Hello friends,
This week Earth Week is being celebrated around the globe. First celebrated on April 22, 1970, Earth Week means different things to different people, reflecting the diversity of humanity on this planet we share.
Green Plants for Green Buildings is celebrating by sharing with you some recent research results on how to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This study, 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic: Built Environment Considerations to Reduce Transmission from researchers at UC Davis and the University of Oregon, found that the spread of the virus was slowed in indoor environments with higher humidity.
“Virus particles like drier air, so maintaining a high relative humidity can help. Virus-bearing droplets get bigger in humid air, meaning they settle out more quickly and don’t travel as far. Humidity also seems to interfere with the lipid envelope around viruses such as SARS-CoV-2.”
As interior landscapers have long known, plants increase interior humidity by pulling water up from their roots and transpiring most of it into the atmosphere around them through their stomata. This higher humidity increases human comfort, deceases respiratory and skin irritations and decreases demand on building HVAC systems, lowering the building’s energy costs and carbon footprint.
The healing power of nature never ceases to amaze. Thanks to Jennifer Farmer for sending us this research link.
Along with sharing the planet with each other, we also share our humanity with each other. And this is being beautifully done by the interior landscape community participating in the Interiorscape.com Facebook group.
Several times a week we get asked COVID-19 + business questions that are outside our wheelhouse. GPGB doesn’t know what all the options are when faced with service cancellations, but the group of professionals on Interiorscape.com does, and they are generous with sharing their experiences.
These exchanges build and strengthen the professional community. They lift morale and provide technical information that supports resilient entrepreneurship. Well done team!
#StayPlanted and Be well,
Mary Golden and the team at Green Plants for Green Buildings