In my former life I was a cubicle drone, and a la Dilbert, I even worked for an engineering firm. I did manage to decorate my “cube” with a few plants that thrived on fluorescent lighting and low light intensities, but since our office was on the 21st floor, there was no potential for opening the windows. Of course we already know that sunlight, fresh air, and plants are good for office workers, but now we have proof.
The study was published in the February 2008 issue of "HortScience" magazine, a publication of the American Society for Horticultural Science and was tied to on the job stress and job satisfaction. As you might have guessed, workers were happier when they had greenery in the form of “live” plants in the office, as well as windows with views to green open space. Even bosses and coworkers were seen in a more positive light when offices were filled with plants, but interestingly, while greenery made a difference for men, it didn’t seem to make a difference for women.
Sadly, not every office cubicle looks like the one pictured above, but I’m willing to bet that the occupants of all of those cubicles in offices across America wish they did! If you’re interested in documenting the effects of plants in your office, Give Plants a Chance campaign (GPGB) says it will publish the stories of anyone who is willing to undertake this simple experiment from May 22 to July 22, 2008:
Pick a room or even a small space in home or at the office where either you or others you know spend time. Place one plant per every 100 square feet. At the end of the month participants are asked to either fax or e-mail their observations describing the impact the plants had in 500 words or less. In support of your experiment, the GPGB office will provide free educational materials outlining the 10 best plants for this project. For more information: Green Plants for Green Buildings
Article reference: At the Office: Green Plants and Open Windows .
Photo source: www.wired.com