Humans
have evolved over hundreds of thousands of years. We evolved surrounded with plants.
Our environment and lifestyle has changed dramatically in relevantly recent years;
however, genetically, we have not!
"The indoor environment is 5 to 10 times more
polluted than the exterior"
(1994 CSIRO review)
Interior plants improve air quality and help us feel good
Plants have been proven to remove airborne harmful contaminants.
Most people spend the majority of time indoors at home or work. Air conditioning,
improved insulation, and energy-saving all reduce air exchange in buildings, so
we breathe the same air again and again. Because the modern internal environment
is virtually hermetically sealed and the construction materials used, modern synthetic
furnishings, computers, electrical equipment, and everyday household products
such as cleaning material, can produce harmful substances that are trapped inside
the building. These all contribute to the well recognised "sick
building syndrome". Polluted indoor air, contaminated by volatile
organic compounds (VOCs), are a major cause of headaches, nausea, sore & itchy
eyes, loss of concentration and other "sick
building" symptoms. The
simple addition of interior plants is a natural way to help remove these pollutants
significantly.
Humidity
is another important and often underestimated factor in human health. When
humidity levels are too low, individuals are more likely to develop viral infections;
when humidity is too high, vulnerability to other disease increases. Plants tend
to control humidity to within the optimum range for human health.
Plants
absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. This
obviously reduces your carbon footprint but also the increased oxygen level refreshes
the air -and you! - leading to increased concentration and productivity (in various
studies between 10%-15% increase).
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 detail
of this and other independent research refer to:
www.healthygreenatwork.org
www.plants-for-people.org
www.greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org
Other Benefits
of Interior Plants
As well as purifying the
air we breathe the presence of indoor plants have also been shown to have many
other beneficial effects, details of this research can be found on the links above.
These benefits include:
