All you need for fresh air.
Seventeen years ago Kamal Meattle found out that the air in his home city of Dehli was killing him. He had grown allergic to the pollutants in the air and his lung capacity started declined to 70%. He began researching and found that these three plants can provide a human with all the fresh air they need indoors to be healthy. The three plants are the Areca Palm, the Mother-in-law’s Tongue , and the Money Plant.
- The Areca Palm (or Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) is does great air cleansing work during the day. About 4 shoulder height plants per person should do the trick.
- The Mother-in-law’s Tongue (or Sansevieria trifasciata) takes over by converting CO2 to O2 at night. You want about 6 to 8 of these waist high plants per person.
- The Money Plant (or Epipremnum aureum) does the job of filtering out removing Formaldehyde and other VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds).
Kamal Meattle
According to Meattle if you have sufficient quantities of these plants you could live in an air tight bubble and as long as the plants are living you’d have enough fresh air to live. Now this isn’t just some half-baked theory he had one morning over coffee, he has been testing this theory out for the last 15 years at the at Paharpur Business Centre, a 20 year old, 50,000 sq ft building by filling it with over 1,200 plants for 300 building occupants.
The Indian Government has rated the building the healthiest buidling in Delhi, and studies have shown that after spending 10 hours in the building your body will be working better than before.
Aside from being a natural and beatiful source of fresh air, this method also helps reduce energy consumption, because you don’t need to filter or bring fresh air in.
Now Meattle, has big plans. He aims to employ recreate this concept in a much larger 1.75 million ft2 building by using over 60,000 indoor plants. Construction starts this year and should be finished by 2011, but you can be up an running in your home in a couple hours!
Check out his site: GreenSpaces
via: TED
Very interesting. I wouldn’t mind living in a place with plants plastered all over the place, and have my body working better than before. cool
I woudl strongly dissuade people from keeping the Mother in Law’s Tongue. This plant is notorious for getting into and destroying native habitats in several countries. It is extremely difficult to kill and is of no nutritional use to animals.
It’s really important that you make yourself aware of which common household plants are causing untold damage to ecosystems so we can phase them out of use.
“changes CO2 to O2 at night”. If you think back to high school biology, All plants convert carbon dioxide to oxygen through photosymphasis. The problem is that only happens with light, so unless you have one major electric bill, it wont happen at night. In fact plants convert oxygen back to carbon dioxide at night, it’s just that they convert less at night than they did during the day. This gives a net gain in O2. In fact, the best plants for O2 production and air cleaning are diatoms and algae.
It’s not like it matters, I’m assuming it was a mistake. Chill man.
IT FUCKING MATTERS PAT. STFU.
Hi Charles, I guess that statement is misleading. Actually, the plant is absorbing more CO2 at night than most house plants and storing it to create O2 during the day.
Unlike more common house plants, the Sansevieria trifasciata uses CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) photosynthesis, which allows it to do it’s CO2 absorption at night, then store the CO2 as an acid until it can be used to create O2 in the light of day.
This adapted nighttime activity does give the system some value in maintaining the air filtration around the clock.
Exactly as Matt said. Also compare it to C4 plants. You often see this type of photosynthesis in plants that are from hot and arid regions with increased sunlight, which can inhibit photosynthesis (stomata close to prevent dehydration).
I think he might know more about the subject then you. No offence, but he designed this whole thing with the best plants biology has to offer that are the most effecient. Algea might create more Oxygen, but that one plant he chose is more effecient to have than the Algea.
It’s “photosynthesis” buddy. If you are going to correct someone at least know the proper terminology.
I sent this straight to my hubby. We could use some indoor foliage! Just need to make sure it’s OK for the kitties to gnaw on these, since they definitely will!
Worked at a plant nursery for almost 3 years…
The Mother-in-Law’s Tongue (also known as a Snake Plant) can cause bronchitis if ingested. It has been known to silence dogs barking. Do NOT let your kittens gnaw on this plant.
matt,
well said
Aha! According to this site:
The Areca Palm is A-OK.
