INTERIOR PLANTS FOR SUSTAINABLE FACILITY ECOLOGY AND WORKPLACE PRODUCTIVITY

1. INTERIOR PLANTS FOR SUSTAINABLE FACILITY ECOLOGY AND WORKPLACE PRODUCTIVITY Margaret Burchett Fraser Torpy & Jane Tarran Plants and Indoor Environmental Quality Group Faculty of Science University of Technology, Sydney

2. Outline • Basics of human ecology • Human ecology comes to town • Need for healthy facility ecology • Urban problems: • Air pollution, • Chronic stress, & • Scarcity of green oases • Urban plantings alleviate problems • Values of indoor plants to improve IEQ: • Indoor air quality (IAQ) • Occupant wellbeing and productivity • Urban/indoor plants helping enabling sustainable communities

3. Human ecology - 0.5 to 2 million years www.virtualtourist.com

4. ‘Hunter/gatherer’ diet -GATHERING - PLANTS • Fruit, including: -Cereal grains -Soft fruit (including also most ‘vegetables’) -Nuts • Roots • (A few leaves) -HUNTING - ANIMALS • Mammal / bird / fish protein - when hunt was successful • And it hasn’t changed much since

5. Human settlement - 10 thousand years Planting Fencing herds Housing

6. Human plant needs For ‘Body’: • Food / Drink • Fodder / Fences • Fuel / Fire • Fibre / Ropes • Fabrics • Remedies (herbals) • Shade / Shelter • Timber (tools, weapons, buildings, boats) • [O2 (lungs of planet) / CO2 & pollution sink]

7. More Human plant needs For ‘Mind and Spirit’: • Beauty • Perfumes • Pleasure & leisure • Peace and calm • Poetry / mysticallity • Piety / spirituality • Glimpses of Paradise

8. Ancient city-state economies - 3 to 4 thousand years • Irrigation • Palaces /kings • Temples/ priests • Religious monuments • Leisure Google images

9. The move to ‘metropolis’ - 200 years (And, air pollution increases!)

10. Towards enabling sustainable urban communities - Questions: How well adapted are we to our ‘urban ecology’? And/or How can we adapt ‘urban ecology’ to fulfil our fundamental needs?

11. Pros of urban living Better education Less strenuous manual labour More employment Better public health (sewage & waste disposal) Much lower mortality from infectious diseases More available health services More entertainments Longer life expectancy

12. Cons of urban living • Dependence on distant food sources • ‘Ecological footprint’ far larger than obvious • More additives/preservatives for food ‘keeping’ • Chronic sedentary diseases • Obesity • Diabetes • Cardiovascular dysfunctions • Mental health problems • Stress • Depression • Violence Air • Air pollution health risks • ‘Nature / Plant / Escape / Restoration’ - deprivation

13. Continued need of links with ‘nature’ ‘Location, location, location!’ Property values Who get the offices with the window views? Most popular ‘family’ websites: -Gardening -Fishing -Weekend get-away info -(Recipes! Food, glorious food)

14. Urban air quality- the situation • 80% Australians live in cities • Urban air quality is a health concern • Air pollution kills ~1,400 p.a. in Sydney • Spend ~90% of our time indoors • Indoor air quality is a health concern - and • Indoor air pollution is ~always higher than outdoors

15. Outdoor urban air pollutants From burning fossil fuels- -Primary emission products -Carbon oxides (CO2) (CO) -Nitrogen oxides (NOx) -Sulfur oxides (SOx) -Metals -Air toxics - ie organics (‘BTEX’, PAHs) -Fine particulates’(PM10 / 2.5) -Secondary (photochemical) -More NOx -Ozone (O3) -Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) -Smog/haze

16. Urban air pollution health risks Short-term • Asthma • Strokes • Heart attacks • Sudden infant death syndrome Long-term • Low birth weights • Some cancers • Other cardiovascular problems • Mental illnesses NY / www.pollutionissues.com

17. Indoor air pollution Outdoor pollution load plus - Sometimes- -More NOx, SOx & CO (with gas appliances) Generally- -Higher CO2 levels Always- -House dust -Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from: -furniture, fabrics, fittings -paints, glues -computers, printers -solvents, detergents -shampoos, cosmetics; etc. (www.morganlovell.co.uk / m3mary.com / dragonflyoffice.co.uk)

18. Added risks from indoor air pollution Can cause ‘Sick -building syndrome’- VOCs - even at imperceptible levels, can cause- -Short-term -Loss of concentration -Headaches, ‘Woozy-head’ -Dry eyes, nose, throat -Nausea -Long-term -Chronic health problems - as for outdoor sources Elevated CO2 -Stuffiness, drowsiness, loss of concentration

19. Indoor plants improve IAQ - Reducing levels of- -NOx -SOx - Air toxics and VOCs -Dust Stabilising -Humidity -Temperature -Noise Hence helping improve -Staff wellbeing -Productivity (reduction in sick leave)

20. Our laboratory studies on VOC removal

21. Test design • Eleven plant species • Four VOCs -Benzene, toluene, xylene, n-hexane • Test conditions - Continuous light - Initial dose - Daily top-up doses - VOC disappearance rates measured - Continuous dark - rate effects? - Doubled dose - rate effects? - Plant removed, potting-mix tested

22. Test-chamber findings • Rate of VOC removal accelerates after initial dose • After 4-5 d >10 times initial rates • Once ‘induced’, top-up doses removed in ~24 h • Works as well in light or dark (24/7) • With low or high doses • Potting-mix bacteria main removal agents • Plant roots nourish pot-mix microorganisms • So - removal depends on ‘plant-potting-mix microcosm’ • All species tested work equally well

