Blog Posts By Month: May, 2010

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.

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!