Dr. Garrett Wdowin has written a great article for HealthierTalk.com where he not only discusses the impact of air quality on your health, but he provides a simple solution to combating the high levels of toxic fumes permeating our dwellings: houseplants.
That's right: a number of plants, grown indoors, act as automatic air purifiers. Wow.
In his article, Dr. Wdowin references studies done by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) on the impact of growing plants upon chemicals, and has included the NASA list of plants proven to remove toxic chemicals (formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene) from the air.
The NASA List of House Plants That Purify the Air: Natural Air Filters
To read the NASA research report, check out the pdf version available for download. According to the NASA report, the scientists studied the following plants - most of which are easy enough to find in your local nursery.
Their Common Names:
Bamboo palm
Chinese evergreen
English ivy
Ficus
Gerbera daisy
Janet Craig
Marginata
Mass cane/Corn cane
Mother-in-law's tongue
Peace lily
Pot mum
Warneckei
Their Scientific Names:
Chamaedorea seifritzii
Aglaonema modestum
Hedera helix
Ficus benjamina
Gerbera jamesonii
Dracaena deremensis "'Janet Craig"
Dracaena marginata
Dracaena massangeana
Sansevieria laurentii
Spathiphyllum "'Mauna Loa'"
Chrysanthemum morifolium
Dracaena deremensis "'Warneckei'"
If you're really interested in this - and want a longer list of air-cleaning house plants, check out B.C. Wolverton's book How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants That Purify Your Home.
Organizing and consolidating information dealing with simplifying life since January 2006, to help those considering a lifestyle change as well as those expert at living an abundant life in a frugal way.
May 11, 2010
May 10, 2010
NetFlix ROI - How Much Is NetFlix Saving (or Costing) You?
FeedFliks is a free online service that reviews your past NetFlix use and breaks the information down for you quickly, and in a way that's easy to understand.
How much do you pay per movie, when you average things out?
How much money could you save if you took more advantage of the NetFlix free online movies?
How much time do you usually keep the movie?
Things like that. Definitely worth your time to check out, if you've got a NetFlix account.
How much do you pay per movie, when you average things out?
How much money could you save if you took more advantage of the NetFlix free online movies?
How much time do you usually keep the movie?
Things like that. Definitely worth your time to check out, if you've got a NetFlix account.
May 9, 2010
Sunday Drive - Why Not Take One This Week?
I can remember weekends when I was very little: my Dad would unfold his long, stork-like legs from the white formica kitchen table, stand and stretch, then announce to my mother and I that he thought it was "time for a little drive." This was always great, great news for me.
We'd rush (at least, I remember that I rushed) to get ready for this Big Adventure. Always on a Sunday afternoon (in lieu of the Sunday Nap). Hair brushed, shoes on, I always had to bring my doll with me - and sometimes, I got to bring along Sammy, our little dog, too. So exciting!!!
The three of us would pile into the car - a big, big 1960s Chevy - and since this was the time before car seats, I was free to play in the huge back seat - leaning over into the front to talk to my parents, sliding from one side to the other to look out the windows. Dancing with the dog when he wasn't claiming a window of his own, drool ribbons forming in the wind, on the outside of the car door ....
And we'd go to such fascinating places. Seguin. Floresville. New Braunfels. At some point, my dad would drive us through a Dairy Queen for ice cream, and I still think of him every time I drive past a DQ. He would've loved a Blizzard, I'm sure.
We'd bring back treats for dinner, too. Sausage from New Braunfels. In season, there would be watermelons from Luling or strawberries from Poteet. Pecans from somewhere. My mother would chat about the different ways she could prepare these treats that evening, as we rode along the Farm to Market roads.
She was happy. So was my dad. So was I. We were a family on a Sunday Drive.
It was the best of family times for us. It didn't cost much money, which may have been one of my dad's goals - though I never knew that. My dad was suffering from terminal cancer during many of those rides, and I never knew that either - though I did notice that he was losing his hair (chemo) and that we stopped getting ice cream (he couldn't tolerate dairy) after awhile.
Today, gas prices are high and schedules are tight. Still, there's so much to be said for the family piling into the car and driving down roads you've never seen before: talking and laughing and listening to music on the radio. Stopping at roadside stands to buy farmer's produce. Stopping to read those historical markers.
It's a simple thing, the Sunday Drive. Take one this week.
We'd rush (at least, I remember that I rushed) to get ready for this Big Adventure. Always on a Sunday afternoon (in lieu of the Sunday Nap). Hair brushed, shoes on, I always had to bring my doll with me - and sometimes, I got to bring along Sammy, our little dog, too. So exciting!!!
The three of us would pile into the car - a big, big 1960s Chevy - and since this was the time before car seats, I was free to play in the huge back seat - leaning over into the front to talk to my parents, sliding from one side to the other to look out the windows. Dancing with the dog when he wasn't claiming a window of his own, drool ribbons forming in the wind, on the outside of the car door ....
And we'd go to such fascinating places. Seguin. Floresville. New Braunfels. At some point, my dad would drive us through a Dairy Queen for ice cream, and I still think of him every time I drive past a DQ. He would've loved a Blizzard, I'm sure.
We'd bring back treats for dinner, too. Sausage from New Braunfels. In season, there would be watermelons from Luling or strawberries from Poteet. Pecans from somewhere. My mother would chat about the different ways she could prepare these treats that evening, as we rode along the Farm to Market roads.
She was happy. So was my dad. So was I. We were a family on a Sunday Drive.
It was the best of family times for us. It didn't cost much money, which may have been one of my dad's goals - though I never knew that. My dad was suffering from terminal cancer during many of those rides, and I never knew that either - though I did notice that he was losing his hair (chemo) and that we stopped getting ice cream (he couldn't tolerate dairy) after awhile.
Today, gas prices are high and schedules are tight. Still, there's so much to be said for the family piling into the car and driving down roads you've never seen before: talking and laughing and listening to music on the radio. Stopping at roadside stands to buy farmer's produce. Stopping to read those historical markers.
It's a simple thing, the Sunday Drive. Take one this week.
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