What is the easiest way for a company to go green?

ASK THE HORT AGENT

Question What is the easiest way for a company to go green?

Answer If productivity, harmony and health are important at work, then good old plants are the ticket. According to researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, adding plants to the work environment results in enhanced creativity and increased productivity by employees. This can be accomplished by incorporating plants into the interior design of office space so that no employee in the office area will be more than 45 feet from vegetation. These attributes could also be accomplished with State employees by an adequate pay raise.

While it may be difficult to prove the psychological benefits of indoor plants, other benefits can be measured. Sometimes buildings actually make people sick. When no specific illness or cause (other than the building) can be identified, this is called “sick building syndrome.” The term "building related illness" is used when symptoms of diagnosable illness are identified and can be attributed directly to airborne building contaminants. Up to 30 percent of new and remodeled buildings worldwide are the subject of complaints related to indoor air quality. Often this condition is temporary, but some buildings have long-term problems.

Everything from carpets to copy machines give off toxic fumes. According to the EPA, employees who work in buildings of man-made materials inhale over 300 contaminants every day.

The solution is our old friend nature. NASA research proves that plants are capable of cleaning indoor air of volatile organic chemicals. The scientists also found that some plants are more efficient in filtering out toxins than others. For example, philodendrons, spider plants and pothos were found to be the most efficient in the removal of formaldehyde. Gerbera daisies and chrysanthemums were effective in the removal of benzene and trichloroethylene (TCE).

Create your own mini-garden of Eden at work (minus the snake). One six-inch houseplant per 100 square feet of work area will do a good job of filtering out pollutants. New building designs should incorporate plant-filtering systems in atriums, lobbies and walkways.

Plants also reduce the impact of seasonal sicknesses like allergies by raising the humidity. A study conducted at Washington State University, suggests that plants help regulate humidity. When plants were added to an office environment, the relative humidity stabilized within the recommended “healthy” range of 30 to 60%.

If corporations, schools and homes want to really “go green,” then bring in the greenery. Incorporate plants inside and out. For more info about the benefits of adding plants to the workplace, visit http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080519133109.htm If you don’t have internet access, then call me at 910-893-7533 or email me at gpierce@harnett.org

NASA was in the business of research that generated data. Now they are in the business of psychological correctness, which I don’t think is going to get us back to the moon. I’m sure their offices look like a tropical park.

Gary L. Pierce

Horticulture Extension Agent

Harnett County