We’ve Got the Beet!

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!

WESST CORPORATION GETS LEED CREDIT FOR USE OF INDOOR PLANTS

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.

Uptick in Business for All? Take the Poll!

For the last few years, experts and novices alike have tried their hand at predicting the future of the economy – how fast we’ll all come back, will it be a U, V or W shape line on the graph, which industry will be the front runner, etc….

In the meantime, most of us have been tightening our belts and biding our time, and continuously climbing up our lookout perch to peer through the economic spyglass for a glimmer of uptick.

“Argggg, is that a spike in the “W” I see on the horizon, Captain? Land ahoy!!”

(Okay, okay, enough with the pirate references.)

In the last couple of weeks, we’re proud to say that the GreenScaped team has gotten almost two dozen inquiries about our living walls, and Good Earth has brought on several important interior plantscape clients!

It’s just the beginning, but we’re curious, are you feeling the uptick business?

Projects, Press and….Possibly Leotards???

I’ve been asked to be a guest speaker at the luncheon for the San Diego Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America on the 20th of April. They are hosting a panel discussion on “green” communications issues, and while I am not on the panel, I guess I am an example of how it works. It’s being billed as a special guest appearance by the Eco-Warrior. It happens to be the same day as we are installing Procopio’s living wall, so the jokes are already starting that I’ll need to duck into a phone booth on my way to lunch and change into my cape and tights. I hate to disappoint them, but I will not be wearing a leotard on stage anytime soon…

As an added bonus for the week, I got an email from Elizabeth at the Batali group that they are ready to go forward with a doubling of the size of their edible wall at Pizzeria Mozza in Hollywood. The new rows will be too high to effectively harvest edibles, so we have designed a living wall of ornamentals. I am looking at an installation of late May, pictures to follow. Yahoo!

Elizabeth also wants to move forward with a proposal for their restaurant in Las Vegas. Because the light is insufficient for an edible wall, we will be proposing a somewhat monolithic approach using just a few varieties of plants that will do well under low light conditions. For this project, we will be using a different green wall system, one that allows for maximum flexibility. Plus they have an area that they want a hedge of plants to help create separation between the restaurant and the surrounding casino.

Monday the 12th I am being interviewed by David Asman for the FOX news feature: Small Business America’s Nightly Scoreboard. I am still getting all of the details, but the best part is that they are sending a limo to pick me up. Now all I need is for them to agree to my rider that states my culinary and massage needs before I go on air. Yeah, and I only eat green M&M’s! It will air at 4pm PST. Tom Walsh and my other buddies over at Parker Urban Greenscapes have graciously agreed to provide the studio in New York a small potted plant and living wall panel. You guys rock!

More Postings of the Pizzeria Mozza Wall!

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the manufacturer is pretty pleased with our design and installation of herb walls for Pizzeria Mozza. Good, because we’re pretty pleased too! 🙂

Check out their blog posting HERE. Thanks Chris & Jon!

Caron Golden: To Market with San Diego Foodstuff: The Incredible Edible Wall

Here’s a snippet of Caron Golden’s blog article on the herb wall that we’re currently growing for Mario Batali’s Pizzeria Mozza in Hollywood! Click HERE for the full text and pictures. Thanks Caron!!!!

The kitchen garden. It’s something those of us who cook at home hope to have just outside our kitchen door, accessible for quickly snipping a few sprigs of oregano, picking some lettuce leaves, or pulling a few radishes. But if you live in a condo or apartment you’re probably limited to a small balcony or terrace. And, if you’re a chef in the city, you may not even have that surrounding your restaurant.

Enter Jim Mumford, owner of the San Diego-based plant company Good Earth, and his edible walls, an idea so cool in concept that chef Mario Batali is his first restaurant customer. According to Mumford, Batali wanted a roof garden at his restaurants Osteria Mozza and Pizzaria Mozza in Los Angeles, but couldn’t get it to work with the building specs. So, if he couldn’t go horizontal, how about vertical? After doing some research on his own, he found Mumford, who has been playing with the concept with several types of materials and styles.

‘Green roofs’ prove even more effective in fighting global warming than first thought

By Jeff Salton
01:30 September 24, 2009 PDT

You only have to watch a TV show in which the camera flies over any major city to realize the numbers of ugly, stark, gray, flat roofs that occupy millions of square feet but contribute nothing to the environment. It’s almost an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ attitude we have with these unoccupied spaces. But what if we could turn these wasted environments into something beneficial to the environment, while at the same time beautifying the tops of our tall buildings and skyscrapers? ‘Green roofs’- urban rooftops covered with plants – are gaining in popularity to help buildings reduce their reliance on air conditioning, and now scientists in Michigan are reporting they could also help fight global warming by eliminating carbon dioxide in cities, more effectively than was first thought.

