Benefits of Interior Plants in your Home and Office

When you decide to add plants to your home or office you are not just adding beautiful greenery.  These living organisms interact with your body, mind and home in ways that enhance your quality of life!

A Natural Air Filter

Plants are proven to remove toxins from air – up to 87 percent of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) everyOffice Plants 24 hours, according to NASA research. VOCs include substances like formaldehyde (present in rugs, vinyl, cigarette smoke and grocery bags), benzene and trichloroethylene (both found in man-made fibers, inks, solvents and paint). Benzene is commonly found in books and printed papers abound.

We are Less Stressed and More Productive Around Plants
Plants significantly lower workplace stress and enhance worker productivity. In a research study common interior plants were used in a computer laboratory with 27 computer workstations. A computer program to test productivity and induce stress was specifically designed for these experiments. Participants working in an environment with plants present were 12 percent more productive and less stressed than those who worked in an environment without plants. 
purple bromeliad
Plants Reduce Sick Leave!

In another study by the Agricultural University of Norway, sickness rates fell by more than 60 percent in offices with plants.

The Dutch Product Board for Horticulture commissioned a workplace study that discovered that adding plants to office settings decreases fatigue, colds, headaches, coughs, sore throats and flu-like symptoms.

Other Benefits of Interior Plants 
  • Increased positive feelings and reduced feelings of anxiety, anger and sadness.
  • Reduction of sound levels
  • Reduction of stress levels
  • 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
  • Improved concentration levels leading to improved productivity particularly with those working with computers
  • Reduction of absenteeism in the workplace
  • Faster recovery from mental tiredness
  • Interiors feel spacious, looked after and clean
  • People prefer to occupy rooms that contain plants
  • Improved image – interiors are perceived as “more expensive”
  • Increase in creativity
Conclusion:  Love your environments!

Our need for nature was identified by the American biologist, Edward O Wilson, who developed a hypothesis called Biophilia, which he defined as “the innate affiliation people seek with other organisms and especially the natural world.”

Wilson’s research shows that, when given freedom to choose the characteristics of their ideal environment, people gravitate towards a location that combines three major features: positioned at height, overlooking the landscape, and being close to open water.  Effectively, what has been described is the landscape of our distant ancestors from the African plains, and that is the sort of landscape where we instinctively feel at home and safe: Humanity’s natural habitat.  So, by incorporating interior plants into your home or office it should be possible to make significant improvements to employee and human well-being.

For more information and facts go to:  http://www.greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org