Office Plants in Dubai (Your Next Step to Sustainability!)
Updated on 7th Feb 2018 by Planters
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Going Green
Do you run a business or have an office in Dubai? Do you already have your New Year’s resolutions for your company? One goal that will most probably be a priority this year is to take your business to the next level and increase your ROI. But have you considered going green? This might be a part of your competitor’s resolutions which might make them one or two steps ahead of you.Your business can gain a lot from investing in greenery. Your visitors and customers are impressed with offices that look welcoming and appealing to them, while workers are provided with a healthier environment.
Browse through the article to learn more on how going green can be your next step to sustainability!
Table of Contents:
- What Is "Going Green"?
- Benefits of Going Green
- What Are Dubai's Steps In Going Green?
- How Can Small Businesses Or Offices Contribute To Sustainability?
- Why Integrating Plants In the Office Is Your Next Step in Sustainability
- Types of Living Plants to Add in your Office
- Decide to go for Sustainability
What Is "Going Green"?
Going green means pursuing practices that can result in more ecologically-responsible and environmental-friendly lifestyle and decisions. It will ensure protection and sustainability of natural resources. Going green is a phrase that is becoming popular nowadays because people are beginning to understand the environmental challenges we all face.
Every step and choice you make each day contributes to either the deterioration of natural environment or the sustainability of whatever is left.
Every day we see new stories of deforestation, global warming and many more. But what can you do to help? Plants and trees, especially in a land of desert like Dubai, can really make a difference. There are landscape companies and consultants in Dubai that are ready to help businesses understand what it means to be green. What impact do you think eco-friendly choices such as having plants can make in your office environment?
You might need to check on your competitors or surrounding offices to see if they have joined the green business movement and how it has impacted them.
Benefits of Going Green
No doubt, going green can positively impact people and businesses in Dubai. Here are some of the great benefits:It saves you money
During summer, offices would always put on their air conditioning system to keep environment cool and it leads to more energy consumption. This means you would need to pay more. But going green can save you the cost. Office plants can cool the air through the process of evapotranspiration. Also, greeneries on the wall can serve as insulator, keeping your office's temperature cooler.Healthier workplace
No doubt, the air inside the office has the probability of having more pollutants than the outside. Office plants help to clean the air, providing a workplace full of healthy employees. Businesses or offices that implement an eco-friendly work space report to have a 20% decrease in the number of sick leaves taken by the employees.
More productive workplace
Greenery serves as a source of distraction to employees in the workplace. Because they find the office environment conducive, attractive, appealing and comfortable, the cognitive functions increased, improving the overall productivity. What do you think will happen to your business in Dubai when you have happier and healthier employees? Productive employees mean more time saved, more satisfied clients and more revenue generated!It reduces stress level
Office plants and trees in Dubai transform a work environment to a less stressful and more relaxing one. Just by simply adding plants in the interior space of the office can affect the psychological aspect of the people working in it. This is due to the therapeutic effect of plants (or the colour green) which instills calmness and optimism.It helps to gain customer’s favour
There are many ways to market your brand. When you go green, you’re emphasizing the fact that you are an environment-friendly company. And, by adding office plants in your office in Dubai, you’re leaving a positive and good impression to your clients.These days, lots of people are becoming more environmentally conscious, so they prefer to go or work with companies who share the same principles. It’s one to have an attractive space but it’s different when you have a beautiful office, and still is sustainable. Hence, indoor and outdoor plants installed in your office could fill in the gap.
Reduce noise
This is one of the benefits people hardly pay attention to. Office plants, especially living green walls, help to reduce surrounding noise within the office. You can’t avoid background noises, but you can reduce it using plants and even trees. It will allow employees to concentrate more on their tasks.
It increases the value of your company or office
When you make your office eco-friendly, its overall value will increase. Who knows, you might want to sell your office in the future. When you invest in greenery, you would be creating a perk for future new buyers.Other benefits are conservation of resources, less waste, less greenhouse gas and emission.
