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A Superhero Scrubs the Air: The Mighty Houseplant

Gwendolyn Bounds - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:00:00 GMT

The humble houseplant is on the attack. Building on NASA experiments for air purification in space, scientists are pinpointing plant species—from the peace lily to the asparagus fern—that are particularly skillful at cleaning indoor air of pollutants that can cause a range of health problems.

A growing body of research suggests the humble houseplant boasts significant powers to clean the air in homes and other buildings of common toxins such as formaldehyde, ammonia & benzene. Wendy Bounds explains.

A growing body of global research is showing plants can reduce dust particles and contaminants, such as formaldehyde and benzene, that come from cigarette smoke, paint, furniture, building materials and other sources. Big growers such as Costa Farms, based in Goulds, Fla., and retailers Lowe's and Home Depot now sell plants with tags promoting their air-cleaning abilities.

"The advantage of plants is you can sometimes solve your problem with $100 of plants or propagate your own," says Stanley J. Kays, a horticulture professor at the University of Georgia, which is spearheading plant research with scientists in South Korea. In addition to studying existing plants, researchers there are trying to see if certain species could be bred to create super-efficient air cleaners.

Interest in plants as air purifiers—what's called "phytoremediation"—comes amid mounting concerns about the quality of indoor air. People spend more than 90% of their time inside, where levels of a dozen common organic pollutants can be two to five times higher than outside, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Associated health problems range from headaches and asthma to respiratory diseases and cancer. The agency says it is particularly concerned about air quality in homes that have taken steps to be more energy-efficient by adding insulation and other weatherization techniques.

That said, plants aren't yet recognized as a mainstream air-filtration tool. The EPA says "there is currently no evidence … that a reasonable number of houseplants can remove significant quantities of pollutants in homes and offices." The U.S. Green Building Council, which certifies buildings based on environmental standards, says while "using plants to help clean air is a great strategy…we've had difficulty quantifying the results."

That could be changing. Studies conducted over the past five years by the University of Technology, Sydney found that small groups of the Janet Craig and Sweet Chico plants placed in offices with high airborne concentrations of volatile organic compounds consistently reduced total VOC levels by up to 75%. Reductions to negligible levels were maintained over the course of five- to 12-week periods studied. "Potted plants can provide an efficient, self-regulating, low-cost, sustainable bioremediation system for indoor air pollution," researchers concluded.

In another study at Washington State University, dust was reduced as much as 20% when a number of plants were placed around the perimeter of computer lab and small office for one week.

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Margaret Burchett, a professor who led the Sydney studies, estimates that six or more plants in a 1,200- to 1,500-square-foot house could achieve noteworthy contaminant reductions. At work, "if you have a couple of nice plants sitting on your desk, it will help purify the air you breathe," says Bill Wolverton, author of the new book "Plants: Why You Can't Live Without Them," and one of the NASA scientists who studied plants.

Indoor-air pollutants come in two primary forms: particle pollution, such as dust, pollen, animal dander and smoke, and gaseous pollutants such as VOCs that are emitted from sources such as building materials, dry-cleaned clothing and aerosol sprays.

Plants clean the air, researchers say, primarily by absorbing pollution through small leaf pores called stomata, and via microorganisms living in the potting soil or medium that metabolize contaminants. Scientists believe plants can begin removing pollution the moment they're placed in a room and can be particularly useful in spaces where there's little outside ventilation.

Pinpointing specific air quality problems can be tricky. Do-it-yourself kits and environmental companies can conduct air-quality tests at consumers' homes. But interpretation of the results can be confusing because there's no universal national standard for acceptable levels of many VOCs, according to the EPA.

As for remedies, ventilation often works best, but not every climate is suitable for open windows and doors. Mechanical ventilation units that remove stale air from a home and provide fresh outdoor air can cost $600 to upwards of $2,500, not including installation. Indoor air-cleaning devices using HEPA and activated carbon or ultraviolet-light technology have some limitations and may require filter changes.

That's why researchers see opportunity for indoor plants, which are inexpensive and relatively easy to find and maintain. In 2009, UGA scientists identified five "super ornamentals"—plants that showed high rates of contaminant removal when exposed in gas-tight glass jars to common household VOCs, such as benzene (present in cigarette smoke) and toluene (emitted from paints and varnishes). They are: the purple waffle plant, English ivy, asparagus fern, purple heart plant, variegated wax plant.

UGA's Dr. Kays and his colleagues aim to broaden their findings by developing a simple test kit homeowners can use to check for VOCs, as well as an expanded list of plants and their associated pollution-fighting abilities. The university also sees a potential market for enhanced potting soil and other media.

"I envision this research helping producers enrich plants' soil with microorganisms that are optimized to metabolize, say, five bad VOCs," says Bodie Pennisi, a UGA associate professor.

Plants were sidelined as minimalist architecture prevailed in recent years, says Mike Lewis, president of the not-for-profit Green Plants for Green Buildings advocacy group. "Now when you talk to architects and designers, they want plants back."

When designing the new Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital in Michigan, the hospital's CEO Gerard van Grinsven says he placed $150,000 of live plants in the atria of the facility. "The plants are doing what they are supposed to do—produce oxygen and filtering all these bad elements from our environment," Mr. van Grinsven says.

International plant grower Costa Farms LLC, has spent more than $1 million in the past two years on its "O2 for You" marketing campaign touting plants' air-purifying abilities. In its Michigan store, Planterra Corp. touts plants as "low-maintenance air cleaners."

Dr. Wolverton, who continued his plant research after leaving NASA, has helped develop a $199 planter dubbed the "Plant Air Purifier," which uses an electric fan and activated carbon in a ceramic growing medium (no soil) to filter and trap pollutants around plants' roots more efficiently so microbes can metabolize them. It goes on sale in April. A similar product, the Andrea Air Filter, was co-developed by a Harvard University professor and has sold 8,000 units since its launch two years ago.