Mother in Law’s Tongue is poisonous to cats
This other site says that the Money Tree is fine for cats to nibble on.
That is good to know. I have several Mother in Law’s Tounge’s all within reach of my cat. Luckily she only eats the spider plant.
What’s wrong with CO2? It is carbon MONoxide that kills, not carbon DIoxide.
Adelle: mammals cannot use CO2 for respiration. That pretty much says it all. No breathing, no living.
Mother-in-law tongue is a weed in South Florida, and it is so hardy it is difficult to eradicate: grows from the roots after being whacked several times, in sand, with no artificial watering (though in that area the rain is plentiful). This plant should be EVER so inexpensive since it is so hardy and replicates from the roots, spreading until it reaches a wall. So if you are on a budget and want a lot of them, buy one and put it in a large pot. It prefers sand.
I think this is a wonderful idea and should be spread to anyone who could benefit. I don’t understand some of the hostle reactions to this, however, and to those person’s I would like to just say try it, at worst you’ll have pots of dirt to get rid of if you forget to water, and cleaner air if you remember to water. Or don’t try it and surf the web and continue to complain without trying anything new or productive. Plants = cleaner air. Couch potatoes = grumps.
Great idea - thanks for posting specific types of plants to use.
And Jenny? LOVE your last sentence… *grin*
So this is that “money tree” my father always talked about.
We’ve got to be united to save earth! Earth Hour is practiced at large scale in all developed and developing countries but there has been more publicity and awareness this year, as well as participation from large corporations like http://www.commit21.com/ which is a good sign - that there is still hope and that people still care!
Let’s all do this, no matter where you are! Saturday, 28 March 2009. Lights off from 8.30pm to 9.30pm!
Nature Concern
I’ve heard an “old wives” tale that states if you make an extract of Mil tongue and give it orally in food or beverage, it acts as a vocal chord paralytic. I don’t know how strong or duration.
Another great air-cleaning plant is the spider plant, which someone mentioned. My cat eats mine, too, so I have to hang them from the ceiling. But they live a long time if you keep repotting them, breaking them up periodically, and give them adequate water. They really help remove outgassing crud from new furniture, rugs, drapes - even paint!
For #2, plants can convert CO2 to O2 at night. For anyone who has taken a college-level biology class, you learn that this is possible but it is really complex and hard to explain. This seems like a great idea though. I love plants in my house!
JD: The plant referred to as Mother-in-Law’s Tongue contains crystals of oxalic acid, which lodge in the vocal chords, causing scratchiness and temporary paralysis. This can also happen if one’s cat takes a nibble or if you chew a little piece of the plant. The effects are temporary and not dangerous, so a cat that has a bite will usually learn its lesson pretty quick, Matt.
I never saw cat eating a plant, but as you said it will teach the cat a lesson. Ha ha ha!
this is really great and all and i’d love to be able to do it… but 4 plants per person? 6-8 plants per person? and that’s not even including the money plant. so for a family of five, that’s already a minimum of 35 plants, and it’s only two kinds. it’s great if we can have clean, fresh air, but where do you suggest we live in our small house?
Has anyone actually done this? Are these plants expensive?
No they are not normally expensive, but that all depends on where you are. I know from experience that the money plant and mother-in-laws tongues are very cheap, fast growing and super hearty. I actually never bought a money plant, I was given one and it has shot off into several other full grown plants in just a couple years.
more info on a TED talk by Kamal Meattle
http://tr.im/hOrO
Wow! This was a great article! It makes me want to go out and buy these plants now just so i can breathe the fresh air! Thank you for your posting!
I think tht guys name is Mittal and not meattle. Get tht checked first..
Thanks for the tip but according to his companies website it’s Meattle… but that’s Mr. Kamal Meattle, SM to you sir
http://www.pbcnet.com/html/pbcprofile.html
thnx matt and kamal, from now on i will send to all my customer (especially who bought a new house by me) a pot of sansievera..
