Nature and Wellbeing

We’ve dedicated more than four decades in the plant and flower business to nature and wellbeing. Our mission is enriching peoples’ lives with plants. Good Earth Plant Company has a greater appreciation for our wellbeing as we all do since the pandemic.

How do we improve the quality of our workplaces, our homes, and all the other indoor spaces where we spend the majority of our time? Can we clean the air? Remove toxins? Add oxygen and make ourselves healthier, happier, and more productive? Yes!

If we are not going to spend more time outside in nature, we have to bring nature INSIDE. We have to recreate living in nature the best way we can.

Ever wonder why you seem to have trouble concentrating on anything, or feel down more than seems normal? You may be suffering from a lack of Vitamin N (that’s “Nature”). You are feeling the lack of connection to nature and wellbeing, which we now study as biophilia, the innate tendency of human beings to find their place and their relationship with the natural world. People suffer from their lack of biophilic connection when they’re shut inside all day and night.

Adding plants to your indoor environment along with natural light and fresh air can go a long way toward improving your quality of life through the combination of nature and wellbeing.

 

Plant Trends from the 2023 TPIE

| January 25, 2023 | Categories: Biophilic Design, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
TPIE bring nature inside sign with Jim Mumford
Welcome to The Tropical Plant International Expo (TPIE) 2023! Jim Mumford, founder of Good Earth Plants, went trendspotting at this year’s event in Tampa, FL. At 89% humidity, with showers and temps in the 70s, it felt very tropical. The TPIE is the CES for plant people: interior plantscapers, designers, retailers, media, and really anyone whose job involves plants. And just like a new tech launch at CES, new varieties of plants are shown here first. Jim started Good Earth Plant Co. 45 years ago, and his years of dedication to biophilic design earned him a place in the Hall of Fame at this year’s TPIE.… Read More

Here’s To Your Health From Fix Medical Group and Good Earth Plant Company

| November 9, 2022 | Categories: Biophilic Design, Case Studies, Nature and Wellbeing
Fix Medical Group case manager Jesika Casey greets clients and visitors along with our moss wall and orchids. Photo: Jim Mumford
Good Earth Plant Company blog readers know our mission is to enrich peoples’ lives with plants. Those lives include our clients, guests, employees, suppliers, and everyone who interacts with them. What does “enrich” mean, exactly? The formal definition, according to Merriam-Webster, is “to make rich or richer, especially by the addition or increase of some desirable quality, attribute, or ingredient.” Money is the first thing that comes to your mind when talking about being “rich.” Who wouldn’t find life a lot easier if you had a lot of money? We didn’t win the Powerball this week, so we can’t help you there.… Read More

Use the Fall Time Change To Follow the Light

| November 2, 2022 | Categories: Biophilic Design, Nature and Wellbeing
When we ignore our need for connection to the environment, we suffer - including during the annual fall time change. Photo: Image by Julita
You may want to blame any blues next week on the coming election, but our relationship with Mother Nature is more likely to blame. The weekend before Election Day, we go through our annual change back from Daylight Time to Standard Time in the U.S. and Canada (unless you’re reading this in Arizona, Hawaii, or a few small spots). Turn your clocks back that still need human adjustments on Saturday night before going to bed. You’re welcome. Our public service announcement for the week is concluded. The 60 minutes we adjusted our clocks suddenly makes us aware we are slowly losing daylight.… Read More

Get Dirty, Get Healthier With Horticultural Therapy

| October 5, 2022 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Case Studies, Nature and Wellbeing
I do a lot of thinking on my quiet canyon bench. It's much nicer than a traditional therapist's office. Photo: Jim Mumford horticultural therapy
Many people develop a love of gardening and nature as they grow up through older relatives as they care for their flowers, plants, or fruit and vegetable gardens. I spent many family summers enjoying the outdoors and learning about nature in a way that seems a little old-fashioned today. So many of my relatives have a love for nature. My father, Bob, became a much admired – and published! – nature photographer after retiring from the United States Navy. Mom Sandy is an avid backyard gardener and refuses to throw a struggling plant away, and rarely prunes. My daughter, Allie, loves nature – for her, it’s all about animals.… Read More

