This document discusses the positive impacts that indoor plants can have on human well-being and productivity. It reports that plants have been shown to improve air quality, reduce stress, boost concentration and general happiness. Certain plants are effective at filtering harmful volatile organic compounds from the air through biofiltration. Interacting with and caring for houseplants can have meditative and stress-reducing effects. While plants are often seen as decorative, they provide many benefits to health and cognition.

1. Plants and their Impact on your Well being
by
Hollie Barnes

2. (slow pan of plant, title appearing on screen in bold, peppy lettering.
“PLANTS! And their impact on you. Chirpy music plays and fades out as
dialogue begins)
NARRATOR:
Plants.
They’re (shot of plant) beautiful,
(shot of plant) scenic
NARRATOR:
and one might think how our newfound immersion with houseplants impacts
our culture and everyday life.
I read a Huffington Post article on the dubbed “millennial obsession”
with houseplants, (slow scroll of article appears on screen) and
NARRATOR:
-being somebody who has a budding passion for greenery, it got me
thinking on the effects that indoor plants have on us. It’s a no brainer
that plants can liven an environment, and we feel innately happier with a
degree of nature in the workplace as opposed to sterile tiled walls and
floors, but what else?
(title appears on screen in bold, peppy lettering “Boosting concentration
and general happiness”. Music picks up)
NARRATOR:
It is already known that trees improve air quality, reduce energy use and
make urban environments objectively more attractive. But did you know
that living and working in an environment that has plants can help you
focus more than in an environment that is devoid of nature?
Furthermore, plants and flowers make people happy. Aside from being
visually appealing, having flowers in a working environment or home can
greatly improve general mood and reduce the chances of work-related
depression and anxiety. From my experience, having plants in my bedroom
makes me feel more relaxed and calm. They open up the space, and make
areas feel less closed and dull.
(title appears on screen in bold, peppy lettering “Decreasing VOCs in
your home”. Music picks up)
What is a VOC? Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs is the name assigned
to a group of chemicals, some of which are: acetone, benzene and
formaldehyde . The Minnesota Department of Health states that VOCs are a
large group of chemicals found in many products used to maintain the
home, for example: air fresheners, cleaning products, adhesives,
composite wood products and even the home itself. Inhaling large amounts
of VOCs can develop what is called “sick building syndrome”, which can
make you less productive and cause dizziness, asthmatic symptoms and
allergies.
Using houseplants to filter out harmful VOCs is called biofiltration, a
self sufficient method of cleaning the air. Low-effort plants that are
good at filtering the air are snake plants, spider plants, aloe vera and
devil’s ivy (otherwise known as pothos).

3. Caring for something is caring for us!
The act of caring for another living thing can have meditative results.
Sourced from the Journal of Physiological Anthropology, “Interaction with
indoor plants may reduce psychological and physiological stress… in young
adults” More than 85% of a person’s daily life is spent indoors, and
whilst a great deal of development has been made technologically, our
connection to the online environment, especially social media, can have a
detrimental impact on how we interact with nature and the outside world.
Contact with and nurturing plants can have a comforting effect that makes
us feel psychologically secure. The act of cultivating your indoor plants
reduces stress, improves cognitive health and makes us happier.
Generally speaking, journalists argue that the millennial craze for
plants is deeply rooted in social media, but I think it speaks more to
our desire to care and to nurture. Plants are embedded in our culture. As
an example, for the people living on the island of Nusa Penida near Bali,
the coconut palm or otherwise called the coco palm is incredibly
important. It is planted in a ritual at the start of a child’s life, thus
growing up equally with the child and they call it a “life-plant”.
Whilst, for the average person, houseplants are not used for such grand
reasons, I argue that they more than serve their initial purpose of being
pleasant and decorative, and hold many other benefits to our society.
(peppy music fades out)