With Earth Day drawing near on April 22, the organization Plants at Work is appealing to all who work indoors to fill their workplaces with stress-reducing, air-cleansing foliage.
This Earth Day appeal, aimed specifically at the work week running April 21-25, comes during a critical time in America, when every workplace can benefit from the restorative and rejuvenating effects of interior plants.
Plants at Work urges participating managers and workers to submit "Earth Day at Work" photos, testimonials or stories that illustrate the benefits experienced through the greening of their offices. In addition to possibly winning national recognition, participants will be furthering the important Plants at Work message.
Research shows that plant-filled offices contain 50 to 60 percent fewer airborne molds and bacteria than those without plants. For almost 20 years, Dr. Billy C. Wolverton and his aides at the Environmental Research Laboratory of John C. Stennis Space Center, Picayune, Miss., spearheaded innovative research employing natural biological processes for air purification. In his book, How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 Houseplants That Purify Your Home or Office, Wolverton urges everyone to have a plant within what he calls the "personal breathing zone" (an area of 6 to 8 cubic feet where an individual spends most of his or her working day). Jon Naar, author of Design for a Livable Planet: How You Can Help Clean up the Environment, suggests that 15 to 20 plants are enough to clean the air in a 1,500 square foot area.
According to Plants at Work, an adequate amount of plants in a workplace can successfully mitigate the harmful effects of chronic mental fatigue, while also boosting morale, reducing stress-related illnesses, improving productivity and decreasing aggressive behavior.
For details about sending photos or stories for the Plants at Work Earth Day Challenge, write to info@plantsatwork.org