Happy Earth Day! The Earth Day Network announced on their website that over 1 billion green-hearted people in 192 countries will be participating in Earth Day activities in 2013. Since the first celebration 33 years ago, Earth Day has become “the largest civic observance in the world.” This year for example, Earth Day activities range from volunteers planting trees in Columbus, Ohio to dancing in an “Eco-style” flash mob in Seoul, South Korea.
Do you want to celebrate Earth Day in a simple way? Making your workspace a greener, healthier environment is as simple as placing a new office plant on your desk. Numerous studies have been conducted in offices that show the great benefits plants can offer occupants. Prism, a research and consultancy practice based at the University of Exeter, found evidence that people were happier, healthier and 17% more productive in a room enriched with greenery than they were in a lean space devoid of plant life. But how do plants actually make interiors healthier?
In addition to looking pretty, plants are nature’s air cleaners. Cleaning the air indoors of harmful toxins like nitrogen dioxide, ammonia and benzene, plants absorb Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) through their leaves, carry the toxins down through their roots and turn them into food and energy. VOCs that are emitted into the air are a contributing cause of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) – the common phenomena when people experience acute health ailments that are linked to spending an extended period of time in a building.
Moreover, placing a plant on your desk also shows solidarity with Earth Day’s mission to protect the environment and reduce pollution. By having a living, breathing organism on your desk, you will be reminded every day at work of your innate connection with nature. While plant maintenance for indoor plants is best left to the professionals like Ambius, caring for a small plant on your desk is great way to grow appreciation for the natural world.
For help caring for plants, read our page on “How Often Do My Plants Need Water?”
What will or did you do for Earth Day to help the environment? Share below in the comments.
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