The next time a vendor walks into your office with a box of doughnuts – ask yourself “would I rather have a healthy green plant that is also removing contaminants from the air I am breathing OR a box of doughnuts that is probably going to push the needle on my scale up a pound or two by the morning?”
When I worked at an office prior to starting my own business, it was always the same battle of the bulge war at every cubicle. We would all be on a diet and then “wham” a vendor would walk in with doughnuts or some other diet wrecking temptation and the diet was once again sabotaged. Our goal in our office also happened to be to make our work environmentally healthy – both mentally and physically. The addition of plants here and there seemed to lift our spirits but was a large expense for the company to incur. I decided to ask vendors not to bring doughnuts, snacks, etc. to our purchasing department, but asked if they could bring a plant instead.
It probably cost about the same as what the vendor spent on doughnuts anyhow – it was good for our office environment and was one less temptation there would be to ruin our diets! This eliminated the initial expense of purchasing plants for the office and since taking care of plants is often mental therapy for most people, we were never short handed in finding someone in the office that would be willing to take care of them. The program worked well and soon we had a plant on every desk and in the waiting area.
This concept can be taken a step further. During Christmas time, requests can be to suppliers that normally are the bearer of fruit cakes, cookies, etc. to instead send plants or even purchase carbon offsets or other green items the office needs to provide a happier and healthier work environment!
So if you are trying to improve the air quality of your office and the mental well being of your employees – try getting your vendors to give you a hand and you’ll be well on your way to a happier and healthier workplace!
Fun Plant Facts:
• Research suggests that indoor plants reduce symptoms of fatigue, headache, cough and dry skin.
• Plant-filled rooms contain up to 60 percent fewer airborne molds and bacteria than rooms without plants, studies show.
• The following plants are best at decontaminating air and balancing humidity: Areca, Reed and Dwarf date palms; Boston ferns, English ivy and Peace Lilies.
For more information about greening your office, contact Kim Hawkins:
Kim Hawkins
Green Irene Eco Consultant
Kent Island, MD
GLWS.kentisland@greenirene.com
www.greenirene.com/glwskentisland