Norman Ankers, a 54-year-old trial lawyer in Beverly Hills, Mich., says he and his wife Janet have filled their 5,000-square-foot home with plants, such as ferns and orchids. "We don't pretend to understand the complex chemistry of it all," Mr. Ankers says. "But having something that's a cleaning agent or filter is an extra benefit."

Write to Gwendolyn Bounds at wendy.bounds@wsj.com

Corrections & Amplifications
A photograph in a previous version of this article incorrectly identified two University of Georgia professors conducting plant research. In the picture, Mussie Habteselassie appears on the left, and Bodie Pennisi appears on the right.

12-Oct-11 2:00 PM

Plants Improve a Home Aestethetically, Emotionally, Physically and Economically

Joshua Senneff - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 23:00:00 GMT

Think about it! We all recognize how our mood can change when we are surrounded in an environment with living vegetation. It's the reason we take trips to the park, spend time in our backyards, desire the coveted corner office with windows or have a yearning desire to be out in nature. Plants have an immediate and documented impact on our happiness and long-term positive effects on our moods-specifically making us feel less stressed, less anxious and less depressed. The scientific term for this connection is biophilia, which describes the connections that human beings subconsciously seek with living systems (Wikipedia). Considering that 90% of our time is spent indoors-and maybe more in the summers of South Texas-bringing the outside inside is deeply rooted in our biology.

Given our affinity for nature, it is hardly surprising that many large facilities invest in bringing the outdoors in. By creating indoor parks with large trees, plants, water features, daylight and comfortable retreats, they are able to impact the experience we have while in the facility. Builders, developers and commercial realtors would not invest in this if they didn't believe that such amenities have positive payoffs.

In most cases, plants are often placed within spaces merely for their aesthetic benefits: to soften hard surfaces and to provide ambience. A few well-placed plants in a room can dramatically change the look and feel of a space. Plants can be that final touch that ties everything together and makes a space more inviting and comfortable. It is that intangible benefit that we pick up on when we enter the room that renders a subconscious attraction to the space.

The bottom line is the most important interest of most home buyers and sellers. Also, as the agent trying to sell a home at a fair price, you have to find that edge over your competition. What are you doing to create an environment that produces a positive experience to a prospective buyer aesthetically, physically and emotionally while benefiting you economically? Plants cover them all!

A Clemson University study documented the impact of landscaping on the resale value of single family residences. A house that obtained an excellent landscape rating from a local landscaping professional could expect a sale price 4 to 5 percent higher than equivalent houses with good landscaping. Homes with landscaping ranked poor relative to neighboring homes with excellent landscapes could expect a sale price 8 to 10 percent below equivalent homes with good landscaping appeal.

Other research finds that plantscaping both inside and out can add as much as at 14% to the resale value of a building and speed its sale by as much as six weeks. You can see that small improvements with plants can produce large economic returns to the seller. And, of course, you know the importance of the first impression, so just imagine how magnified the improvements by plants are on the front porch.

Interior plants are a very cost-effective way to dramatically change an indoor environment. When you evaluate what it costs for remodeling a space or to install new furniture and fixtures, the return on an investment is much greater with the addition of plants, due to their relatively low cost. We recommend at least two significant, healthy plants per 12' x 16' room.

Notice the word healthy. We find that most people tend to over-care for their plants. In other words, they tend to give them too much water too frequently, feel the need to re-pot the plant when it is not looking well, over-fertilize it when it does not need it, or stick it outside where it is often baked by the sun. Due to the much lower available light inside (100-500 foot candles indoors vs. 8,000-10,000 foot candles outdoors), your plants are photosynthesizing at a much slower rate inside your home. The water requirements of interior plants are dramatically lower than exterior plants for these reasons. A Google search can give you many options of plants that work well inside; some favorites are Aglaonema, Spathiphyllum, Dracaena deremensis and Zamioculcas zamifolia.

So, convince your buyers and your office managers not to overlook the vital role plantscapes have in your success of enhancing the prospective buyers' and clients' experience aesthetically, emotionally and biologically. Plants Work!

Joshua Senneff, CLP, CLT, is Director of Operations for Plant Interscapes, a San Antonio-based interior horticulture firm servicing San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Houston and Corpus Christi. For more information visit www.plantinterscapes.com or www.greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org or contact Josh at 888-284-2257, ext. 111 or jmsenneff@plantinterscapes.com.

31-Jul-11 6:00 PM

Health Benefits of Gardens in Hospitals

Jonathan Senneff - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Thu, 12 May 2011 17:00:00 GMT

Paper for conference, Plants for People

International Exhibition Floriade 2002

Health Benefits of Gardens in Hospitals

Roger S. Ulrich, Ph.D.

Center for Health Systems and Design

Colleges of Architecture and Medicine

Texas A & M University

College State, TX 77843

INTRODUCTION

This paper selectively reviews scientific research on the influences of gardens and plants in hospitals and other healthcare settings. The discussion concentrates mainly on health-related benefits that patients realize by simply looking at gardens and plants, or in other ways passively experiencing healthcare surroundings where plants are prominent. The review also briefly addresses other advantages of gardens and plants in hospitals, such as lowering the costs of delivering healthcare and improving staff satisfaction.

It might be asked at the outset: why is worthwhile to focus exclusively on gardens located in hospitals and other healthcare facilities? One important reason is linked to the fact that extraordinary amounts of money are spent internationally for construction of healthcare environments. This funding for hospitals potentially represents a major source of resources for gardens, plants, and related features such as atriums. Consider the example of only one large medical complex in the United States, the Texas Medical Center in Houston, which plans to spend about $1.8 billion on new construction during the next two years. In the State of California alone, new spending for hospital buildings will be upwards of $14 billion by 2010. Even individual buildings can be extremely costly -- Northwestern University’s recently opened main hospital in Chicago cost $687 million. Spending in the United States for new hospitals has averaged about $15 billion annually during the last decade. The United Kingdom plans to spend at least $4 billion on new hospital construction within the next three years or so. When substantial additional spending is considered for the many other types of healthcare environments – for example, nursing homes, primary care clinics, rehabilitation facilities -- it becomes even clearer that healthcare design and construction directly accounts for vast amounts of money. This reality implies great opportunities for funding and creating new gardens to enrich and improve the lives of patients and the environments of hundreds, if not thousands, of existing medical facilities.

