happiness index

You Would Be Less Stressed Out If You Were Out There

| August 2, 2018 | Categories: Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Case Studies, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Nature and Wellbeing
You don't have to create the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Colombia to get the full benefits of gardening. Photo: Photoman/Creative Commons License
Feeling a little stressed out? Who isn’t! How stressed out are we? The American Psychological Association (APA) has been measuring American stress levels for ten years now. Surprise, surprise: According to a 2017 study by the APA, more Americans report stress affecting them. But most also admit they are not taking enough active measures to combat the effects of stress in their daily lives. Half the country’s employees say they feel stress in their jobs the majority of the work week (three days or more). ­­More than half of the nation’s workers report stress in their jobs three or more days a week.… Read More

In Business, Green is Good

| August 17, 2017 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Case Studies, Environment, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
  When did you last spend time outdoors? You might think everyone is outside enjoying summer weather and school vacations.  In San Diego, there’s hardly a day all year when you can’t be outside in short sleeves (or less). Buried in a report by the Environmental Protection Agency from 1989 is this shocking statistic: people in industrialized countries include the U.S. and Europe  spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors. Specifically, people spend 93 percent of their time indoors, with anther five percent in transit in a car or public transportation, and just two percent outside. I’d like to think this number is lower in San Diego, but even if it’s 80 percent, it’s still a sobering reality.… Read More

Hiring an Interior Plantscaping Service?

| August 3, 2017 | Categories: Case Studies, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
Good Earth Plant horticultural technicians Carlos and Marco install plants at the Alpha Project in San Diego serving homeless..
You’ve admired or flat out envied the beautiful plants in other offices, and you’ve read all about the many benefits of interior Plantscaping. So you have decided it’s time to improve your business or organization’s workspaces and hire a professional to help you. You’ve made a great decision. Even if this wasn’t the way I’ve earned a living for close to 40 years, I’d be just as enthusiastic about all the benefits you, your employees, and your customers and guests will enjoy as a result. Now in addition to everything else on your plate at work, you’re probably wondering how exactly how to go about hiring the right company to create the perfect green spaces in your home, office or building.… Read More

The Green Fix for Good Health

| July 6, 2017 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
One of the best things about celebrating the Fourth of July is that everyone in Washington D.C. stops what they are doing to join in on parades, fireworks, and barbecues like the rest of us. But they’re now back at work. Healthcare reform remains at the top of the agenda. Don’t worry, I’m not going to discuss coverage or insurance here. This blog is for healthier topics than politics! But if I could give a speech in Congress or write a letter to all 535 members of Congress, I would encourage them to include a big dose of the outdoors and nature in whatever plan they come up with.… Read More

Words of Wisdom from the Dalai Lama

| June 22, 2017 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Living Walls, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living
Most people know Good Earth Plant Company for our living walls, green roofs, and other major projects. But we got our start 40 years ago on a much smaller scale. Our core business for many years is providing Interior Plantscaping services to offices, homes and other buildings, bringing nature indoors for people to enjoy. Early on, I recognized that San Diego didn’t have a firm that did short term plant rentals, so I started one. We used to have contracts with all of the local concert and event producers. Our all-time favorite was the late great Joan Rivers. We’ve also provided stage plants for comedian Robin Williams, Neil Diamond, ZZ Top and Jimmy Buffett among others.… Read More

Tips To Enjoy Summer Naturally

| June 14, 2017 | Categories: Biophilia, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
You know the years are passing when the months seem to be racing by. It feels like I just put the Christmas decorations away, but in just a few days summer will officially begin on Tuesday, June 20, at 9:24 pm Pacific Time. This is the summer solstice, the day with the most hours of sunlight all year. The four seasons are created when sunlight shifts as our planet orbits the Sun and changes the tilt of its vertical axis. We reach the summer solstice the moment the Sun reaches its northernmost point from the equator. And yes, we have four seasons in san Diego.… Read More

Remember This One Good Thing About Office Plants

| June 8, 2017 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Case Studies, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
When exactly did “multitasking” become a thing? It might have been when we all first got computers on our desks. It happened for sure when we all started having those little computers called smartphones in our hands all the time. The word actually existed in the 1960s as an engineering term, but computer processing made it popular in the 1990s. People brag about how great they are at multitasking, especially at work. After 20 years the laugh is on us, because we’ve learned thanks to scientific studies there is really no such thing as multitasking. What we are all doing is task switching.… Read More

Make America Great Again – With Plants

| May 25, 2017 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
Like a lot of you, I’ve been watching President Trump on the news. It is hard to avoid. He’s having a really rough time. I don’t care what your politics are, love him or hate him. We all want to see the President of the United States be successful on behalf of our country. The more I’ve watched, the more I’ve noticed something about the current Oval Office. Looking at it, there are no plants. None! When you’re in the Plantscaping business, this sets off a whole lot of alarm bells. We’ve written so many times about the benefits of plants in the workplace.… Read More

Eight Ways to Celebrate Mother Earth This Mother’s Day

| May 11, 2017 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
Time for our annual public service announcement, if you haven’t already heard: Sunday, May 14 is Mother’s Day. You’re welcome. As we all get older, we appreciate our Moms more than ever. This is especially true if you’re a parent. Most of us have to be asking ourselves, “How did she ever put up with me?” So we try our best to say thank you with flowers, gifts, and Sunday brunch. Mom always says she’s thrilled no matter what you do. But there is another Mother we should remember on Mother’s Day: Mother Earth. Why not honor both? They both play vital roles in your life.… Read More

World Naked Gardening Day, There’s a Serious Point

| May 3, 2017 | Categories: Agriculture and Farming, Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company, Nature and Wellbeing
Be careful with your gardening tools on World Naked Gardening Day - it's on May 5, 2018!
When I found out this Saturday, May 6 is officially the 13th annual “World Naked Gardening Day,” of course I laughed. Come on, who wouldn’t? Then I thought, ‘Boy, that’s going to take a LOT of sunscreen. More for some than others!’ World Naked Gardening Day is a real event, and while we all might giggle about it, there’s an important point to it. People across the globe are encouraged, on the first Saturday of May, to get outside and weed, dig, plant, fertilize, and otherwise tend to their garden space as Mother Nature made you: without any clothes on. Founder Mark Storey, a Seattle resident, says gloves, hats, and boots are perfectly OK by him.… Read More