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What Is Green Plants for Green Buildings?

Green Plants for Green Buildings was formed when a group of concerned interior industry professionals recognized that the interior industry, while experiencing growth, could potentially see sharp turns in the future. Their initial views were based on a PLANET member survey, which showed that a majority of interior members felt the industry had reached a critical plateau. A group of volunteers met in 1998 and formed a task force, whose mission is to expand the size and profitability of the interior landscape services market.

What Steps Has the Task Force Taken to Meet the Objectives of the Mission?

The original members of the task force compiled some impressive initial research, looking into other initiatives and their successes and failures. The task force learned that they needed independent research on the perceptions of their target audiences to truly understand how to strategically market the interior industry. The original research was sponsored by a grant from the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI), a donation from FIHRE and matching funds from PLANET.

What Were the Results of the Survey?

Corporate and facility managers responded from across the country. The top three reasons cited for using plants were color, employee attitude and retention, and "making an environmental statement". Almost 50% of the facility managers said that they use interior plants in 75 to 100% of their buildings.

What Were the Reasons cited for Not Using Plants

Fifty percent cited "cost" followed by "maintenance" and "lack of knowledge". Clearly, this is a case of not understanding the value of plants.

What Happens Now?

The goal is to fund a three to five year National Marketing Campaign to educate corporate and facility managers about the interior industry - teach the value and professionalism of the industry. The results of the initiative will be wide exposure of the message of the value of interior plants and their professional care. This will be accomplished through a comprehensive schedule of public relations and direct marketing efforts.

More information is available at the Green Plans for Green Buildings Web site.