Background: Gardens and Hospital Design

The belief that plants and gardens are beneficial for patients in healthcare environments is more than one thousand years old, and appears prominently in Asian and Western cultures (Ulrich and Parsons, 1992). During the Middle Ages in Europe, for example, monasteries created elaborate gardens to bring pleasant, soothing distraction to the ill (Gierlach-Spriggs et al., 1998). European and American hospitals in the 1800s commonly contained gardens and plants as prominent features (Nightingale, 1860).

Gardens became less prevalent in hospitals during the early decades of the 1900s, however, as major advances in medical science caused hospital administrators and architects to concentrate on creating healthcare buildings that would reduce infection risk and serve as functionally efficient settings for new medical technology. The strong emphasis on infection reduction, together with the priority given to functional efficiency, shaped the design of hundreds of major hospitals internationally -- that are now considered starkly institutional, unacceptably stressful, and unsuited to the emotional needs of patients, their families, and even healthcare staff (Ulrich, 1991; Horsburgh, 1995). Despite the intense stress often caused by illness, pain, and traumatic hospital experiences, little attention was given to creating environments that would calm patients or otherwise address emotional needs (Ulrich, 2001).

A growing awareness has developed in recent years in the healthcare community of the need to create functionally efficient and hygienic environments that also have pleasant, stress reducing characteristics. An important impetus for this awareness has been the major progress achieved in mind-body medical science. A substantial body of research has now demonstrated that stress and psychosocial factors can significantly affect patient health outcomes. This knowledge strongly implies that the psychological or emotional needs of patients be given high priority along with traditional concerns, including infection risk exposure and functional efficiency, in governing the design of hospitals (Ulrich, 2001). It also follows that conditions or experiences shown by medical researchers to be stress reducing and healthful, such as pleasant soothing distractions and social support, must become important considerations in creating new healthcare facilities. The fact that there is limited but growing scientific evidence that viewing gardens can measurably reduce patient stress and improve health outcomes has been a key factor in the major resurgence in interest internationally in providing gardens in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Importance of Health Outcomes Evidence

Healthcare administrators everywhere are under strong pressures to control or reduce costs yet increase care quality. Faced with imperative demands such as paying for costly new medical technology, administrators may often consider gardens as desirable but nonessential. Convincing the medical community to assign priority and resources usually requires providing credible evidence that gardens or plants produce benefits yet are cost-effective compared to alternatives, including not providing gardens/plants.

It should be emphasized here that most healthcare administrators and especially physicians consider evidence from health outcomes research to provide the most sound and persuasive basis for assessing whether a particular medical treatment or service (here providing a garden or plants) is medically beneficial and financially sensible. (Ulrich, 1999, 2002).

Health outcomes are numerous and varied, but most refer to measures of a patient’s medical condition or to indicators of healthcare quality. These measures include (1) observable clinical signs or medical measures, (2) subjective measures such as reported satisfaction, and (2) economic measures (Ulrich, 2002).

• Clinical indicators that are observable signs and symptoms relating to patients’ conditions. (Examples: length of stay, blood pressure, intake of pain drugs)

• Patient/staff reported outcomes. (Examples: patient reports of satisfaction with healthcare services, staff reported satisfaction with working conditions)

• Economic outcomes. (Examples: cost of patient care, recruitment or hiring costs due to staff turnover)

Clinical and economic outcomes data traditionally have carried the greatest weight in decisions, but in recent years evidence regarding effects of treatments or services on patient satisfaction has gained much importance as healthcare providers in the United States and Europe have faced mounting pressures to become more patient or consumer oriented.

STRESS REDUCING EFFECTS OF VIEWING PLANTS AND NATURE

Several studies of nonpatient groups (such as university students) as well as patients have consistently shown that simply looking at environments dominated by greenery, flowers, or water -- as compared to built scenes lacking nature (rooms, buildings, towns) -- is significantly more effective in promoting recovery or restoration from stress. (See Ulrich, 1999, for a survey of studies.) A limited amount of research suggests that viewing settings with plants or other nature for a few minutes can promote measurable restoration even in hospital patients who are acutely stressed.

There is considerable evidence that restorative effects of nature scenes are manifested within only three to five minutes as a combination of psychological/emotional and physiological changes. Concerning the first, psychological/emotional, many views of vegetation or garden-like features elevate levels of positive feelings (pleasantness, calm), and reduce negatively toned emotions such as fear, anger, and sadness. Certain nature scenes effectively sustain interest and attention, and accordingly can serve as pleasant distractions that may diminish stressful thoughts. Regarding physiological manifestations of stress recovery, laboratory and clinical investigations have found that viewing nature settings can produce significant restoration within less than five minutes as indicated by positive changes, for instance, in blood pressure, heart activity, muscle tension, and brain electrical activity (Ulrich, 1981; Ulrich et al., 1991).

One controlled experiment, for example, measured a battery of physiological responses in 120 stressed persons (non-patients) who were randomly assigned to a recovery period consisting of one of six different videotapes of either nature settings (vegetation or vegetation with water) or built settings lacking nature (Ulrich et al., 1991). Findings from four continuously recorded physiological measures (blood pressure, heart rate, skin conductance, muscle tension) were consistent in indicating that recuperation from stress was faster and much more complete when individuals were exposed to the nature settings rather than any of the built environments. The quickness of nature-induced restoration was manifested as significant changes in all physiological measures within about three minutes. The pattern of physiological data further supported the interpretation that nature, compared to the built settings, more effectively lowered activity in the sympathetic nervous system. (Heightened sympathetic nervous system activity involves energy consuming mobilization or arousal and is central in stress responding.) Moreover, data from self-reports of feelings indicated that the nature environments likewise produced substantially more recuperation in the psychological component of stress. Persons exposed to the settings with plants and other nature, in contrast to the built environments, had lower levels of fear and anger, and reported far higher levels of positive feelings (Ulrich et al., 1991).

