Walk around Manhattan these days and you’re likely to run into one of many “green” sitting areas, where pedestrians can eat lunch, meet with friends or colleagues, or just sit and rest. On Earth Day last year, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg announced PlaNYC, a plan to enhance the city’s urban environment by focusing on five key areas (land, air, water, energy and transportation) shaped by local members of the environmental, business, community and legislative communities. One aspect of the plan is to increase access to open spaces. PlaNYC also aims to create 800 new “greenstreets,” a citywide program launched back in 1996 by the Department of Parks & Recreation and the Department of Transportation to convert traffic islands and medians into green spaces.

This initiative is not only vital to the environment (the city hopes to decrease global warming emissions by 30%) but to the overall quality of life of New York City’s residents, employees and tourists. A more pleasant environment ultimately means happier workers and shoppers, and that leads to better business and a boost for the city’s economy. It makes us wonder what sprucing up the environment at work or in your home office could do for your bottom line. Chefs learned ages ago that presentation can actually make food taste better and marketing executives have long known that attractive packaging can make products more appealing to consumers, so why not enhance your work experience and the world by going green or increasing the comfort level in other ways? We’ll be brainstorming new ideas to help create a more enjoyable work environment and posting them right here, so check back regularly!