Previous studies have indicated that painting roofs white can be a low tech way to reduce global warming by reflecting the sun’s rays back into space and Prof Steven Chu, the U.S. Energy Secretary, has been heralding the idea.

Now researchers have attempted to quantify the benefits of covering urban rooftops with plants. The scientists found that replacing traditional roofing materials with ‘green’ in an urban area the size of Detroit with a population of about one-million, would be equivalent to eliminating a year’s worth of carbon dioxide emitted by 10,000 mid-sized SUVs and trucks. Their study is the first to examine the ability of green roofs to sequester carbon that may impact climate change and the findings are scheduled to appear in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
Multi-functional

While many researchers understood that green roofs were multi-functional because of their ability to reduce heating and air conditioning costs, detain stormwater and absorb carbon dioxide, it wasn’t until Kristin Getter and his colleagues’ new study that anyone knew how big a positive impact green roofs could have on reducing green house gases, which contribute to global warming.

The scientists measured carbon levels in plant and soil samples collected from 13 green roofs in Michigan and Maryland over a two-year period and found that green roofing an urban area of about one million people would capture more than 55,000 tons of carbon, or the same effect as removing more than 10,000 mid-sized SUVs or trucks off the road a year.

Imagine how much more carbon dioxide could be removed if urban environmentalists and town planners incorporated vertical landscaping into their the cities, like we highlighted recently in Gizmag.

(Check out the actual article here!)

Thank You Federal Government????

I am feeling stimulated!

Seems that something has changed and perhaps some of the stimulus money is finally trickling down to us. The phones are ringing…

Last week we got a call on a project in Rosemead that will entail the design and installation of 5,000 sq ft of occupied roof garden space. This area will include paths and benches along with pergolas and maybe even a water feature. The other part of the roof (7,000 sq ft) will have a green roof made up of low growing sedums. And still another area will utilize living walls to hide the mechanical element of the roof top heating and air conditioning system.

Still another call came in from a local Landscape Architect for a job with a major downtown law firm. They have a very unique space that will have a green wall as part of the décor along with potted plants surrounding an outdoor seating area. This will be “the” place for members of the firm to hang out. We’re proposing a system that is new for us, but I have been coveting one for some time now. I really like the design. We will have one displayed in our plantscape trialing area in about two weeks.

So what happens when a major local restaurant hears about our living edible wall project happening at Pizzeria Mozza in Hollywood? They jump on board and want one too! We’re in talks with the “powers that be” to create another custom edible wall in La Jolla. I cannot wait to see the first harvest.

I’ve also heard from an interior design firm and a moving consultant on two very different projects coming up in the near future. These are both projects for the interior plantscaping team, but I’m suggesting indoor green walls to augment their décor scheme. We’ll see!

Thanks SDDT Readers!

Today we received a letter in the mail that Jim and GreenScaped Buildings was nominated as a “Top Influential” for The Daily Transcript at SDDT.com. The distinction is for a person whose actions and opinions strongly influence their industry and business community. Each year, 50 Top Influentials are featured in a special web, print and event program. Although we didn’t make it in that list of 50, we’re really excited to have received the recognition!

We’ve worked hard this past year to get the name of Good Earth’s sister company out there, and judging from the number of calls we’ve gotten as of late, we’re pretty sure we’re doing something right!

Thank you to those who contributed to the nomination. Full steam ahead!!!!!

Make Sure Your Green Roof Maintenance Provider KNOWS What They’re Doing!

We’ve been called in to bid on a large southern California green roof installed 7 years ago that’s not doing well. What happened you might ask? Well, it seems that the client went with the low bid maintenance contractor after 5 successful years with another firm. The new guys either didn’t know what they were doing or were instructed to cut water use. The result? Half the plants are dead and the new owners aren’t pleased.

I don’t know how much I can emphasize that extensive green roofs don’t need much maintenance but they do need it done right. It isn’t rocket science (well OK the green roof we did on the jet Propulsion Lab comes close…) but it does require the expertise and knowledge to do it well. It’s why we insist on a two year after-installation maintenance contract to be able to guarantee the long-term health of the vegetated roof top.

This is will be a fantastic project – one that we will be able to see some amazing results relatively quickly. And at the same time – make it apparent how beautiful and sustaining a green roof can be!