Interiorscaping

Good Earth Plants New Year’s Resolution for 2016: Take A Breath

Are you thinking about your New Year’s Resolution for 2016? You are in good company. Forty five percent of all Americans make at least one resolution. If you’re struggling with your resolution, blame the Babylonians. Four thousand years ago, they made promises to their gods hoping to win their favor in the coming year. Their most common pledge: to get debt free. Today, the most common resolutions have to do with health: losing weight, exercising more, eating healthier, drinking less alcohol, quitting smoking, and managing stress (source: Marist University poll). Only half of us are still keeping our resolution six months later.… Read More

Recycle, Repurpose, Rejoice: Eco-Clever Christmas Trees

The most universally loved symbol of Christmas is the Christmas tree. This makes us happy at Good Earth Plant Company, as trees are so important to our ecosystem and represent shelter, food, and diversity in Nature. Some people love a fresh-cut tree, and others are happiest with an artificial tree. There are good arguments for both being eco-friendly. The trees here fall in a completely different category. They are all made of unusual recycled materials, everything from tires to shopping carts to books. It’s the ultimate in eco-cleverness and we love them all! We know on Christmas Eve you are busy getting your Christmas celebration together, so we won’t make you read a long blog post, even one of our incredibly informative ones.… Read More

Good Earth Plants in the Spotlight on San Diego 6

Good Earth Plant Company had the opportunity this week to appear on San Diego 6 Morning News with anchor Heather Myers to talk about toxins lurking in the air in our indoor environments, and how adding plants can help clean the air and improve both your physical and mental health. Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it? If you missed it, you can check it out here: Those few minutes on TV are precious and we don’t want to waste a second of it. For every interview like mine you see, there is a ton of preparation. First of all, when you see us at 7:30 a.m.… Read More

What’s More Toxic Than Bacon? Find Out Monday, Nov 16 on San Diego 6 Morning News

You might need to worry less about what you are eating, and more about what you're breathing.
Just a few weeks ago, all of us who love our bacon got some bad news. Researchers report consuming processed meats including bacon increase your risk of certain kinds of cancer. There were a lot of people freaking out at the idea of saying goodbye to their bacon cheeseburgers and bacon doughnuts. Another study about health risks in our lives hit the news the same week and it didn’t get half as much attention.  I’m here to change this by getting the word out here on my Good Earth Plants blog. It turns out your office is ruining your brain. More specifically, it’s the toxins in the office air affecting your brain’s ability to process thoughts.… Read More

Get Fresh Ideas at the Good Earth Plants Fall Open House on Friday, October 16

In San Diego we are blessed to enjoy the last bits of summer weather almost until Halloween. Good Earth Plant Company loves to take advantage of this with our annual Fall Open House every year in the middle of October. This year, our 2015 Fall Open House and Plant Sale at our warehouse and demo garden takes place Friday October 16, from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Open House takes place at our headquarters, 7922 Armour Street in San Diego. See a map here. What’s behind our invitation to you? Everyone at Good Earth Plant Company is very proud of the work we do, and we love to share what we are about.… Read More

HLI and Good Earth Plant Company: A Natural Fit

The new living wall installed at HLI in San DIego by Good Earth Plant Company and GreenScaped Buildings.
Earlier this year, Good Earth Plant Company was called in by McCarthy Building Companies‘ San Diego location for a plantscaping assignment, starting with designing and installing a 200 square foot living wall at a brand new and innovative company in San Diego, Human Longevity, Incorporated (HLI). We designed a sleek, modern living wall for HLI created to mimic natural shapes, colors and materials. Taking three days to complete, our finished living wall contains 317 jade pothos in the Wall of Life system. HLI was also interested in additional plantscaping throughout the office after seeing our work. Good Earth Plant Company added nearly 50 potted plants with an assortment of Aglaonema, Raphis Palms, Kentia Palms, dracaena and sanseveria.… Read More

Good Earth Plants Gives Thomas Jefferson School of Law a Natural Makeover

The fresh new planters are looking great thanks to a little TLC from Good Earth Plants Company.
One of our favorite projects ever stemmed from installing the living wall on the fifth floor of the new Thomas Jefferson School of Law (TJSL) downtown. We installed the original living wall in January 2011 and it got rave reviews. Here’s what it looked like then: Because the client was so pleased with our diligent, detail-oriented performance (and our tidiness too), we also got the contract to install all of the built in planters on the fifth and eighth floors (not quite a green roof), ground level and the interior atrium. We performed maintenance for the first year, and then due to budget constraints, the school decided to take the service and care of their plants in-house.… Read More

Getting Schooled about Plants, Nature, Biophilia and Wellness

Architects designing today’s hospitals are merging art and evidence-based research to create environments that promote health and healing. Views of nature, natural light, earth-toned color schemes and the sounds of nature all help patients heal more quickly, and they suffer less from depression or side effects. Starting with a study in 2002 by University of Texas professor Roger Ulrich which we have written about before, there are now over 1,000 studies and they all prove the same thing. Plants and nature promote healing. It’s serious science and it is finally starting to be taken seriously. This week, the San Diego Business Journal published an article about changes in the approach to architectural design of hospitals and other healthcare facilities to put these principles into practice.… Read More

Explore Workplace Wellness at San Diego Workshop July 23

Can a workplace evolve to become a place where people are healthier after a day of work than when they arrive in the morning? Good Earth Plant Company and GreenScaped Buildings is pleased to support “Wellbeing @ Work,” a workshop on making workspaces healthier, more ergonomically friendly, and ultimately more effective by allowing people to work at their very best. The event takes place on Thursday, July 23, from 7:30 – 11:30 a.m. at the bkm OfficeWorks Showroom and is sponsored by Steelcase, the leading manufacturer of furniture for offices, hospitals, and classrooms. Human Resources Professionals, Risk & Safety Managers, Corporate Wellness Officers, Facilities Managers, Corporate Wellness Consultants and members of the San Diego design community are all encouraged to attend.… Read More

Living Walls With An International Twist

Our first living wall made out of preserved moss panels imported from Italy. Photo: GreenScaped Buildings
Even though we’ve been installing living walls and vertical gardens in many forms for nearly ten years, there is always something new to learn and to work with. GreenScaped Buildings installed its first ever project this month using preserved “moss” panels. These panels are imported from Italy, and there isn’t anything else like them. They are fire retardant, preserved and super easy to care for. The panels are actually made of preserved lichens. Lichens are composite organisms, which include the properties of simple algae and fungi. They are similar to mosses but don’t have stems or leaves. The lichen is collected without any damage to the vegetation or environment and is hand applied to the panel backing.… Read More