Connecting with our surroundings is a crucial part of being a healthy, motivated human being who can function within a community.

An Industry on Fire! CalScape 2009 & TPIE 2010 Forecast a Lasting Future for Interior Landscapers Who Get Behind Their Message.

Interior Landscape Project Secures LEED Credits LEED awards credits for the inclusion interior plantscapes via the Innovation in Upgrades, Operations & Maintenance (IUOM) Credit 1.2 Biophilic Connection. Since 2002 Green Plants for Green Buildings (formerly known as Plants at Work), has continuously engaged the USGBC through numerous channels to share awareness of the environmental and human-centered benefits of indoor plants. A few of those efforts have included: ...

A cleaner, clearer and more current GPGB web site has launched!

BREAKING NEWS from Green Plants for Green Buildings GPGB LAUNCHES NEW WEB SITE! Features Ongoing LEED Certified Projects Which Have Earned Credits For Interior Plant Installations! Below is a quick overview of the initial project profile.  ...

I should be a lot nicer to the plant struggling along on my dining-room windowsill. The poor, wilted thing could be improving the air quality in my home. Research in this area is, if you will, blossoming. Last month, Pennsylvania State University researchers published a study suggesting houseplants can cleanse indoor air of ozone. They focused on three that are low-cost and low-maintenance - snake plant, spider plant, and a pothos like mine. Researchers upped the ozone levels in ...

From harvest festivals to tailgate football parties, the colorful fall season is in full swing. Crisp air and cooler nights signal the holidays are right around the corner! If you're looking for ways to add a festive and unique touch to your home, think live plants. Rather than rummaging through basements and attics for holiday decorations or buying yet another centerpiece, plants add long-lasting year-round style and cheer to any home. "Live plants are a perfect way to add ...

Container plants might be the answer to your garden troubles -- they're quick, mobile, and easy.

NZ Business, Aug 2009 Ambius, the new name for Initial Tropical Plants, comes with a fresh 'greener on the inside' motto highlighting plants as a necessity for indoor environments.The new name is part of a programme demonstrating the proven health benefits of plants in office workplaces, says Ambius New Zealand spokesman. Grant McEwen. Recognition of the role of indoor plants is growing with the New Zealand Green Building Council awarding up to two points towards green star ...

Plants add some life to drab office cubicles How does your cubicle By Virginia A. Smith The Philadelphia Inquirer We spend what, eight, 10 hours a day in our grim-gray cubicles at work? They're all alike, with their faded fabric dividers affording no privacy and dirt-brown carpets darkened with hints of soup and soda. But here's a practical road to workplace relief: the cubby garden. "You look around and see a garden flowering. It lifts your spirits," said Marilyn E. ...

New Research Demonstrates Why Lean Is Mean (in the Office) The research, developed in partnership with the University of Exeter, suggests that the prevailing preference for 'lean space,' which is typified by a uniform approach to design, generally leads to a heightened sense of alienation among employees, discomfort in the workplace and symptoms of sick building syndrome.

Toyota develops its own flower for cleaner air at Prius plant

Plants are widely used in urban environments, both outdoor and indoor. Only recently, however, have attempts been made to test the effect of plants on human well-being. If scientific studies could bring forward convincing evidence for beneficial effects of plants on human health and well-being, increased interest and priorities for plants might be obtained among decisionmakers and the public in general, and the use of plants indoors could receive an additional dimension to the pure ornamental.

The early Spring is normally our busy show season and between the Go Green Expo NYC and GRSC in Baltimore, it is great to be back home. Beside the busy spring show season it is also time to garden! Personally, my gardens have become my time to relax, and even better an opportunity to involve my family. The kids help plant and my wife makes jam and pickles from what we harvest. Since 3,000 BC families produced crops for their own consumption and some marginal barter. ...

As our green walls change how do we maintain them and ensure their success? As you may know, "Green Wall" is used as a global term for both living walls and green facades, for definitions refer to “An Intro to Green Walls and Green Roofs: Living Architecture at its Best - Green Walls Part I Nomenclature.” We will talk about maintenance variables that will affect the changes and the “How To” application of maintaining green walls.

It is our wish that this September update finds you amidst solid holiday sales and a profitable outlook to autumn. To better serve supporters, we have officially launched work with a national Web-marketing firm and expect to be going live with a new Web site later this month, just prior to the CalScape expo. The site, with separate and clearly identified paths for both end users as well as our industry members, will afford supporters enhanced content, navigation, and optimized search ...

Because indoor air pollution extensively affects developing countries, using plants as a mitigation method could serve as a cost-effective tool in the developing world where expensive pollution mitigation technology may not be economically feasible.

Let’s Talk! We look forward to meeting you, answering your questions and listening to your feedback. Come by our booth and be sure to attend our reception, Friday (October 2). We’ll be sharing updates on the GPGB/NFF sponsored “Project Carbon,” study, our LEED Advocacy Efforts and Offering Prizes!

Having plants in your environment is good for your health, well being and creativity. Practically every successful interiorscaper uses the messages developed and promoted by what is now known as Green Plants for Green Buildings in their selling, promotional and marketing efforts. But have we set out to do what we were charged to do – that is to grow the size and profitability of our industry?

Did you know that the Green Building Council of Australia has a system called Green Star that encourages and recognizes the installation of indoor plants in any office interior to improve environmental quality? Per a press release published in April from the USGBC, representatives from Australia’s "Green Star” rating system along with the UK’s BREEAM rating system and USGBC’s LEED have agreed to work together to develop metrics and alignment tools to create consistency in measuring and ...