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5 Ways that Biophilic Design Benefits the Workplace

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Biophilic Design

The biophilic design in the office isn’t just about adding plants to the workplace like many people seem to think. It’s about using different aspects of nature to create a more relaxed environment, reduce stress, and boost creativity and productivity. A lot of research has been done concerning how the biophilic design influences human behavior, and theorists and research scientists seem to agree that this is one of the best things that could happen to the office. Here are five ways how that’s possible.

1. Use the sounds of nature

The sounds of nature can’t be forgotten in your biophilic design. You need to find a way to introduce the most relaxing sounds of nature to the premises. One idea is to have a surround sound system which will play these sounds.

A day in the office should be like a walk through the forest. From the soft woosh of the wind to the soothing chirps of birds, nothing can be missed.

2. Improve your ventilation

Fresh air is something we seem not to have in offices these days. Almost every office you walk into is stuffy and doesn’t have good air flow. This simply isn’t acceptable in biophilic design. You’ll need to make sure that there’s good airflow in the whole building.

The best way to do this is to invest in your ventilation system. Make improvements in places when you can, and suddenly the workers will be able to breathe freely. The laid-back attitude air brings with it is a gateway to more productivity, too.

3. Start a garden

An indoor garden is cute, but an indoor office garden is adorable. Being surrounded by live plants makes for more clean oxygen in the office and improves cognitive function. Having a garden is more than just looking at the plants and reaping the benefits of clean air, though. It gives employees a chance to take care of nature firsthand.

It also works towards building a community, as the workers will have something in common. They can be the most different people in the world, but with a garden, they’ll always have something to talk about. This way, they’re building a connection with nature, but also with each other.

4. Maintain the visual connection

A visual connection with nature is necessary if you aim to create a proper biophilic design. Thus, most offices will have big windows today. This way, your employees don’t feel like they’re boxed in all day and have a nice view throughout the whole day. They get enough vitamin D, as well. The trouble with this is that the sun can often be harsh on the eyes or make the office too hot. Blinds and curtains are out of the question because then the visual connection is broken. So what do you do? You hire experienced shade experts who will be able to give you both the shade and the connection with nature you need. Colored roller shades, for example, are a perfect way to reduce employee stress. You’ll cut the glare but get to keep the benefits. This is most evident in behavioral institutions where patients were less likely to vandalize shaded windows due to increased feelings of calm and serenity.

5. Add a water feature

There’s nothing more soothing than the sound of water. None of us can resist the enticing calm which settles over us with the sound of water. A water feature should definitely make its way into the office, then. As well as the mentioned benefit, it will also make the place look more elegant and refreshing.

Indoor fountains are very convenient in this respect, as they don’t take up a lot of space, but give your employees what they need. There’s nothing better than working with the purest sound of nature in the background.

Conclusion

It takes a lot of thought, planning, and effort to pan out a proper biophilic design. Your office will soon benefit from all this design has to offer, but you’ll need to look at every detail carefully if you aim to succeed. As the world continues to urbanize and we drift further away from nature, it becomes even more important to use all of its positive effects that we can. We spend half of our days in an office, so we might as well reap the benefits.

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3 Best Permanent Above Ground Pools in 2022

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pool

You may relax, have fun, and splash as much as you want in above-ground pools. Compared to in-ground pools, they are simpler to install, many of which pull down when the weather changes. The finest above-ground pool fits your yard, budget, and family size in size, depth, and form.

These enjoyable additions to the backyard aren’t passive entertainment. Although preparation and maintenance are required, it is worth it for many families. You can select the most excellent above-ground pool for the kids or the whole family with the recommendations below.

Considerations for Selecting the Best Above-Ground Pool

The ideal above-ground pool should consider the existing landscape and the pool’s size, shape, depth, type, and liner thickness.

Type of Ground and Destination

Pool location in the yard must be considered. How near to a property line or power pole a pool may be located is regulated by ordinances in certain localities. Maintain the pool well away from anything that may damage the material or release debris into the water and other landscape or structures.

Size and Structure

Rectangular, square, oval, or round are the four shapes of above-ground pools. Measure the space you have before making your choice. Provide 2 to 3 feet of space around the pool for foot traffic. The dimensions should also indicate the ideal form. Pools that are square or rectangular have more excellent useable space. Oval pools need additional structural support on the straight sides to avoid bulges.

Water level

Depending on who uses the pool, the depth should be adjusted. Young toddlers can drown even in water as shallow as 1 or 2 inches. To contain 3 or 4 inches of water, some kiddie pools have just 5 or 6 inches high walls.

Older swimmers intend for deeper pools. For above-ground pools, wall heights range from 3 inches to 52 inches. Most manufacturers advise 90 percent of the pool’s capacity to be complete.

Type & Thickness of Liner

The pool shield, the water is held in, and the general structure of the pool is maintained. Four liners produce overlap, beaded, J-hook, and expandable. Diverse methods exist for attaching pool liners; some, like expandable types, are more effective for bigger pools than others.

