Plants = Productive!
In a study conducted by Dr. Virginia Lohr of Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., subject reaction times to a computer program were 12 percent faster when plants were present. Blood pressure readings taken during the same study showed that visual exposure to plant setting could produce significant recovery from stress within five minutes.
Depending on the size of a company's labor force, an increase in productivity of this measure could translate into millions in final revenue earnings.
Value of Workplace Satisfaction
European case studies and academic research reveal that plants produce positive emotions and improve focus in office environments. In these studies, subjects exhibited a more upbeat, creative state of mind when plants were present.
Humans are proven to be the most valuable and expensive assets of any business. Regarding cost per square foot, the human asset is ten times the energy cost.
When a business takes steps to keep its human assets happy, the business wins.
Improve Indoor Air Quality & Attendance
Findings indicate that an adequate installation of interior plants in a modern, sealed office structure could save U.S. companies $258 billion via contributions to improved indoor air quality alone.
In various studies, plants have been shown to reduce absenteeism by 14 percent. The air inside sealed, energy-efficient buildings is often ten times more polluted than the air outside due to toxic emissions from a variety of building constituents. Researcher William J.J. Fisk and Arthur H. Rosenfeld of the Lawrence and Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, found that $58 billion could be saved annually by preventing sick-building illnesses. They also found the $200 billion could be saved in worker performance improvements by creating offices with cleaner indoor air. The same study verified that 40 percent of all sick days are related to poor indoor air quality. The work of NASA scientist Dr. B.C. Wolverton and others indicates that interior plants can reduce the airborne molds responsible for sick-building illnesses in sealed office environments by as much as 50 percent.
Reduced Sick Building Symptoms
In a two-year study of an office, Professor Tove Fjeld of the Agricultural University in Oslo, Norway noted the following reduction in ailments after the introduction of plants:
| Ailment |
% Reduction |
| Fatigue |
20% |
| Headache |
45% |
| Sore/Dry Throats |
30% |
| Coughs |
40% |
| Dry Facial Skin |
25% |
Fjeld also carried out studies in schools and a hospital X-ray department with similar results.
Plants Can Improve Tenant Occupancy & Retention
The Opryland Hotel (Nashville, Tenn.) enjoys occupancy rates of over 85 percent each year, well above a national average of 68 percent (Trends). According to a scientific case study performed by Michael Evans, former Associate Professor of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management at the VA Polytechnic Institute, the hotel's high occupancy rate is due to the largest investment in indoor gardens in the country. Currently, there are 12 acres of indoor space with approximately 18,000 indoor plants (and 600 species) valued at well over $1 million. The rooms overlooking the gardens are the first to be reserved and command a premium price of at least $50 over rooms that do not offer garden views.
Interior Plants are Vital Any "Green" Design Environment that Aims to Be Healthy, Supportive & Sustainable
Cheaper to maintain than silk plants, live interior plants are now absolute necessities in today's energy efficient buildings.
Information and Statistics have been ever so kindly provided by Green Plants for Green Buildings. A Company Dedicated to promoting the truth and wellness of interior plants. For more information on GPGB please visit them at www.gpgb.org