What Are Dubai's Steps In Going Green?
By 2020, Dubai aspires to become one of the most sustainable cities in the world by basically implementing the green building regulations and specifications. It is a part of Dubai strategic plan of 2015 and implementation of a decision made by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum to apply the specification of green buildings to all the premises and buildings in Dubai. This is with the aim of keeping the city healthy with clean and pollution-free environment.A city needs to encompass the three pillars of sustainability for it to be one: social, economic, and environmental. The main goal of this is to achieve the lowest environmental footprint while providing the highest quality of life to the residents.
In line with these goals, Dubai is already in phase 1 of achieving sustainability, and the second and final phase is set to start by 2020.
Recently, Dubai announced that it has a plan for additional sustainability projects. This includes Desert Rose. It is a 14,000-hectare smart city that could accommodate 20,000 plots of luxury homes and 10,000 housing units for Emiratis and expatriates respectively.
Back in 2014, Dubai Municipality also said they have plans to spend 6 billion dirhams in pursuit of a dream to turn the emirate into a green paradise come 2025. The green space would be increased to more than 12,000 hectares through various horticulture and landscaping projects.
Some of the other measures Dubai has taken for the aim of sustainability are as follows:
- Encouraged partnership between public and private sectors; also identified partnership development projects that can add value to the Municipality sustainability strategy
- Suggested, coordinated and revised research and studies about sustainability
- Developed necessary plans and programs to certify, publish, and apply the upshot recommendations in collaboration with the concerned parties
- Identified all problems that may arise when applying green building standards and came up with possible solutions
- Evaluated the present buildings in Dubai and the extent to which the sustainability standard can be realised by establishing necessary measures
Due to the government’s efforts to make UAE a greener and more sustainable one, businesses and developers are now looking for ways to contribute to the fulfillment of the country’s vision. One perfect example is the Oasis Eco Resort in Liwa which was described as the world’s greenest eco resort. Expected to open in 2020, it boasts of its solar panels measuring 157,000 square feet, enforcement of zero-emission zones, onsite waste management, and recycling waste water onsite for irrigation.
How Can Small Businesses Or Offices Contribute To Sustainability?
It may be easier for bigger corporations and companies in Dubai and the greater UAE to be more involved in the country’s sustainability plan considering the availability of resources. However, smaller businesses or shops can also play their part; and it starts by understanding the impact of your business or office to the environment. Only then you can take the necessary measures to implement the “green” vision:
1. Introduce sustainable targets and initiatives into the project
An office or small business can create a series of sustainable targets and initiatives from the beginning of each project. It means if you want to embark on one, you should include some eco-friendly goals that will contribute to sustainability. This includes investing in greenery, including the use of recyclable or reusable materials in the office, using green products and much more.2. Save power
Eliminating screensavers, powering down machines, and considering solar power in offices can help you go green. Sometimes we plug our machines and put it on standby thinking it is not consuming any energy but this is wrong. In fact, when a machine on standby and plugged into a live power outlet, it consumes more energy. So implementing programs that automatically power down your machines is a way of contributing to sustainability.3. Use proper lighting
Offices in Dubai can contribute to going green by installing motion sensors into light switches that turn light on and off, using natural light, and decorating the office with light colours. Additionally, the use of compact fluorescent bulbs will also contribute to the sustainability goals.4. Use the right office equipment
Using the right office equipment includes buying energy-friendly items, using multipurpose machines, buying LED lamps, buying remanufactured ink and toner cartridge, using portable air conditioners and more.5. Pay attention to the stationery
You can pay attention to stationery by increasing the number of digital storage systems and devices for your business, eliminating waste in printing, buying papers that are environmentally friendly, using as mall font and much more. Additionally, you should ensure the printer and photocopier default back to one copy after someone in the office has used it. When you do all these, you are contributing to sustainability one way or the other.6. Using green cleaning products
Furthermore, make use of cleaning products that are environmentally friendly. This will protect your health, the cleaning staff, and even the employees because it removes harmful odours and substances from the office.7. Heating and cooling of unused areas can be avoided
People rarely pay attention to this while investing in an air condition. Places such as storerooms and corridors in your office don’t necessarily need to be cooled or heated. To contribute to sustainability, heat and cool the areas needed in your office environment.8. Invest in greeneries
Make your office greener using Dubai plants and trees. These can be installed both indoor and outdoor. It can either be an artificial or living plant depending on your choice. You can also invest in both to get the best of both worlds. Read on Planters Artificial’s article about the benefits of combining artificial and living plants to learn more.Why Integrating Plants In the Office Is Your Next Step in Sustainability
You may already be carrying out on one, two or even all the above steps. You may even already have invested in greenery. If you are, then you are on the right track. If you still haven’t, then it’s time to take a step up to achieving sustainability!