Sustainability Is Worth The Struggle 

| September 28, 2022 | Categories: Environment, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
What kind of world will we leave for future generations? Photo: Pexels sustainability
Good Earth Plant Company loves it when our clients consider how their purchases impact our environment. Study after study demonstrates consumers want to buy products and services from companies taking a stand on saving the planet. A 2019 study of consumers found 83% of Americans are concerned about the environmental impact of products they buy and say it’s important for companies to design more environmentally friendly products. We think it should be 100% but it’s a good start. During a recent conversation with my son Ted, it hit me how pessimistic he feels about our earth’s health. The environmental outlook is dire.… Read More

Good Earth Plant Company is Falling For Fall

| September 21, 2022 | Categories: Environment, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
Good Earth Plant Company loves fall. We'll tell you why. Photo: Pixabay
I can feel it in the air, see it in the changing landscape. Fall is here. The days grow shorter. The shadows grow longer. The sycamores are turning golden brown, the bird of paradise are full of flowers, the chaparral is dry and fully dormant, the sage extra pungent. Soon the cottonwoods in the San Diego River bed running through Mission Valley will be yellow, and the liquid ambers in your yard a deep red. Want even more color? Drive up to Julian or further up into the eastern Sierra mountains around Bishop. Fall is my favorite season. It doesn’t hurt that my birthday and Good Earth Plant Company’s anniversary both occur in the fall: October 25 and November 1.… Read More

The One Return To Work Incentive Bringing Employees Back

| September 7, 2022 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
return to work incentives
Labor Day 2022 is now behind us, the unofficial end of summer. Back to school and back to work for many Americans. I’m back from a late summer trip to Minneapolis to meet with my workplace greenery colleagues of the Silverado Roundtable, and I snuck in a family visit in Denver. I’m glad to be back at Good Earth Plant Company with many exciting new projects ahead this fall. Public service announcement: Need us to enrich people’ lives with plants at work or home? Contact us now! But back to work means something different after the coronavirus pandemic. It doesn’t necessarily mean going back to the office environment.… Read More

Plants Can Save The World – It’s Science

| July 13, 2022 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilia, Environment, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
Get busy, Eco-Warriors. Plants can save the world. We just have to lend a hand. Photo: Anna Shvets
In my spare time, I read science articles. Doesn’t everyone? In this case, the headline got my attention: “Plants aren’t good at photosynthesis. We can do it better.” This didn’t make sense to me. The reason plants grow and thrive is photosynthesis. It’s life and death for plants. The article was written by Dr. Raffael Jovine, a scientist who is the author of the new book “How Light Makes Life: The Hidden Wonders and World-Saving Powers of Photosynthesis.” I read more and thankfully, Dr. Jovine isn’t a hater. Far from it. His book explores how photosynthesis was first discovered and understood by humans, how it works, our planet’s reliance on photosynthesis for nearly all life, the economic value of photosynthesis, and how we can use photosynthesis and plants to save our environment and solve many other complex problems like hunger, healthcare, and equity.… Read More

Keep Our Trees Green and Growing in Drought

| June 8, 2022 | Categories: Agriculture and Farming, Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Nature and Wellbeing, Water and Water Conservation
San Diego's trees add to the beauty it is known for worldwide. Photo: City of San Diego keep our trees green
Several years ago, I encouraged blog readers to plant trees for the well-being of our planet. If you followed my advice, you have some shade to sit in while enjoying your beverage of choice! Now in the midst of the worst drought Southern California has experienced in our lifetime, the most important thing you can do now is to use the precious water available to keep our trees thriving. Put trees first in line for water Southern California officials are issuing new restrictions on outdoor water use amid the worsening drought. It’s fine for lawns to go brown – and it’s even better if we replace them.… Read More

Growing the Future: Mother’s Day 2022

| May 4, 2022 | Categories: Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing
Good Earth Plant Company owner Jim Mumford and his mom, Sandy Fowler, at the Van Gogh exhibit earlier this month. Photo: Jim Mumford Mother's Day 2022
When it’s time to decide on the weekly blog post topic, we check the calendar at Good Earth Plant Company. The past few years, we’ve dedicated the first post in May to World Naked Gardening Day (AKA WNGD). For whatever reason, it’s one of our top blog posts every year. What’s wrong with you people? That’s OK. We’ll do anything to get people thinking about plants and ways to enrich their lives with plants, with or without clothing. This year, WNGD also falls on Mother’s Day 2022 weekend. I’ve done a lot of things to embarrass my mom Sandy over the years.… Read More