Chair of GPGB’s LEED Advocacy Committee 
 
Albuquerque New Mexico’s Wesst Corporation was recently awarded Silver LEED Certification in part through the use of indoor plants, only the second project to do so in the U.S.
 
Credit for the use of live plants indoors was given under LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a third party rating system offered through the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Points were awarded in the category of Innovation in Design, under LEED.
 
According to Studio Southwest Architects and the LEED Consultant Halcom Consulting, key points cited in the submittal were live plant’s ability to filter VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds), uptake carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, and release fresh oxygen into the atmosphere. The Plant type and percentage of the installation along with VOC removal characteristics with milligram per hour removal properties for formaldehyde, Xylene and ammonia were cited within the LEED submittal. Green Plants For Green Buildings (GPGB.Org) extensive library of resources back up the research and findings in the submittal. The 420 Sq Ft bio-filtration wall measures 17 ft by 24 feet high and was installed by NedLaw of Canada. The “Bio” wall is fully integrated into the buildings air handling system.
 
The credit award supports the argument that human beings need to feel connected to the natural environment in order to enjoy a sense of psychological, physical and social wellbeing.  Biophilia directly confronts the issue of aesthetics and our evolved sense of beauty. The patterns, forms, textures and colors of nature provide abundant models that can be used in building and product design to enhance their aesthetic appeal, not just their functionality and efficiency. Incorporating this natural sense of beauty into a building makes them not only greener in the environmental sense, but also greener in a human sense.  
 
Unlike Australia’s ‘Green Star’ green building rating system, the current USGBC LEED system does not yet offer a specified direct credit for the inclusion of live plant applications. Within the current LEED section titled “Innovation in Design” it is possible for plants to be part of a specially developed use.
 
It is widely recognized that plants in the workplace offer more than just aesthetic value.  In fact, research science and studies have shown that in addition to improving indoor air quality they help reduce stress, enhance employee attitudes, and increase productivity. 
 
For more information on the many health and environmental benefits of using living plants indoors visit www.gpgb.org or email jim@goodearthplants.com.


 

It's that time again! We're gearing up for the San Diego County Fair's Flower & Garden Show, where entrants get more and more creative every year!
 
This year, we'll be creating a diner-esque outdoor space with living and edible walls abound, and we need your help in naming our display. All you have to do is stay within the general themes created by the Fair Staff. This year's entire Fair theme ("Taste the Fun") and their Flower & Garden Show theme ("In Good Taste") is right in line with our team - fun, creative and hungry! But the team has hit a road block with coming up with a quirky name that describes what we do and sticks to both themes. 
 
So let's hear your suggestions on our display name. If we pick your entry, we'll give a beautiful live orchid for free! Entries are due by end of business day - so hurry! 


 

Tonight kicks off the beginning of Art Alive 2010, the San Diego Museum Of Art's signature fundraiser, where more than 100 floral designers transform famous works of art from the Museum’s permanent collection into exquisite floral interpretations. 
 
Jim usually takes part each year, thinking outside the box to create his interpretation of his piece of choice. This year, with so many demands on his time however, he was forced to sit out the floral interpretation, but was instead given a chance to create a wonderful living wall piece for the museum's entryway, working with renowned floral designer, René van Rems. The living wall units, in the form of an obelisk, highlight the floral design adorning the museums entryway, helping create a dramatic affect.
 
The event runs from tonight through May 2. For four floral filled days and nights the Museum is transformed into a glorious spectacle of art and flowers, creating an enchanting spring exhibition. The floral presentation is punctuated by a host of special events—including an Opening Celebration, Member Preview, a "Special Edition" of Culture & Cocktails, and family-oriented "Garden of Activities."


Tickets may still be available! Check out their website for more information,




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