Hartig (1991) also used both physiological and psychological measures to study restoration in non-patient subjects who were stressed because they either had driven an automobile through urban traffic or completed a series of difficult tests. His findings were broadly similar to those described above -- more specifically, blood pressure data and emotional self-reports converged to indicate that recovery was appreciably greater if persons looked at a nature setting dominated by vegetation rather than a built environment without nature (Hartig, 1991).

Nakamura and Fujii have carried out two studies in Japan (1990, 1992) that measured brain wave activity as unstressed persons (non-patients) looked either at plants or human-made objects. In an intriguing first experiment, the researchers analyzed alpha rhythm activity as subjects viewed: two types of potted plants, each with and without flowers (Pelargonium and Begonia); the same pots without plants; or a cylinder similar to the pots (Nakamura and Fujii, 1990). Results suggested that persons were most wakefully relaxed when they observed plants with flowers, and least relaxed when they looked at pots without plants. In the second study they recorded the electroencephalogram (EEG) while persons were seated in a real outdoor setting and viewed a hedge of greenery, a concrete fence with dimensions similar to the hedge, or a mixed condition consisting of part greenery and part concrete (Nakamura and Fujii, 1992). The EEG data supported the conclusion that the greenery elicited relaxation whereas the concrete had stressful influences.

Benefits of Nature and Gardens in Healthcare Settings

The research examples described above, all based on non-patient groups, indicate that visual exposure to plants and other nature lasting only a few minutes can foster considerable restoration or recovery from stress.

It is important to emphasize that broadly parallel findings have been obtained when stressed patients in healthcare settings have been visually exposed to nature. A study by Heerwagen and Orians, for instance, found that anxious patients in a dental fears clinic were less stressed on days when a large nature mural was hung on a wall of the waiting room in contrast to days when the wall was blank (Heerwagen, 1990). The restorative benefits of the nature scene were evident both in heart rate data and self reports of emotional states.

In the case of hospitals and other healthcare facilities, there is mounting evidence that gardens function are especially effective and beneficial settings with respect to fostering restoration for stressed patients, family members, and staff (Ulrich, 1999). Cooper-Marcus and Barnes (1995) used a combination of behavioral observation and interview methods to evaluate four hospital gardens in California. They found that restoration from stress, including improved mood, was by far the most important category of benefits derived by nearly all users of the gardens -- patients, family, and employees. Likewise, a recent study of a garden in a children’s hospital identified mood improvement and restoration from stress as primary benefits for users (Whitehouse et al., 2001). This conclusion was supported by convergent results from behavioral observations, interviews, and surveys. The fact that stress is a pervasive, well documented, and very important health-related problem in hospitals implies major significance for the finding that restoration is the key benefit motivating persons to use gardens in healthcare facilities (Ulrich, 1999).

Well-designed hospital gardens not only provide calming and pleasant nature views, but can also reduce stress and improve clinical outcomes through other mechanisms, for instance, fostering access to social support and privacy, and providing opportunities for escape from stressful clinical settings (Ulrich, 1999; Cooper-Marcus and Barnes, 1995). Concerning the last of these, escape, Cooper-Marcus and Barnes

(1995) concluded that many healthcare employees used gardens as an effective means for achieving a restorative pleasant escape from work stress and aversive conditions in the hospital. They also included in their report statements by several patients which suggested that the gardens fostered restoration in part by providing positive escape (and sense of control) with respect to stress. For example, a patient interviewed in a hospital garden commented: “It’s a good escape from what they put me through. I come out here between appointments. . I feel much calmer, less stressed” (Cooper-Marcus and Barnes,

1995, p. 27).

In addition to ameliorating stress and improving mood, gardens and nature in hospitals can significantly heighten satisfaction with the healthcare provider and the overall quality of care. Evidence from studies of a number of different hospitals and diverse categories of patients (adults, children, and elderly patients; ambulatory or outpatient settings, inpatient acute care wards) strongly suggests that the presence of nature -- indoor and outdoor gardens, plants, window views of nature -- increases both patient and family satisfaction (Cooper-Marcus and Barnes, 1995; Whitehouse et al., 2001; Picker Institute and Center for Health Design, 1999).

The capacity for gardens and plants to heighten satisfaction, as well as reduce stress, is attracting considerable attention from hospital administrators who, as noted earlier, are facing strong pressures to become more patient/consumer oriented and improve the consumer’s healthcare experience. A nationally prominent hospital administrator in the United States recently evaluated the role of gardens in the highly competitive marketplace of managed care, and endorsed their effectiveness for increasing care quality and patient/consumer satisfaction (Sadler, 2001). Further, the administrator advocated creating gardens as an effective means for helping hospitals and providers to achieve more positive market identities and thereby improve economic or financial outcomes (Sadler, 2001).

Benefits of Healthcare Gardens for Staff

Healthcare staffing problems are a critical issue in most European countries and North America. It has been known for decades that healthcare occupations such as nursing are stressful because they often involve overload from work demands, lack of control or authority over decisions, and stress from rotating shifts (Ulrich, 1991). Workloads and pressures have mounted further, however, as healthcare providers everywhere have been forced to control or cut costs (Ulrich, 2002). These conditions have in many locations lowered lower job satisfaction, increased absenteeism and turnover, contributed to shortages of qualified personnel, increased providers’ operating costs, and eroded the quality of care that patients receive (Ulrich, 2002).

These serious staff related problems imply major importance for the aforementioned finding that healthcare staff heavily use gardens for positive escape from workplace pressures and to recuperate from stress. Additionally, it should be emphasized that evidence has begun to appear showing that hospital gardens increase staff satisfaction with the workplace, and may help hospital administrators in hiring and retaining qualified personnel (Whitehouse et al., 2001; Sadler, 2001; Cooper-Marcus and Barnes, 1995, 1999).

