Benefits of Plants
As well as the aesthetic value of greenery, did you know that it has been scientifically proven by a host of international scientific and academic research, that having plant displays can significantly reduce absence and boost staff efficiency by as much as 12%!
A good indoor climate in the workplace is a pre-requisite for achieving an optimum performance from employees. By filtering and cleaning the air, scientific studies have found that plants can benefit businesses and their workforce in a variety of ways with better health and increased productivity, which ultimately equates to financial savings.
“The indoor environment is 5 to 10 times more polluted than the exterior”
(1994 CSIRO review)
Interior plants improve air quality and help us boost productivity…ultimately all of this translates to the bottom line…
The greatest benefits are experienced for those sat behind a desk or computer screen for more than 4 hours a day, the result of this is greater concentration and increased productivity. The real power of plants lies in their ability to remove unhealthy chemicals from our indoor air. Plants in the workplace are not only a benefit financially, but impact the workforce by providing a healthy and positive environment.
As a rule of thumb, allow one plant display per 100 square feet of office area. But even a few plants can make a big difference.
NASA Study: Plants Clean Air
Many countries and authorities have developed their own research programmes and have concluded that plants provide a valuable weapon in the fight against raising levels of indoor air pollution. A team of NASA researchers lead by Dr. Bill Wolverton found that plants remove as much as 87 percent of indoor air pollutants. Studies have also shown that the atmosphere in rooms with plants typically contains between 50% to 60% fewer mould spores and bacteria. The Nasa Scientists researching air quality improvements for astronaut’s trials have shown that plants can effectively detox the air by absorbing poisonous vapours and releasing oxygen back into the air. Plants and their root microbes are nature’s biological cleaning machines.
'Plants are the oldest and most human-friendly air filters on the planet.'
Most modern offices have been designed to be efficient energy saving spaces. The problems is that with modern buildings being so well sealed in order to keep the elements out, they also keep some of the indoor pollutants in. Construction materials, modern synthetic furnishings, computers, electrical equipment, and everyday products such as cleaning materials can produce harmful substances that are trapped inside the building. Importantly air conditioning, and improved insulation, all reduce air exchange in buildings, so we breathe the same air again and again.
The answer, according to a NASA report published by Wolverton , is that “If man is to move into closed environments, on Earth or in space, he must take along nature’s life support system.” Plants.
Benefits of Interior Plants - Nature’s very own life support system
As well as creating a enhanced corporate appearance and purifying the air we breathe the presence of indoor plants have also been shown to have many other beneficial effects, some of which include…
- Improved concentration levels leading to a boost in productivit
- Reduction of absenteeism in the workplace
- Increased positive feelings and reduced feelings of anxiety
- Faster recovery from mental tiredness
- Reduction of sound levels
- Reduction of stress levels
- Faster recovery from mental tiredness
- Control of humidity to the within the optimum levels for human health
- Cooling effect
- Absorption of carbon dioxide and emission of oxygen refreshing the air
- Interiors feel spacious, looked after and clean
- People prefer to occupy rooms that contain plants
- Improved image - interiors are perceived as "more expensive"
There is a wealth of scientific study into the beneficial effects of live plants in the interior environment including a large NASA programme. For more details read the articles below:
