Awards & Achievements

Growing A Business, 39 Years and Counting

| November 1, 2016 | Categories: Awards & Achievements, Good Earth Plant Company, Green Roofs, Living Walls, Plantscaping
Thirty-nine years ago today, all I wanted was a way to support myself. I was almost 20 and my dad had just kicked me out of the house because I didn’t get a job over the summer. I got a part-time job while going to community college, working at an outdoor “plant stand” in the financial district of downtown San Diego. It turned into my own full-time business. Shortly after starting my gig working for “Plants on the Plaza,” the three owners decided it was too much hassle to make them any real money and they wanted to sell. Back home and at dinner that night, my Naval Captain father said, “Let’s buy it!”… Read More

News From Good Earth Plant Company: January 2015 Newsletter

| January 26, 2015 | Categories: Awards & Achievements, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Newsletters
Good Earth Plant Company Leaflet Newsletter
Click here to read the January 2015 edition of the Good Earth Plant Company Leaflet newsletter. Highlights this issue include: Read about our latest activities in the President’s Letter Learn about our latest featured projects See photos of living walls in Shanghai, China Check our Calendar for fun, informative green themed events in San Diego Get our newsletter delivered right to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter email list. Visit the home page of our website and scroll to the end of the page to provide us your email address.

Always a Winner: San Diego’s Orchids and Onions Awards

| October 9, 2014 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Awards & Achievements, Biophilic Design, Green Roofs, Indoor Plants, Living Walls
The Old Police Headquarters project Good Earth Plants worked on won an Orchid.
I had a great time at the San Diego Architectural Foundation’s “Orchids and Onions” event last week at the Aerospace Museum in Balboa Park. It is hard to believe I haven’t missed this event in 20 years. One of the best things about the event is seeing industry friends and colleagues including Kelly Dixon, Richard Cox, Roger Lewis, Howard Blackson, Patricia Trauth, Glen Schmidt, Roger Lewis, David McCullough, and so many more of you. It was a blast! If you aren’t familiar with it, “Orchids and Onions” is a tongue in cheek fundraising program put on by the San Diego Architectural Foundation to provides interaction with the design community with the goal of educating and raising awareness among San Diegans about our built environment including its architecture, urban planning, landscapes architecture, and more.… 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

Good Earth Plants Salutes San Diego’s “Art Alive 2014”

| April 10, 2014 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Awards & Achievements
Jim Mumford's "Art Alive" floral design interprets the painting "Sunday Afternoon" by Hughie Lee-Smith.
Spring in San Diego is an amazing time of year: perfect weather, plants and flowers in bloom, and longer days to enjoy it all. Spring also brings an event Good Earth Plants has supported for the past 15 years: San Diego’s Art Alive. This annual fundraiser for the San Diego Museum of Art brings together floral and plant designers and art for three day celebration April 11-13, 2014. Floral designers and those in related industries (like us at Good Earth Plants) create a interpretation of a piece of art using plants and flowers as their living medium. This year, I chose the painting “Sunday Afternoon” by Hughie Lee-Smith.… Read More

Good Earth Plants Leaflet Newsletter: Winter 2014 Edition

| January 14, 2014 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Awards & Achievements, Newsletters, Plantscaping
Click here to read our Good Earth Plant Company Winter 2014 edition of the Good Earth Leaflet newsletter. In this issue: Letter from the President Upcoming Events Featured Project: ActivCare Chula Vista Employee Spotlight: Celso Gomez Lunch & Learn Program (Continuing Education Units) Not on our newsletter email list? Want to sign up? Visit the home page of our website and scroll to the end of the page to provide us your email address.

Good Earth Plants Wishes You A Green And Happy New Year

| December 30, 2013 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Awards & Achievements, Green Roofs, Indoor Plants, Living Walls
Time to break out the bubbly and party hats. 2013 is in the rear view mirror and 2014 is in front of us. What a year it has been! From Boston to Seattle, the Good Earth Plants and GreenScaped Buildings teams have had their hands full with amazing projects and renewed enthusiasm. We wrapped up 2013 with a big, green bow and a nod of satisfaction. For the Good Earth Plants team, it was our time to shine with plantscaping the Old Police Headquarters and adding new life to our existing office building clients.  Debbie Hopkins and her talented crew brought new clients into the mix with cutting edge designs for lobbies and offices, including Illumina who added a new building to its office park, Encore in Mission Valley, and Co-Merge in downtown.… Read More

An Attitude of Gratitude: Happy Thanksgiving from Good Earth Plants

| November 25, 2013 | Categories: Awards & Achievements, Good Earth Plant Company, Indoor Plants
While the world is wrapped up in turkey, football games and pumpkin pie, the Good Earth Plants team is knee-deep in holiday décor. The warehouse is bright and shiny with trees, wreaths and garlands being readied for installation at our clients’ offices and homes. Holiday cards are being signed and addressed for mailing. Before we immerse ourselves in glitter and snowflakes, I wanted to jot down some thoughts about the people that make me so grateful this season. When I was just starting Good Earth Plants, some special people took time to help me. Mark Sandstrom, who recently passed away, gave me a big break into the flower business.… Read More

A Perfect Piece of Green PIE from PIA

| September 10, 2013 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Awards & Achievements
I always look forward to the Plant Industry Alliance (PIA) annual Expo in Las Vegas in August. This year’s Plantscape Industry Expo (PIE) was AMAZING! Innovative products, fascinating speakers and incredible living art displays. It seemed everywhere you look, creative, inspired people were talking about new products and the latest in technology and design. This year, we had a great team attend from Good Earth Plants and GreenScaped Buildings. Debbie Hopkins, Dawn Weatherford, Kerry Bauer and I got the chance to meet up with some colleagues and exchange some ideas while learning about the latest in plants. We even got to see a new plant, a type of Mandeville, that has a large hanging pink flower that will be perfect on one of our living walls.… Read More

IGNITE! PIA Expo, Las Vegas

| August 13, 2013 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Awards & Achievements, Good Earth Plant Company, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
Plantscape Industry Alliance
  Is it really August already? It seems like only yesterday school was letting out and I had an entire summer to look forward to. Work goes on and this week, I am in Las Vegas for the 2013 Plantscape Industry Alliance Expo (PIA). What a great group of people. I have been fortunate enough to have been a board member for 10 years and an executive director for two years. People with PIA are the decision makers and movers and shakers in the plant industry today and tomorrow. After two years of no responsibilities when attending the PIA Expo, leisurely viewing exhibits and catching up with colleagues I was once again asked to be a speaker.… Read More