“Millennials and companies turn to indoor plants to cut stress, brighten spaces and even grow food.”
There is a fantastic article by Caroline Biggs in Sunday’s New York Times Business section entitled For Plant Lovers, It’s a Jungle in There.
Caroline says that more and more young people are seeking greenery in their living spaces, whether it be their live or work spaces.
Millennials were responsible for 31% of household plant sales in 2016.This group has significant college debt and as a result many are renting instead of buying homes, so they are turning to plants as an affordable way to decorate their living spaces. In addition, “a 2016 National Gardening survey found that of the six million Americans who took up gardening that year, five million of them were between the ages of 18-34.”
Etsy Headquarters and their green walls
Because of these trends, companies are jumping on the band wagon to create green spaces to attract this young group of workers. The article mentions Etsy and the TED talk headquarters as examples of companies that have embraced this trend wholeheartedly. I’ve personally seen these gardens and green spaces created at many other companies including Altera, Facebook and Google.
Developers of living spaces are now creating green spaces, gardens and green walls as amenities to attract new tenants and buyers. Gensler has been a big proponent of developing these open green spaces and has written about the commercial and general value of these spaces.
In addition to the beauty that plants provide in our environments, plants offer many health benefits. They boost serotonin levels, which help in maintaining the levels of sleep, mood, libido, energy, appetite, and anxiety. They dissolve airborne chemicals and pollutants, such as benzene and nitrogen dioxide. They lower stress. They increase humidity. Caroline highlights a couple who put a combination of plants in their bedroom, including aloe vera and sansevieria, that release oxygen at night so they can breathe clean air while they sleep.
If you think about it, you just know having greenery around you is a great thing for your health and well-being. Our young friends certainly know this and I think they are on to something big…
