“Wood is good for you. And because it’s sustainable, it’s also good for the planet.”
Just over a month ago, we wrote about some of the health and wellness benefits of including timber in workplaces. However, the good that wood can do doesn’t end there.
A new industry initiative, the ‘Wood for Good’ campaign includes senior industry voices across the many timber-related bodies in the UK. Its goal is simple: “to make wood a first choice material for specifiers and designers by demonstrating what you can do with wood.”
To accomplish this, ‘Wood for Good’ has compiled a fascinating amount of information around the benefits of wood – both to the people living in it, and the planet.
For example, did you know that your cognitive abilities increase by 61% when in a green building? Add in some additional ventilation, and this rises to an incredible 101%!
Timber’s not just good for the mind, it’s also good for the heart – a 2010 Australian study compared the children in timber classrooms to those in standard classrooms, and found that heart rates in the former were lowered by as much as 8,600 beats!
According to the initiative, the reason that wood has such a profound effect on human health, which includes the above and much more, is that is lowers activity in the sympathetic nervous system, letting our bodies repair themselves more easily and deal with stress better.
Timber is not just beneficial for us, but for the environment too. A versatile and environmentally friendly material, when procured sustainably, timber can increase forestation and maximize CO2 absorption, which is crucial for the planet.
If you’ve got a project in mind that could benefit from some expert advice on exactly which timber to use, give us a ring on 01295 71 31 67. Timber’s undoubtedly a fantastic material – but if you want to get the best from it, expert help in picking the right type for your needs is a must.