Do you love your indoor plants? Or are you wondering why plants suddenly seem to be popping up in offices, restaurants, shops, and homes? Regardless of where you are on the plant parent spectrum, this is the week for you--It's the 3rd week of September, which means it's National Indoor Plant Week!
National Indoor Plant Week was created to promote and increase public awareness of the importance of live plants in interior places. We know that plants make people happy, but there is scientific proof and evidence that demonstrates how plants change our physiology to make us healthier, more relaxed, and even more creative!
For 95% of human evolution, we've lived in and among nature--it's only in the last few centuries that we've moved into urban areas and moved away from nature. And after millennia of being part of the natural world, that connection with nature is intrinsic to our very being. Our bodies are happier in nature and respond accordingly, with lower heart rates, lower blood pressure, and lower stress levels. While these days we are considerably more removed from the natural world than our ancestors, we can still get many of the same benefits of immersion in nature by bringing plants into our build environments.
Incorporating plants and natural elements into our interior spaces lowers our stress hormones which in turn can:
- Reduce employee absences by 10%
- Increase levels of creativity by 15%
- Reduce painkillers used in hospital settings by up to 20%
- Improve student attention and test scores in school settings
- Not to mention: Plants produce oxygen, and absorb carbon dioxide--think about how you feel drowsy when you sit in a crowded, enclosed room--it's because there's an excess of CO2 and not enough oxygen. Add a few plants and they will literally bring the fresh air!
If you're already a passionate plant person, your love of plants is justified! And if you're new to indoor plants, we'd love to tell you more about how they can improve your health and well-being. Happy National Indoor Plant Week!