23. Xylene removal with Dracaena ‘Janet Craig’ -Effects of increasing dosages

24. OK -But -what about the real-world? Our office field-study Design • 3 UTS buildings (2 with & 1 without air-conditioning) • Dracaena ‘Janet Craig’ & Spathiphyllum ‘Sweet Chico’ • 3 planting regimes (+ ‘reference’ offices - 0 plants) • Two 5-9 week sampling periods • Total 60 offices (12 per treatment)

25. Office study - weekly samplings • Measured- -Total VOCs (TVOCs) -Temperature -Humidity -Carbon dioxide (CO2) -Carbon monoxide (CO) • Passive monitors identifed- -Individual VOCs

26. Floor specimens ofD. ‘Janet Craig’ (0, 3 or 6 pots)

27. Office VOC findings - summary • No-plants - TVOC loads ~80-400 ppb • When TVOCs rose >100 ppb- any planting reduced levels to <100 ppb • Worked as well + air conditioning • 3 plants as effective as 6; so:- • Minimum needed is less than we used • No jungle needed to reduce TVOCs

28. CO2 and CO removal - mechanisms Green plants make their own food out of CO2 6CO2 + 6H2O **light energy** → (C6H12O6) + 6O2 & chlorophyll Sugar Plants & potting-mix microorganisms: -Also absorb and use CO

29. Office study - CO2 &CO removal Effects of 3 Dracaena ‘Janet Craig’, + air-conditioning. (Outdoor CO2 ~ 370 ppm)

30. Urban plants for wellbeing and productivity Plant physio-psychological benefits In urban green-spaces (oases) Views from the window Bringing the plants inside

31. Value of urban green-spaces aviewoncities.com

32. How nearby plants ‘work’ for wellbeing Research by Kaplan & Kaplan (1993) found that: • Plants relieve ‘attention fatigue’, and thus- • Provide a ‘restorative environment’- • By providing 4 qualities: • Attracting ‘effortless attention’ ( or ‘fascination’) • Feelings of temporary ‘awayness’ or ‘escape’ • ‘Extendingscope’ of consciousness • ‘Flowing with one’s inclinations’ (of rest, calm) www.amazon.co.uk

33. Plant views help occupants’ wellbeing fotosearch.com

34. Healing benefits of plant views Moore (1981) -Prisoners: • Showed less disruptiveness • Requested less medication Ulrich (1984) - surgical patients: • Left hospital ~2 days earlier • Fewer painkillers • Savings - $ millions

35. Benefits of indoor plants www.superplants.co.uk

36. Health benefits of indoor plants Various studies show: • Coughing & fatigue down 37% • Ear, nose and throat symptoms down 23% • Sick-leave down from 15.9 to 5.6% ( >60% reduction) • Children’s sick-leave down in primary classroom • Perception of pain reduced • Blood pressure reduced • Anxiety, depression, hostility reduced • Perceptions of calm and pleasure increased All these effects mean: • Better health for occupants • Significantly improved productivity

37. Performance benefits of indoor plants Studies show better performance on tests: • Computer manipulations • Card-sorting tasks • Creative thinking on test words • Only a few moments ‘rest’ on plant remedied ‘attention fatigue’ These effects mean: -Enhanced job performance -Less fatigue -Better job satisfaction -Improved productivity

38. Effects of indoor plants on‘Business Image’ Study with170 respondents- All agreed indoor plants give perception that business is: • Warm and welcoming • Stable and balanced • Well-run • Comfortable to work with • Patient and caring • Concerned for staff welfare • Prepared to spend money on added beauty • Not mean • Providing a healthier, cleaner atmosphere These effects mean smoother business, better sales

39. Cost-benefit analysis of indoor plants Approximate Costs $ p.a Scenario 1 • 1 floor plant 200 • 1 new staff member 50,000 • If plant gives -> 12% • inc. in productivity 6,000 • Staff member now worth 56,000 • (Or, provide 30 more plants) Scenario 2 • Plant brings retention of- • 1 staff member - so • Save cost of hiring/training new one - > 5,000 • (Or, provide 20 more plants)

40. Conclusions • Healthy ‘facility ecology’ must- • Enable and encourage continued human/plant linkages • Indoor plants represent an: -adaptive, self-regulating -portable, flexible -relatively low-cost -sustainable, beautiful -biofiltration and biorestoration system for healthy facility ecology • Helping satisfy the ‘triple bottom line’ of: -environmental -social, & -economic considerations • Towards the goal of ‘enabling sustainable communities’

41. Acknowledgements External funding support *National Interior Plantscape Association (NIPA) *Horticulture Australia Ltd (HAL) *Rentokil Tropical Plants *The Container Connection UTS colleagues *Ms G Armstrong, Mr J Brennan *(Former colleagues Drs R Wood, R Orwell)

42. Species UTS lab-tested to date Aglaonema modestum Dracaena ‘Janet Craig’ Dracaena marginata Howea forsteriana (Kentia palm) Epipremnum aureum (Pothos) Philodendron ‘Congo’ Sansevieria trifasciata (Mother-in-law’s tongue) Schefflera ‘Amate’ (Qld. Umbrella Tree) Spathiphyllum ‘Petite’ (Peace Lily) Spathiphyllum ‘Sensation’ Zamioculcas zamiifilia (Zanzibar)

43. Whyfly/org Google images