The liner must be sturdy enough to hold water and flexible enough to conform to the pool’s design but not too thick or heavy to be challenging to handle. Strength, flexibility, thickness, and weight are all well-balanced at a thickness of around 20mm.

3 Best Permanent Above-Ground Pools

1. Intex Ultra structure XTR swimming setup

It is significantly superior to all other pools and deserves rank. You obtain more equipment and a swimming pool when you purchase it. A filter sand pump, non-slip steps, a blanket with tying ropes, and a mat for the pool floor are all included.

More than 6,900 liters of water are in the pool, but the filter can only process up to 2,100 liters in an hour. The structure is built of stainless steel while also being quite simple. This swimming pool is among its class’s most solid, long-lasting, and secure.

2. Intex Ultra XTR Rectangle Swimming System

The finest choice for you, if you favor rectangular models, is shown below. It is an Intex product, and its steel structure and PVC covering are distinguishing features. If you choose to get this one, you will have a high-quality, roomy pool, but you should still ask your friends and neighbors to help you set it up.

It is available in various sizes based on your needs and space. Three layers of protection apply to the interior, and a weather-resistant protective coating is functional outside. The steel construction of this pool will guarantee its durability and outstanding stability.

3. Intex 15-foot by the 48-inch simple above-ground pool

A little pool is a perfect option for anyone with a smaller yard who doesn’t want to spend much money on it. It’s ideal for keeping kids cool during outdoor sports in your yard or cottage on warm days. It is simple to move; after the summer season, emptying and storing it for the following year won’t take much effort. You will receive a pump to filter the water, but a pump to inflate it is required.

The pool can seat a group of several individuals and hold around 600 liters of water. One is available in navy blue. Regardless of your prior installation expertise, it intends to be simple. In just fifteen minutes, it is ready for use. Additionally, they are straightforward to empty. Make your youngsters happy without effort, or enjoy yourself and unwind with friends.

Conclusion

Your backyard may become a fun area if you have the most excellent above-ground pool. You may discover a terrific new method to remain cool this season, from enormous rectangular above-ground pools for swimming laps to little oval above-ground pools for gatherings.

Please focus on the model that best suits your demands while keeping an eye on its size and form. Whatever you decide, always keep an eye on kids and swim safely. Think about switching to an above-ground saltwater pool for a more relaxing swim. Whatever you decide, one of these pools will turn your house into a haven for the neighborhood.

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7 ways on how to put out fire for emergencies

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7 ways on how to put out fire for emergencies

To ensure your safety, you must take various precautions in an emergency fire situation but against a typical fire incident. Flames start to spread when a grease fire starts in the kitchen during an ordinary occasion. People typically become anxious in emergencies because they seldom give them any warning. Quick judgments are required to put out the fire in the safest way possible in a crisis. This guide will discover seven techniques for putting out flames in an emergency.

If You Can’t Leave Right Away, What Happens?

You should shout for assistance if you do not exit quickly because fire or smoke obstructs a path to safety. If you have access to a phone, you can make the call from an open window or dial 911.

Never go under the bed or into a closet, no matter how terrified you are. Firefighters won’t have any luck locating you after that. Be aware that adults such as firefighters will be searching for you to provide safe assistance. You may escape more together quickly the sooner they discover you.

Meanwhile, cover the crevices surrounding the door with blankets, clothes, or sheets to prevent intense heat from entering. If it’s in a room, you cannot escape. If you can, protect your mouth with a clothing item or a towel to prevent inhaling the smoke.

Safety Regulations and Measures

When a fire starts, you should take these preventative measures if you’re in a closed-door room:

• Inspect the area around the door to check if any heat or smoke is coming from there.

• Refrain from opening the door if you detect smoke coming from underneath!

• Try touching the door if you don’t see any smoke. Avoid opening the door if it’s hot or heated!

• Use your fingertips to softly touch the door if you don’t see any smoke and the door is not heated.

If you feel a rush of heat or smoke enter the room when you unlock the door, rapidly close it or double-check that it is securely locked.

Open the door and head for your escape route exit if there isn’t any smoke or heat when you do so.

How to Prevent Home Fires in Seven Steps

Implementing the seven guidelines listed below can keep your family safe and help avoid home fires.

1. Smoke outside if you do.

• Even when you’re not using oxygen, avoid smoking next to the tank.

• Smoking is never a good idea before bed or when sleepy.

2. Discourage others from smoking within your house

• Provide deep, durable ashtrays for smokers if they enter your house.

• Before disposing of cigarette butts and ashes in the garbage, moisten them, or bury them in the sand.

3. Leave Room around Space Heaters

• Keep space heaters at least three feet away from people and other explosives.

• When you do not use it, turn off and disconnect heaters.

4. Use common sense in the kitchen

• If you are cooking anything, do not leave the kitchen.

• If you feel sleepy, avoid cooking.

• If a food pan catches fire, cover it with a lid and extinguish it.

• Always have a fire extinguisher handy.

• When handling hot pots, wear oven gloves.

5. Add smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

• Replace the batteries annually.

• Install alarms on every level of your home and outside all sleeping spaces.