Effects of Nature on Clinical Outcomes

Findings from a few studies focusing on hospitals and other healthcare facilities suggest that views of nature can have important benefits in terms of improving patient clinical outcomes. At Uppsala University Hospital in Sweden, Outi Lundén, John Eltinge, and I (1993) investigated whether exposing heart surgery patients to simulated nature views would improve recovery outcomes. We assigned each 160 patients in intensive care to one of six visual stimulation conditions: two nature pictures (either a view of trees and water, or an enclosed forest scene); two abstract pictures; and two control conditions (either a white panel, or no picture or panel). Results suggested that patients who viewed the trees/water scene were significantly less anxious during the postoperative period than patients assigned to the other pictures and control conditions. Moreover, patients exposed to the trees/water view suffered less severe pain, as evidenced by the fact they shifted faster than other groups from strong narcotic pain drugs to moderate strength analgesics. By contrast, a rather surprising finding was that an abstract picture dominated by rectilinear forms produced higher patient anxiety than control conditions of no picture at all.

Another medical outcomes study compared the recovery records of gall bladder surgery patients who had a bedside window view of either trees or a brick building wall with no nature (Ulrich, 1984). To keep other factors constant that could affect outcomes, the methods ensured that the tree and wall view groups were equivalent, for example, in age, weight, tobacco use, and general medical history. The outcomes data showed that those with the nature view, compared to those who looked out at the wall, had shorter hospital stays and suffered fewer minor post-surgical complications (such as persistent headache or nausea) (Ulrich, 1984). Further, patients with the view of trees more frequently received positive written comments from staff about their conditions in their medical records (“patient is in good spirits”). Those in the wall view group, however, had far more negative evaluative comments (“patient is upset,” “needs much encouragement”). Another major difference was that persons with the view of trees, compared to the wall view patients, needed far fewer doses of strong narcotic pain drugs.

The above findings not only indicated that views of nature in hospitals could enhance clinical or medical outcomes; as well, the results suggested that nature could improve economic outcomes by reducing the costs of care. The findings clearly implied that by providing nature it would be possible to achieve cost savings, for instance, because length of hospital stays might be shortened, and some patients would have reduced need for costly injections of strong pain drugs.

QUALITIES OF EFFECTIVE RESTORATIVE GARDENS

Few studies have examined rigorously how different design approaches and specific environmental characteristics affect hospital garden performance with respect to fostering restoration from stress or improving medical outcomes. No well controlled experiment has investigated, for instance, whether designing flowers beds with curvilinear in contrast to rectilinear forms or edges influences a garden’s effectiveness in producing stress recovery. Nonetheless, the studies described in earlier sections have yielded a few broad conclusions and general guidelines regarding design directions for creating successful healthcare gardens.

The limited evidence to date suggests that gardens will likely calm or ameliorate stress effectively if they contain verdant foliage, flowers, water (not tumultuous), congruent or harmonious nature sounds (birds, breezes, water), and visible wildlife (birds) (Ulrich, 1999, pp. 74-75). Additionally, nature settings with savanna-like or park-like qualities (grassy spaces with scattered trees) are known to foster restoration. In their study of users of four hospital gardens, Cooper-Marcus and Barnes (1995, p. 55) found that the most frequently mentioned positive garden qualities were visual nature elements, especially trees, greenery, flowers, and water. Respondents strongly associated these nature features with restorative influences on their moods.

By contrast, a characteristic that usually worsens garden effectiveness in reducing stress is predominance of hardscape (concrete, for example) or other starkly built content (Ulrich, 1999). Whitehouse and her associates (2001) found that users of a children’s hospital garden disliked and avoided areas having a high percentage of concrete ground surface and/or starkly built features. Persons interviewed in this study consistently recommended that the garden should have “more greenery and flowers” and less concrete (Whitehouse et al., 2001). Based on this evidence the administration of the hospital directed that the garden be reconstructed to include many more plants and less hardscape, in order to become more effective in promoting restoration.

In addition to predominance of hardscape rather than vegetation, other garden qualities that can hamper recovery or even aggravate stress include: cigarette smoke; intrusive, incongruent urban or machine sounds (traffic, for example); crowding; perceived insecurity or risk; prominent litter; and abstract, ambiguous sculpture or other built features that can be interpreted in multiple ways (Ulrich, 1999). Regarding abstraction and ambiguity, there is mounting evidence that designers of hospital gardens should exercise considerable caution before including abstract art works or ambiguous design features. It appears that acutely stressed patients may be vulnerable to having stressful rather than positive reactions to ambiguous art or design (Ulrich, 1991). Current evidence suggests that the safest, most consistently effective general strategy for designers of hospital gardens is simply to feature the restorative, unambiguously positive qualities of greenery, flowers, and most other nature content (Ulrich, 1999).

A documented example of adverse patient reactions to ambiguous features occurred when a major university hospital installed a large-scale series of sculptures and other artworks to form a “bird garden” in a rooftop space overlooked on all sides by rooms for cancer patients (Ulrich, 1999). Although called a “garden,” the space actually contained no greenery, flowers, or other nature. Soon after this sculpture garden was installed, administrators and physicians began to receive many anecdotal reports of strong negative reactions by patients. Accordingly, a questionnaire study was conducted of patient reactions to the artwork (Hefferman et al., 1995). The study showed that more than 20% of the cancer patients reported having a negative emotional or psychological reaction to the “garden.” Several patients had strongly negative responses, interpreting some rectilinear metal bird sculptures, for instance, as frightening predatory animals (Ulrich, 1999).

The administration and medical staff decided that the rate and intensity of negative effects on patient outcomes was too high, so the art installation was removed for medical reasons (Ulrich, 1999).