Again, aside from aesthetic benefits, living plants emit oxygen and healthy negative ions into the air while absorbing airborne pollutants, improving the quality of the air we breathe in.
Moreover, the noise from the street can distract your employees, thereby affecting their productivity and creativity. You can reduce both low and high frequency sounds just by adding plants in the office especially by installing living plant walls. Any other acoustic energy is also reflected and refracted.
By implementing greenery in your office, you are already promoting sustainability and are encouraging (and challenging) other companies to follow.
Types of Living Plants That Can Be Added
Now that you’re convinced that plants are great addition to your office space, you also wouldn’t want to invest in greenery that doesn’t promote productivity like a sad looking plant on your desk or along the corridor. There are lots of plants that are easy to maintain and can thrive beautifully in your office. Here are some of them:Vertical green walls
These are plants installed vertically on the wall providing a green lush without consuming too much of your office space. These plant walls have special irrigation system that uses panels which doesn’t only protect the bricks, but also helps future cracks and erosion.
Indoor plant wires
Just like hanging vines found in the rainforest, indoor plant wires make it possible for you to extend your greeneries to any location in your office. It is perfect for offices with both large and limited floor spaces. Planters Group is currently the sole distributor of plant wires in the Middle East.
Moss walls
Similar to living plant walls, these preserved foliage utilises a vertical space and forms a blanket of greenery. These also have soundproof features and are suited for environments with little to no natural light.
Bark Walls
Image Courtesy: Freund GmbH
Bark walls, like the name entails, come from natural tree barks which have been treated and flattened for interior décor use. This wall is becoming the trend in biophilia especially for design and architecture frontrunners like Dubai and Abu Dhabi.Artificial plants and trees
The artificial plants and trees captured the lifelike appearance of their living counterparts and are produced by the craftsmen at Planters Artificial who are skilled to create the most botanically accurate greenery.
Given the many choices for indoor plants in Dubai, you have to ensure you’ll be selecting the best fit for your office. It’s also important that you keep the health of your greenery to maintain their vibrancy. Landscape companies nowadays also provide plant maintenance services which can:
- Ensure the displays of plants stay attractive and healthy;
- Keep the display of a plant in optimal condition, and ensure any plant that does not meet their high standard is replaced with better, vibrant, brilliant and high-quality plant;
- Provide assistance anywhere including shopping malls, private palaces, hotels, commercial offices and more;
- Help protect your initial investment in greeneries; and
- Help you manage your space, ensuring you don’t lose valuable floor spaces.
Decide to go for Sustainability
The world population is growing at a dramatic rate, which will soon have a great impact on the natural resources. UAE, for example, is growing faster mainly due to the migration of people to this part of the world. This means building sustainable cities is no longer a luxury but a necessity.As mentioned above, you can now be a part of a bigger vision – to promote sustainability by simply adding plants in your office. Contact a reliable indoor plant supplier or landscape company in Dubai and Abu Dhabi today and stay ahead of your competitors in the going green project.
Article originally published by Planters. See blog here. https://bit.ly/2IkOr4g
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