In this Guest Post Coll Smith of Efig talks about the benefits of plants in the office.
Who needs interior planting?
Well the simple answer is we all do! Plants are good for us and we have a long-standing relationship with plants, a natural symbiosis you might say.
Thomas Palfreyman, MD of Urban Planters and Chairman of eFIG Ltd, (the association of Interior Landscapers), says, “Interior planting is the perfect natural design and workspace enhancement. Literally, the responsible way to ‘green’ your business!”
And it makes sense when you look closer. Nearly all of us hanker after green spaces probably because we have a natural affinity with nature; our ancestors lived and worked outside and plants were a staple source for many of their needs. And plants still remain a staple source for many of our needs today.
What has changed?
Well our genes have barely changed from those of early man but our lifestyles certainly have. Now we depend upon modern technology and spend the majority of our time indoors so it is little wonder that we benefit from bringing a little bit of the outside in.
Established research confirms how we need plants especially at work.
Clean fresh air:
The air in many workspaces can be as much as 10 times more polluted than the air outside. Indoor air pollution is caused by a variety of conditions. No or limited ventilation for air exchange, the number of people using the space and the main culprits, man-made products.
- People exhale Carbon Dioxide as they breathe
- Man-made products such as electrical equipment, carpeting and upholstery, adhesives, cleaning products, particle boarding used in fit-outs and even personal hygiene products - off-gas for their life-time into their environment
Plants work to clean the air by absorbing any toxins off-gassed by these products – important when you consider we need to breathe 5 -6 litres of air per minute. It makes logical sense that breathing clean air is healthier.
The knock on effect of cleaner air is that occupants are less likely to suffer a range of symptoms connected to poor quality indoor air such as headaches, blocked sinuses, fatigue, skin irritations and even asthma. Of course if these symptoms are reduced then time taken off work is also reduced.
Interior planting can reduce the occurrence of headaches by as much as 45% and has reduced absenteeism by between 50 & 65% if two research programmes.
For more information or to find a professional interior landscaper, see www.efig.eu.com.