SUMMARY

Findings from several studies have converged in indicating that simply viewing certain types of nature and garden scenes significantly ameliorates stress within only five minutes or less. Further, a limited amount of research has found that viewing nature for longer periods not only helps to calm patients, but can also foster improvement in clinical outcomes -- such as reducing pain medication intake and shortening hospital stays.

Well-designed hospital gardens not only provide restorative and pleasant nature views, but also can reduce stress and improve clinical outcomes through other mechanisms such as increasing access to social support, and providing opportunities for positive escape from stressful clinical settings. As well, evidence from studies of a number of hospitals strongly suggests that gardens and other nature helps to heighten patient and family satisfaction with the healthcare provider and the overall quality of care. Research has begun to appear suggesting that hospital gardens also increase staff satisfaction with the workplace, and can be advantageous in hiring and retaining qualified personnel. The potential for hospital gardens to improve medical outcomes, satisfaction, and economic outcomes is notably increasing the attention and priority accorded to gardens, as administrators and providers everywhere face strong pressures to increase quality, become more consumer/patient oriented, control costs, and in some locations establish a positive market identify in the face of strong competition from other providers.

REFERENCES

Cooper-Marcus, C. and M. Barnes (1995). Gardens in Healthcare Facilities: Uses, Therapeutic Benefits, and Design Recommendations. Martinez, CA: The Center forHealth Design.

Cooper-Marcus, C. and M. Barnes (1999). Healing Gardens: Therapeutic Benefits and Design Recommendations. New York: John Wiley.

Gierlach-Spriggs, N. Kaufman, R. E., and S. B. Warner, Jr. (1998). Restorative Garden: The Healing Landscape. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Hefferman, M. L., Morstatt, M., Saltzman, K., and L. Strunc (1995). A Room with a View Art Survey: The Bird Garden at Duke University Hospital. Unpublished research report, Cultural Services Program and Management Fellows Program, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC.

Hartig, T. (1991). Testing restorative environments theory. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Program in Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine.

Heerwagen, J. (1990). The psychological aspects of windows and window design. In K. H. Anthony, J. Choi, and B. Orland (Eds.), Proceedings of 21st annual conference of the Environmental Design Research Association. Oklahoma City: EDRA, 269-280.

Horsburgh, C. R. (1995). Healing by design. New England Journal of Medicine, 333: 735-740.

Nakamura, R. and E. Fujii (1990). Studies of the characteristics of the electroencephalogram when observing potted plants: Pelargonium hortorum “Sprinter Red” and Begonia evansiana. Technical Bulletin of the Faculty of Horticulture of Chiba University, 43: 177-183. (In Japanese with English summary)

Nakamura, R. and E. Fujii (1992). A comparative study of the characteristics of the electroencephalogram when observing a hedge and a concrete block fence. Journal of the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architects, 55: 139-144. (In Japanese with English summary.)

Nightingale, F. (1860) (1996). Notes on Nursing (Revised with Additions). London: Ballière Tindall.

Picker Institute and Center for Health Design (1999). Assessing the Built Environment from the Patient and Family Perspective: Health Care Design Action Kit. WalnutCreek, CA: The Center for Health Design (www.healthdesign.org)

Sadler, B. (2001). Design to Compete in Managed Healthcare. Facilities Design & Management (March).

Ulrich, R. S. (1981). Natural versus urban scenes: Some psychophysiological effects. Environment and Behavior, 13: 523-556.

Ulrich, R. S. (1984). View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, 224: 42-421.

Ulrich, R. S. (1991). Effects of health facility interior design on wellness: Theory and recent scientific research. Journal of Health Care Design, 3: 97-109. [Reprinted in: Marberry, S.O. (Ed.) 1995. Innovations in Healthcare Design. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, pp. 88-104.]

Ulrich, R. S. (1999). Effects of gardens on health outcomes: Theory and research. In C. Cooper-Marcus & M. Barnes (Eds.), Healing Gardens: Therapeutic Benefits and Design Recommendations. New York: John Wiley, pp. 27-86.

Ulrich, R. S. (2001). Effects of healthcare environmental design on medical outcomes. In A Dilani (Ed.) Design and Health: Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Health and Design. Stockholm, Sweden: Svensk Byggtjanst, 49-59.

Ulrich, R. S. (2002). Communicating with the healthcare community about plant benefits.

In C. Shoemaker (Ed.) Proceedings of the Sixth International People Plant Symposium. Chicago: Chicago Botanic Garden.

Ulrich, R. S., Lundén, O., and J. L. Eltinge (1993). “Effects of exposure to nature and abstract pictures on patients recovering from heart surgery.” Paper presented at the Thirty-Third Meeting of the Society for Psychophysiological Research, Rottach-Egern, Germany. Abstract in Psychophysiology, 30 (Supplement 1, 1993): 7.

Ulrich, R. S. and R. Parsons (1992). Influences of passive experiences with plants on individual well-being and health. In D. Relf (Ed.), The role of horticulture in human well-being and social development. Portland, OR: Timber Press, pp. 93-105.

Ulrich, R. S., Simons, R. F., Losito, B. D., Fiorito, E., Miles, M. A., & Zelson, M. (1991). Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 11: 201-230.

Whitehouse, S., Varni, J. W., Seid, M., Cooper-Marcus, C., Ensberg, M. J., Jacobs, J. J. and R. S. Mehlenbeck (2001). Evaluating a children’s hospital garden environment: Utilization and consumer satisfaction. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 21: 301-314.

12-May-11 12:00 PM

Flowers and Plants in the Workspace Promote Innovation and Ideas

Jonathan Senneff - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:00:00 GMT

Key Findings Shed Light on Environmental Psychology of the Workplace

In today’s economy, it is more important than ever for businesses to gain the competitive edge. Constant fluctuations in unemployment, productivity, consumer confidence and other major economic factors make it imperative for businesses to implement the right strategies to stay ahead of their competition.