• Request a monthly test for them.

• Ensure that alarms are linked together so that when one sounds, the others do as well.

6. Stop, Dropping, and Rolling

Following are the actions to follow if your clothes catch fire:

• Stop, do not run.

• Kneel softly and place your hands over your face.

• To extinguish the flames, roll back and forth or continuously.

• Use a towel or blanket to burn the flames if you can’t drop to the ground and roll.

• To relieve a burn, run cool water over it for three to five minutes. So seek medical assistance.

7. Prepare Your Escape Route in Advance

• Even if one exit is through a window, know two ways out of any room in your house.

• Ensure that windows and doors are simple to open.

• Fastly, exit a burning building and remain outside.

• Install a phone in your bedroom so you can call for help if you are stuck.

• Once you’ve exited your home, dial 911.

How can you know when something is on fire?

When a material has a chemical shift due to heat, it ignites. Fire may spread and intensify because of this. The hue of the flames is the key to telling fire from smoke. Flames of these colors show carbon molecules burning in the organic substance. Blue flames indicate that a sensor with high carbon content, such as oil or wax, has caught fire, but it does not follow logically that the flame has spread to other substances or will intensify.

Understanding the temperature and fuel in a particular region is the basis for classifying fires and determining the fire level.

Conclusion

Only when they are applied promptly in emergencies are these seven options useful. If you wait, a fire will be harder to put out since the flames can spread to other areas or become larger.

Call your local fire remediation professionals when fire and smoke threaten any area of your house or business.

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Home & Garden

Eliminate Your Single-Use Plastics

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Reusable Bags

If you’re looking to make small changes that will eventually create a much larger impact, then eliminating your use of single-use plastics is a wonderful place to start. It not only can change the way you’re currently living your life but help the way you interact and view your environment. Why is it a great place to start? Maybe you haven’t put too much thought into our current plastic pollution issues, but it continues to be a significant problem throughout the world. Very few of our plastics are breaking down, some will never fully disappear or breakdown in our lifetime. The pieces that do, called micro-plastic, are almost impossible to get rid of and end up causing various ecological problems. 

This is all to say, it’s a huge issue that our society continues to face. Although it looks bleak, it is a problem that we can help to fix within our individual actions. As a whole, we should all strive to be more cautious of our consumption and what it will mean for our trash cans and landfills later. Here are 4 simple ways that you can start eliminating your single-use plastics now!

1. Get Reusable Bags

The average American can use over 500 specific, single-use plastic bags—like sandwich bags—in a year. These bags can take over 1,000 years to degrade completely. Think about just how many you use in a week or month. And although you might be thinking of the many times you’ve chosen to reuse one of those small, single item bags for another snack or item on another day, that’s still a good amount of plastic that ends up in your waste bin after a few uses. If you can make the effort to use those small bags over again, until they’re on their last leg, you’re making a legitimate effort! But it’s easy to lose track of them, and they can be messy or impossible to clean without leaving unwanted tears in the plastic. Instead of purchasing flimsy plastic baggies, why not try out a reusable set? Sets of reusable bags come in a variety of sizes and are perfect for any items, from food to makeup products. Yes, you’re still purchasing a plastic item to replace another, but in the long term, you’re using far less plastic per year. Not only that but many, if not most, of these reusable bags are BPA free. 

2.  Choose Cans and Glass Over Plastic

Sometimes we don’t always have the option to eat from, drink, or use items from recycled sources when we’re out and about. This doesn’t mean you can’t make those choices more often at home! Make a mental note of how many plastic drink bottles you use in a day, or over a week period. If you’re like most people in America, the amount can surprise you. It could be a case of bottled water you get for your family or the bottled soda you purchase at a gas station. It never seems like a lot until you tally it all up in your head. By drinking from cans and glass bottles, you’re making a simple step of choosing to use recycled materials. This means one step closer to a more sustainable life! If you want to take it even further…

3. Reusable Bottles

…Cut down on all one use drinks altogether! Instead of drinking from plastic bottles and cans that are mostly used as a single-use item, minimize your life and make the planet a happier place to be in by using a reusable bottle. It could be for the cup of joe you drink every morning or the water you drink throughout the day, but having a few designated reusable bottles that are easy to take with you anywhere can cut down on your annual plastic waste. 

4. Ditch the Saran Wrap

Saran wrap is one of those kitchen items we can’t seem to live without. You can use to over and keep just about everything protected. But at what cost? It can be awkward to use, it sticks to just about everything you don’t intend it to, and after you’ve used it once it goes straight to the trash can. Instead of spending on specialty saran wrap, think about other options instead. Of course, you can use the trick you grandma might have used, trying or rubber-banding a thick piece of cloth to the tops of containers and jars, but why not bring the sustainability into the modern age? That’s why I love soy treated cloth or Bee’s Wrap. You can make these at home with minimal effort, but you can also purchase a reusable from the store. These washable—often organic—cloth squares and circles are treated with either soy or bee’s wax to give them a pliable hold. Simply place them over your chosen container and press down to warm the waxed cloth around its edge.

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