DIY: How To Grow Your Own Fresh Air

March 26th, 2009 by Jerry James Stone

According to GreenSpaces, these three plants not only lead to fresher indoor air…but also an increase in productivity!

GreenSpaces has tested these plants for the past 15 years in a 20 year old, 50,000 ft2 building with over 300 occupants, and 1,200 plants! A study published on September 8, 2008 found that there is a 42% probability of increasing blood oxygen by 1% if one is inside the building for 10 hours. In fact, the building is rated the healthiest building in Delhi by the Government of India.

So how does this increase productivity? Compared to other buildings in Delhi, the incidence of eye irritation reduced by 52%, lower respiratory symptoms by 34%, headaches by 24%, upper respiratory symptoms by 20%, lung impairment by 10-12% and Asthma by 9%.

Some info on the plants:

Areca Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)

Works well in the day time
Great for living areas
One needs about 4 shoulder high plants/person
Needs to be put outdoors once every 3-4 months
The leaves of the plant need to be wiped everyday in Delhi and perhaps once a month in a cleaner city
The soil used should be of vermi manure or use hydroponics

Mother-in-law’s Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata)

Converts CO2 into O2 at night
One requires about 6-8 such waist high plants per person in the bedroom
Leaves need to be wiped in the same way as the Areca Palm
The soil used should be of vermi manure or use hydroponics

Money Plant (Epipremnum aureum)

Excellent for removing Formaldehyde and other VOC’s
Best grown using hydroponics

Related Posts:

Image: GreenSpaces

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Tags: Air Quality, DIY, fresh air, greenhouse gases

About the Author

Jerry James Stone is a web developer, part-time blogger, and a full-time environmentalist. His crusade for all things eco started twenty years ago when he ditched his meat-and-potatoes upbringing for something more vegetarian-shaped. His passions include cooking, green tech, eco politics, and smart green design. And while he doesn't own a car anymore, he loves to write about those too. Jerry studied at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA. During his time there he was a DJ at the campus station KCPR and he also wrote for the campus paper. Jerry currently resides in San Francisco, CA with his cat Lola. You can stalk him on Twitter @jerryjamesstone.

Ronald Brakels

New Dehli has simply horrid air quality and they’re wiping some plant leaves daily so it sounds like the plants are acting as an aesthetic air filter and any health benefits might be resulting from that as indoor pot plants aren’t likely to have much effect on oxygen levels. Generally speaking slow growing plants don’t produce much net oxygen.

And the article says that Sansevieria trifasiciata or Mother-in-law’s Tongue converts CO2 into O2 at night but that’s probably not right. It’s probably a CAM (Crassulacean acid metabolism) plant like a pineapple that absorbs CO2 during the night but converts it into oxygen during the day when there is light.
http://www.sepco-solarlighting.com/ Liz Karschner

Great idea, but it seems like a lot of plants for a single room (6-8 Mother-in-Law Tongue’s in each room for each person), but adding some plant life to any home / room would effect the area around it. I could see putting one on each night table. The Money Plant would be great since it climbs and grows all over the place and looks beautiful.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Dill-Weed/100000216524046 Dill Weed

My mother in laws’ tongue is always flapping.
Breath on the Wind

I have also read that the bamboo plam works just as well as the Areca Palm and is MUCH easier to grow. English Ivy may also be good vs indoor toxins.

Thanks for a great article
http://twitter.com/vetxcl T. Lester

Money plant grows just fine in normal soil. No need for hydroponics whatsoever. The added bonus is that normal soil is a lower tech solution. I have one in my room. It’s doing just fine in normal soil.
Haven’t picked any money from it just yet.
Adam

Interesting. The “mother in law’s tongue” plant is all over my office. Like, every flat surface has it growing. I wondered what that was about. Kudos to my employers.
Tracy Tau

The idea inspires me, why not? We need oxygen more than ever now, and deforestation is only getting worse. For the people with health conditions, I’m sure they would not mind their homes turning into nurseries if it makes them feel better.

I have a small apartment so I’m starting off with buying one of each. My black thumb is my problem.
Tracy Tau

The idea inspires me, why not? We need oxygen more than ever now, and deforestation is only getting worse. For the people with health conditions, I’m sure they would not mind their homes turning into nurseries if it makes them feel better.

I have a small apartment so I’m starting off with buying one of each. My black thumb is my problem.
skeptical

so, there is less than a 1-in-2 chance of increasing the oxygen in blood flow by 1%? Considering that in most people blood oxygen is 98-99% already this really amounts to very little.

Of course this is only achieved less than half the time IF you stay indoors for 10hrs, two hours more than you average 8 hr day, AND you have to stay in for your lunch beak too.

I think the productivity has little to do with decreased incidence of various ailments and the negligible increase in blood oxygen, and everything to do with keeping your workforce in the building for 10 hrs.

bunk.
skeptical

so, there is less than a 1-in-2 chance of increasing the oxygen in blood flow by 1%? Considering that in most people blood oxygen is 98-99% already this really amounts to very little.

Of course this is only achieved less than half the time IF you stay indoors for 10hrs, two hours more than you average 8 hr day, AND you have to stay in for your lunch beak too.

I think the productivity has little to do with decreased incidence of various ailments and the negligible increase in blood oxygen, and everything to do with keeping your workforce in the building for 10 hrs.

bunk.
kate

I gave up my indoor plants when I got a cat. Which indoor plants would be well suited to a curious cat?
kate

I gave up my indoor plants when I got a cat. Which indoor plants would be well suited to a curious cat?
- jj
  
  This thing: http://www.woollypocket.com/wally/wally-one/
  I just got one, it’s awesome. I have a small mother-in-laws tongue in it even, with some other stuff.
GrimReeper

I have seen this on other sites before. I think it is a great idea and would love to implement this. The problem I have is that by the time I have 4 Areca Palms, 6 Mother in laws Tongues and a Money Plant in my place it may as well be a nursery -_-‘
GrimReeper

I have seen this on other sites before. I think it is a great idea and would love to implement this. The problem I have is that by the time I have 4 Areca Palms, 6 Mother in laws Tongues and a Money Plant in my place it may as well be a nursery -_-‘