According to business experts, the key to gaining the competitive edge in the modern economy is easy to understand – a happy, productive workforce. And, while sometimes the easiest notions can be the most difficult to achieve, a recent scientific study conducted at Texas A&M University finds that nature can hold the secret to business success. The research demonstrates that workers’ idea generation, creative performance and problem solving skills improve substantially in workplace environments that include flowers and plants.

“Our research shows that a change as simple as adding flowers and plants can be important in the most meaningful way to businesses in the modern economy,” said Dr. Roger Ulrich, lead researcher on the project. “People’s productivity, in the form of innovation and creative problem solving, improved – which in certain circumstances could mean the difference between mild and great business success.”

Research Findings: Overall and Men vs. Women

In an eight-month study, the Texas A&M University research team explored the link between flowers and plants and workplace productivity. Participants performed creative problem solving tasks in a variety of common office environments, or conditions. The conditions included a workplace with flowers and plants, a setting with sculpture and an environment with no decorative embellishments.

During the study, both women and men demonstrated more innovative thinking, generating more ideas and original solutions to problems in the office environment that included flowers and plants. In these surroundings, men who participated in the study generated 15% more ideas. And, while males generated a greater abundance of ideas, females generated more creative, flexible solutions to problems when flowers and plants were present.

“We know the importance of learning, for example, how natural surroundings affect drivers, school children, and hospital patients,” said Ulrich, who has conducted extensive research on the effects of environments on psychological well-being, stress and health. “To businesses, it should be equally as important to understand what features can improve performance at work and make employees more productive.”

Background: Dr. Roger Ulrich

The Impact of Flowers and Plants on Workplace Productivity Study was conducted by Roger Ulrich, Ph.D., Behavioral Scientist, Director of the Center for Health Systems and Design, Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Dr. Ulrich is a professor of landscape architecture and is an internationally recognized expert on the influences of surroundings on human well-being and health. His interests concern applications of environment-behavior knowledge to healthcare buildings, landscape architecture and urban design.

For The Impact of Flowers and Plants on Workplace Productivity study, Dr. Ulrich worked in cooperation with Professor Dr. James Varni, who also is internationally recognized for his research in psychology and medicine. The research lends weight to growing scientific evidence that flowers and plants, as well
as other aspects of nature, have a beneficial impact on state of mind and emotions. The Society of American Florists worked in cooperation with the Texas A&M University research team, bringing an expertise of flowers and plants to the project.

12-May-11 11:00 AM

Impact of Flowers & Plants on Workplace Productivity

Mary Golden - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:00:00 GMT

http://www.aboutflowers.com/health-benefits-a-research/workplace-productivity-study/research-methodology-.html

4-Mar-11 12:00 PM

Plants, For Your Health

Mary Golden - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:30:00 GMT

http://awesome.good.is/marketplace/010/010plants_for_health.html

20-Jan-11 11:30 AM

Do Plants Reduce People's Perceptions Of Physical Discomfort?

Mary Golden - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:15:00 GMT

http://www.perishablenews.com/index.php?article=0012130

19-Jan-11 6:15 PM

Rehab Patients Report Increased Well-Being When Indoor Plants Introduced

Mary Golden - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

http://www.drugrehab.in/2011/01/rehab-patients-report-increased-wellbeing-when-interior-plants-introduced/

19-Jan-11 6:00 PM

Gardening With a Purpose

Mary Golden - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

http://seedbank.us/gardening-with-a-purpose/796/uncategorized

19-Jan-11 6:00 PM

Workplace Benefits from Office Plants

Mary Golden - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

http://healthcarepatients.com/2010/07/workplace-benefits-from-office-plants/

19-Jan-11 6:00 PM

The Best Plants for Indoor Air Pollution

Mary Golden - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 23:00:00 GMT

19-Jan-11 5:00 PM

Eco-Friendly Office Space Awarded Highest "Green" Honor

Mary Golden - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 21:00:00 GMT

Learn more

13-Jan-11 3:00 PM

Green on the Inside

Mary Golden - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Green on the Inside

29-Dec-10 6:00 PM

Indoor Fungal Infestations and Mycotoxicity

Mary Golden - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 23:30:00 GMT

Indoor Fungal Infestations and Mycotoxity

29-Dec-10 5:30 PM

GPGB Announces LEED Pilot Credit Program

Mike Lewis - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 23:00:00 GMT

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, currently 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.

Extensive research has shown that Indoor plants reduce contaminants inside buildings which results in greater occupant comfort, lower absenteeism and improved productivity. By improving indoor air quality, fewer sick days and improved employee health, morale and creativity are just some of the measurable benefits demonstrated. Specifically, employee productivity is shown to increase 12%.

Before full adoption of any credit, a pilot credit is used as a means of vetting out the proposed credit. During a pilot program, credits can be awarded for submittals regardless of the eventual full adoption. Once vetted, pilot credits are voted on by the USGBC membership and if approved, fully adopted.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a third party rating system offered through the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Unlike Australia and New Zealand’s ’Green Star’ green building rating system, the current USGBC LEED system does not yet offer a specified direct credit for the inclusion of live plant applications in buildings. However, LEED credit for indoor plants has been achieved in the past via the Innovative in Design (ID) category. Both the Ecology and Environment headquarters building in Lancaster, NY as well as the WESST Corporation building in Albuquerque, New Mexico were awarded 1 point each for their unique application of plants in those spaces.

Green Plants for Green Buildings is a non-profit 501c3 organization whose mission is to inform decision makers about the significant environmental, psychological, health and productivity benefits inherent with including living plants in our indoor environment.

For more information on the many health and environmental benefits of using living plants indoors visit http://www.greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org/

30-Sep-10 6:00 PM

Interior Plants Receive Preliminary Approval by the IgCC

Mary Golden - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 22:00:00 GMT

The International Green Construction Code (IgCC) has given preliminary approval for the inclusion of live plants as part of their proposed 2012 code revisions. A new subsection of Section 810 will be headed ‘Interior Plants and Pollutant Control’ and will outline where and how many plants should be used to comply with this optional green building guideline – which is administered by the International Code Council (ICC). A mandatory plant maintenance program will also be required for compliance.