Hmmmm. Interesting. Perhaps a little greenhouse attached to the house or on your balcony could help fit that many plants in a smaller space. I had a “flash” of a self contained system of clear plastic ducting (so you can see the plants and the plants can get light) running all over the house cleaning your environment.
This is encouraging. I have moved to England and have now lived here for a year and am certain that the pollution is killing my respiratory tract. Even though our house is small, I will invest in them and hope for the best!
cook, this will complement my hydroponic Pot factory and Meth Lab air quality
Cool man, this will complement my hydroponic Pot factory and Meth Lab air quality
This is a wonderful article. I know plants in general are good to be around, and I have many plants In my home.what I add along with the plants is an air wellness machine and its like an oasis filled with fresh air and aroma.
I had read elsewhere that you mainly want to have broad leaf plants or ones that have the most leaves, that the greater the surface area with which the air can pass, the better.
While yours above obviously cover this criterion, is there any other reason for why these are better? Or maybe a better way to ask is, have these been scientifically tested to have been the, “best,” or are they just three options?
I have read elsewhere that philodendrons are best for this (I have a few and they are easy to grow!). Your article makes me want to introduce some of these other plants, however is there evidence that shows these are the best, or just options among many that will do the job equally well? Any information you have on the topic would be most appreciated!
Hi Wesley,
These choices are based on Meatles scientific data. While they may not be the most efficient oxygen producers this combination was chosen because of the variety of ways in which these plants clean the air, making it an ideal combination that will both create oxygen and filter out pollutants all throughout the day. I am sure that there are other choices out there but this has proven to be an optimal combination of readily available and affordable plants.
For more information I’d encourage you to explore their site: http://greenspaces.in/
Money plant is a type of philodendron.
interesting article. i suppose i can include some plants at my workstation too
Of course, the money plant is also good luck, if it gets plenty of light to grow leaves.
The important thing to remember is that these 3 were probably also chosen for their ability to “take substantial amounts of neglect.” If you cant grow pothos -aka -money plant, and/or sanservia - get out of the houseplant game.
For me palms have been fickle in general, but I lived in a cave where light was my limiting factor. However pothos and sanservia grew despite my best intentions.
other studies are worth a look
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/science_museum.php
there are a far wider selection of plants that offer these benefits
can i smoke any of these?
well..since your having such an interesting fight here… I have to add my one comment…
photoshopped…you can tell… Ive seen a lot of shopped and the pixels are all wrong.
To be more precise, the oxygen molecule that plants give off is actually obtained from the water (H2O) and not the CO2.
You’re all a fucking bunch of scientifically impaired homos.
Should be especially helpful in a bedroom while you are sleeping. Doctors are already telling me I need to have more moisture in the air. The plants should like it too. Thanks everyone and thanks Dr Meattle
I recently got this book (http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Grow-Fresh-Air-Houseplants/dp/0297844776/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240055217&sr=8-2) from the library, and it goes into detail about all the science behind it and rates 50 different plants.
Apparently when NASA were sending people up into space in confined spaces they realised they’d need to provide some plants to counteract the chemicals. It’s not just the CO2, it’s all the volatile gases coming off all the plastics in our homes.
All of us know the importance of Green Plants. However This is a Revolutionary Idea.. In this Era of Global Warming … Growing Such Plants Absorbing Toxic and Green house gases is Very much Needed.
sudee_85
It seems that having large numbers of this combination of plants in hospitals would be a good idea. Definitely something you would want in a downtown office environment.
We’d need nearly 50 plants in our small house just to have the number the article says we need for our family.
my mom always had lots of plants in the basement but there was usually an assortment of odd centipedes and spiders that would always be living in there. in the summer sometimes the plants would get aphids and my mom would introduce and encourage ladybug development indoors. kind of like a little ecosystem i guess. not to fun when your room was in the basement though.
This article makes me wonder why there aren’t more indoor/rooftop gardens and plants in general everywhere. Especially if the lack of them is making people sick.