 Research
/Benefits
Much research has been done by
universities, businesses and even NASA. The following has been taken from
sources based on research. Links are included. |
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Transform your business image, transform your health, and
transform your bottom line.
Plants – The
feel good factors:
- Adequate installation of interior
plants in a modern, sealed office structure could save U.S. companies
$129 billion via contributions to improves indoor air alone. 15-20
plants are enough to clean a 1,500 square foot area. Two potted plants
per 10sqft. Dr. Wolverton with NASA suggests everyone have a plant on
his or her desk, within what he calls the “personal breathing zone.”
This is an area of 6 – 8 cubic feet of where you spend most of your
working day.
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Transpiration by plants can decrease
air temperature in offices by ten degrees; they release moisture,
creating a humidity level exactly matching the recommended human comfort
range of 30%-60%. Plants decrease electrostatic problems.
- In recent
studies plants have enhanced worker productivity by 12%. Depending on
the size of a company’s labour force, it could translate into millions.
- Plants can reduce absenteeism by
as much as 10% thus improving health in the workplace due to Sick
Building Syndrome or IAQ-related illnesses. Plant filled rooms contain
50-60% fewer airborne molds and bacteria. Worker Compensation claims due
to IAQ-related issues have increased by thousands of cases, plants could
turn that around.
- Plants can
decrease fatigue by 20%, headaches by 30%, sore/dry throats, 30%, coughs
by 40% and dry facial skin by 25%. Research published by Bio-Safe
Incorporated (Texas) their data confirms that newer buildings are often
10X more polluted than the air outside.
- Plants increase the feeling of
well-being by 84%.
- Accumulation of dust in interiors
can be reduced by as much as 20% by adding foliage plants.
- Plants help reduce distractions
due to office noise and can reduce noise by 5 decibels.
- Having a plant is in the top ten
ways, experts say to live healthier.
- Plants produced significant
recovery from stress for people within five minutes.
- Subject reaction time in the
presence of plants was 12% faster than without.
- Plants can improve tenant
occupancy and retention by 17%.
- Plants in the workplace attract,
retain and enhance the attitude of today’s selective employee.
- The number one return on interior
plant investment is the dramatic aesthetic value. Plants cost less than
most alternative corporate décor choices, they offer a guarantee of
positively enhancing perception, and people perceive a building as more
expensive-looking, more welcoming and more relaxed.
Plants - Feng Shui in the Business
World
Plants should be
placed in the southeast section of your office. Their growth signifies
growth in income. Care for and trim your plants regularly as dried and
decaying leaves will bring your business bad luck!
Human assets have
proven to be the most valuable and expensive asset of any business. In
terms of cost per square foot, the human asset is ten times the building
operating cost and nearly 100 times the energy cost.
So whether you look
at plants as they can save you money by keeping you and your staff healthy
and productive or they enhance your workspace image and welcome your
clients make sure the plants you first bought for your office look good
and reflect what a great job you do in every aspect of your business.
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| Articles on plants in the
following Business Sectors:
Hotels
Health Care Facilities
Office Buildings
Retail Stores
Educational Institutes
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| Other articles and web sites:
The Hotel and Motel Lodging Magazine Article - Indoor Landscaping
Office Solutions Magazine Article - Plants Offer Bottom Line Benefits
Plants for People
web site
Natural Boost For Productivity -
All small
and medium sized companies (SMEs) across the country should by now have
received information to enable them to produce.
Specifying
interior planting can be subjective
- A London architect
has carried out a survey with facilities managers and office employees
regarding interior landscaping and any benefits it may afford.
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Plant Science -
Plants for People has produced a series of activity sheets about plant
science - a good introduction to natural science or environmental issues
for youngsters between the ages of 5 – 9 years. |
Indoor Plants Clean the Air
NASA Study, Dr. B.C. Wolverton For more information visit:
www.wolvertonenvironmental.com
 Washington D.C.---
NASA tests reveal that living green and flowering plants clean pollutants
in the air. According NASA scientist, Dr. BC Wolverton, indoor plants are the most
efficient and cost effective means of removing air pollution. Wolverton
recommends that "two plants per 100 square feet or two plants per a small
office keep the air pure [and] healthy." A 1989 EPA Report to
Congress concluded that improved indoor air quality can result in higher
productivity and fewer lost workdays. The EPA estimates that poor indoor
air may cost the United States tens of billions of dollars each year in
lost productivity and medical care. |
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Plants Create a Consumer Habitat
Washington University, Dr.
Kathleen L. Wolf
Dr. Wolf Symposium
Dr. Wolf studied the
psychological impact of plants in shopping environments. Her report
concludes that "the urban Forest" is an "essential component" of and
viable retail space.
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| Health
Benefits of Gardens in Hospitals
Texas A & M University,
Dr. Roger S. Ulrich
For more Information
Prompted by soaring hospital
construction costs, the College of Architecture and Medicine at Texas A&M
University conducted a joint study on the influences of plants in
hospitals and healthcare facilities. The study found that the presence of
plants in hospitals improves client and staff satisfaction. Dr. Ulrich
found that simply viewing nature and green garden scenes can relieve
stress in 5 minutes or less.
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| Indoor
Plants Increase Worker Productivity
WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY, Dr. Virginia Lohr
More
information
Pullman, Washington --- A study conducted by the College of Agriculture
at Washington State University (WSU) shows that live interior plants
increase employee productivity and reduce stress.
The study, published in the "Journal of Environmental Horticulture,"
reports that productivity increased 12 percent when people performed
tasks on a computer with plants, compared people who performed the same
task in a room without plants.
Productivity was measured by the response time. Professor Virginia
Lohr, Ph.D of WSU said, "there was no difference in the number of
errors. The big difference was the reaction time, how quickly they
pressed the correct key when the plants were present."
"Plants are not just fluff," says Dr. Lohr. "We have felt, and many
people who work with plants intuitively believe, that having plants
around is vital to our well-being."
Frequently Asked Questions About Plants
Compiled by Ronald Wood,
Scientific Group 'Plants and Quality of the Environment', Faculty of
Environmental Sciences of the Technical University, Sydney
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