In public comment hearings on Public Version 1.0 held in Chicago on August 17, 2010, Michael Lewis, President of Green Plants for Green Buildings, along with Charlie Acevedo and Mike Rimland from Costa Farms, presented solid evidence that indoor plants are a good, low energy way to help clean the air of pollutants as well as provide fresh oxygen - which helps improve worker moral and productivity, reduce building related illnesses as well as employee sick days. It was also pointed out that Australia already has something similar in place called Green Star that includes indoor plants as part of their measurement standards.

Lewis was also representing the Interiorscape Industry Coalition (IIC), a collaboration of non-profit organizations that include Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), Brigham Young University, Green Plants for Green Buildings (GPGB), Plantscape Industry Alliance (PIA), National Foliage Foundation (NFF), Tropical Plant Industry Exposition (TPIE), Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA), Landscape Ontario, and OFA – an Association of Floriculture Professionals. All together these partners represented approximately 9,000 companies and 177,000 stakeholders, bringing considerable clout to the proceedings.

After waiting 10 hours for the opportunity to present their case to the committee, the interior plant position statements were made. According to Lewis: ‘I knew we had some friendly faces up there based on the constructive comments we received immediately following our presentation. However, it wasn’t until the final vote that we realized an overwhelming majority (10 yes, 4 no, and 1 abstain) voted in favor of the new guidelines!”

The next step is to prepare a revised Interior Plants & Pollution Control code outline for Public Version 2.0 this fall, which will incorporate the many constructive suggestions made by the review committee.

Says Lewis: ‘This effort is not just a US effort but one that includes representatives from the entire North American continent, and has implications around the world!”

23-Aug-10 5:00 PM

A Response to Concerns About Mold and Indoor Plants

admin@gpgb - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:00:00 GMT

Indoor Fungal Infestations and Mycotoxicity

State of Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services

Interior Plants Influence On Airborne Microbes Inside Energy-efficient Buildings

Dr. B.C. Wolverton

21-Jul-10 1:00 PM

WESST Corporation Gets LEED Credit For Use of Indoor Plants

Mary Golden - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Tue, 04 May 2010 22:00:00 GMT

Albuquerque New Mexico’s Wesst Corporation was recently awarded Silver LEED Certification in part through the use of indoor plants, only the second project to do so in the U.S.

Credit for the use of live plants indoors was given under LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a third party rating system offered through the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Points were awarded in the category of Innovation in Design, under LEED.

According to Studio Southwest Architects and the LEED Consultant Halcom Consulting, key points cited in the submittal were live plant’s ability to filter VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds), uptake carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, and release fresh oxygen into the atmosphere. The Plant type and percentage of the installation along with VOC removal characteristics with milligram per hour re-moval properties for formaldehyde, Xylene and ammonia were cited within the LEED submittal. Green Plants For Green Buildings (GPGB.Org) extensive library of resources back up the research and findings in the submittal. The 420 Sq Ft bio-filtration wall measures 17 ft by 24 feet high and was installed by NedLaw of Canada. The “Bio” wall is fully integrated into the buildings air handling system.

The credit award supports the argument that human beings need to feel connected to the natural environment in order to enjoy a sense of psychological, physical and social wellbeing. Biophilia directly confronts the issue of aesthetics and our evolved sense of beauty. The patterns, forms, textures and colors of nature provide abundant models that can be used in building and product design to enhance their aesthetic appeal, not just their functionality and efficiency. Incorporating this natural sense of beauty into a building makes them not only greener in the environmental sense, but also greener in a human sense.

Unlike Australia’s ‘Green Star’ green building rating system, the current USGBC LEED system does not yet offer a specified direct credit for the inclusion of live plant applications. Within the current LEED section titled “Innovation in Design” it is possible for plants to be part of a specially developed use.

It is widely recognized that plants in the workplace offer more than just aesthetic value. In fact, research science and studies have shown that in addition to improving indoor air quality they help reduce stress, enhance employee attitudes, and increase productivity.

4-May-10 5:00 PM

First Building in US to Earn LEED Credit for Use of Indoor Plants

Joe Zazzera - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:00:00 GMT

First Building in US to Earn LEED Credit for Use of Indoor Plants

The Ecology and Environment (E & E) Headquarters in Lancaster, New York was recently awarded Platinum LEED Certification in part through the use of indoor plants.

Credit for the use of live plants indoors was given under LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a third party rating system offered through the US Green Building Council (USGBC). Points were awarded in the category of Innovation in Operation and Maintenance, under LEED for Existing Buildings 2.0.

The specific credit was for the Biophilic Connection to plant life found in this building, which supports the argument that human beings need to feel connected to the natural environment in order to enjoy a sense of psychological, physical and social well being. Biophilia directly confronts the issue of aesthetics and our evolved sense of beauty. The patterns, forms, textures and colors of nature provide abundant models that can be used in building and product design to enhance their aesthetic appeal, not just their functionality and efficiency. Incorporating this natural sense of beauty into this building made it not only greener in the environmental sense, but also greener in a human sense.

Key points cited in the submittal were live plant’s ability to filter VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds), uptake carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, and release fresh oxygen into the atmosphere. E & E used information from GPGB.Org’s extensive library of resources to back up their research and submittal.

Unlike Australia’s ‘Green Star’ green building rating system, the current USGBC LEED system does not yet offer a specified direct credit for the inclusion of live plant applications. Within the current LEED section titled “Innovation in Design” it is possible for plants to be part of a specially developed use.

It is widely recognized that plants in the workplace offer more than just aesthetic value. In fact, research science and studies have shown that in addition to improving indoor air quality they help reduce stress, enhance employee attitudes, and increase productivity.

24-Mar-10 4:00 PM

Nature Makes us More Caring Study Shows

M J Gilhooley - noemail@greenplantsforgreenbuildings.org — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 07:00:00 GMT

Nature Makes Us More Caring

16-Jan-10 1:00 AM