In the sustainability conversation, it is often the outdoor environment that receives the focus. However, our indoor environment is also extremely important, due to the amount of time we spend indoors. With indoor plants, we can facilitate healthy and sustainable spaces for those important to us at work – our staff and clients.

The sustainability problem we face

Just how much time do we spend indoors? These two stats highlight the situation perfectly:

These are such huge figures, especially considering our indoor environment could be up to 10 times more polluted than outdoor environments. With 80% of us living in urban areas, where they are often associated with high pollution, our indoor spaces can be really unhealthy to work in.

How indoor plants are a key factor in the sustainability conversation.

The following points highlight how indoor plants contribute significantly to sustainable and healthy indoor spaces:

• Sustainability is not just about using fewer resources. Certifications such as “The Living Building Challenge” recognise well-being as a vital element of sustainability. Plants promote well-being and facilitate a healthy indoor space, with research highlighting so many great health benefits for staff, including reduced coughing, dry eyes and sick leave!

• Indoor plants cover at least 75% of the World Green Building Coucil’s (World GBC) criteria for a healthy space. As part of the “Better Places for People” campaign, the World GBC highlight eight essential criteria for a sustainable and green office, including indoor air quality & ventilation, thermal comfort, reducing noise, active design, biophilia & views, and look & feel. Indoor plants contribute significantly to all of these.

• Green Walls can reduce carbon dioxide levels by 13-23%¹

• A UTS study found that just 3-6 office plants keep VOC levels below 100 parts per billion (ppb), well below the Australian recommended level of 500 ppb.

• Plants can contribute to two Green Star rating points.

• As indoor plants contribute to thermal comfort, the use of indoor plants reduces energy loads on urban buildings, which contributes to the goal of urban sustainability!

Our indoor environment is an asset where we can think of great ideas and work brilliantly. Indoor plants are a necessity in helping create a sustainable and healthy indoor space for your staff and clients to enable productivity and awesome business performance.

Get in touch with Ambius today to see how we can help you, and how indoor plants can contribute two Green Star Rating points.

 

1 Towards Development of Indoor Plant Walls for Improved Indoor Air Quality, Plants and Urban Air Quality Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney.