Interior Plantscaping
THE POWER OF PLANTS...Leed Credit, Clean Air
San Francisco Bay Area
Peninsula
Chamaedorea
Caryota
Kentia Palm
Rhapis excelsa
Phoenix roebelini
Strelitzia nicolai
LEED Credit - Green Buildings
LEED Innovation in Design
USGBC - Green Building Council
Latest News: Oct. 2010
Green Plants for Green Buildings (GPGB) has hired LEED consultant, Viridian, to help develop a LEED Pilot Credit program focused on eventual inclusion of live indoor plants into the LEED rating system. The intent of the pilot credit, curently titled "Biofiltration of Indoor Air with Plantings:, is to mitigate pollutants in indoor air through the proper selection, incorporation and maintenance of indoor plants. IEQ (Indoor Environmental Quality) will be the targeted LEED credit category based on the wealth of information supporting the benefits of live plants on the indoor environment.
"How Live Plant Surroundings Enhance Your Business Success".
Below are excerpts from the "Green Plants for Green Buildings" website...
• Plants offer a means to decrease stress while enhancing
productivity by 12%.
It is widely known through the respected research done by Dr. Roger S. Ulrich of Texas A&M University, Helen Russell of Surrey University, England, as well as the recent studies conducted by Dr. Virginia Lohr of Washington State University, that plants significantly lower workplace stress and enhance productivity.
• Interior plants lower Operations and Maintenance costs while
contributing to “Green Building” design considerations.
Plants cool by a process called transpiration, which, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, decreases air temperature in offices by ten degrees.
• Plants in the workplace attract, retain and enhance the attitude of today’s selective employee.
Surveys conducted by Unifi Network, Westport, Conn. report numerous factors that assist in managing today’s competitive workplace market. The data indicates that in order to attract and retain top employees, the workplace must include aspects of what inspires employees during “off” time. Gallop polls indicate that two-thirds of the American work force cite gardening as their favorite hobby.
• The dramatic aesthetic value inherent in indoor landscaping has
continued to be the #1 return on interior plant investments.
As reflected in the 2001 BOMA/CEL Tenant Satisfaction “A-List Award” (Building Owners and Managers Association), “appearance and condition of the property” is a top category of evaluation among tenants.
• Plant energy helps avoid “Sick Building Syndrome!” which helps with bottom line savings on mounting sick leave expenses.
“Sick Building Syndrome” develops into a serious and expensive liability when these toxins become concentrated inside sealed office buildings. NASA reports that the syndrome is widespread in these energy efficient buildings. The problem is that these sealed energy efficient buildings do not exchange stale indoor air for fresh outdoor air.
• Plants help reduce distractions due to office noise.
Strategically placed plants quiet down an office. A small indoor hedge placed around a workspace will reduce noise by 5 decibels.
Additional studies regarding the benefits of indoor plants...
NASA and Dr. Bill Wolverton Ph.D
NASA studies have shown that plants remove many indoor toxins from the air. Dr. Bill Wolverton, Ph.D conducted more than 30 years of research as a civilian scientist with the U.S. military and as a Senior Research Scientist with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
In 1984 NASA first published studies demonstrating that interior plants could remove VOCs (volatile organic chemicals). As a result, NASA realized that indoor air pollution in any tightly sealed structure could present health-related problems and should be addressed. In 1989, the EPA reported to the U.S. Congress that they had detected more than 900 VOCs in the air of public buildings.
Upon retirement from NASA, Dr. Wolverton has conducted research with plants and microorganisms toward solving earthly environmental pollution problems. Wolverton Environmental Services, Inc. (WES, Inc.), founded in 1990 by Bill Wolverton, Ph.D, is a small environmental consulting firm providing consultant services in the field of phytoremediation. The company advocates the use of plants and their root-associated microorganisms to biodegrade and treat indoor air and water pollution.
In his book “How to Grow Fresh Air”, Dr. Wolverton identifies the top 50 plants for cleaning air. He is recognized as one of the world’s foremost authorities in the use of natural processes for environmental pollution control. He has published more than 70 technical papers and has lectured in most major cities of the United States and throughout the world.
For further information, please see the Wolverton website at: Wolverton Environmental Services, Inc.
