Wednesday, June 10, 2009

My Black Thumb

Some people are said to have green thumbs; plants thrive in their care and they can grow anything. But I have a black thumb. If the care of our household plants (both inside and outside) were left up to me, they would all wither and die before I even noticed. (This has actually happened; it's not just speculation.) However, now that I've moved my home office to a warmer, sunnier room, I'm going to try adding plants again. An article that came through my email last week convinced me that it's worth the effort.

According to this article in The West Australian, new research indicates that even very small plants can improve the quality of indoor air by absorbing almost 100% of VOCs (those nasty volatile organic compounds derived from fossil fuels) found in the average home or office. In addition, it was found that "any plant will perform as well as others," according to Professor Margaret Burchett of University of Technology Sydney. She went on to say that plants' "role in removing CO2 from the air and adding oxygen means that they are the greenest way of improving indoor air quality."

So I found a pot in the garage (undoubtedly left over from some gift plant which met its demise under my hand), and I'm going to find a plant variety that doesn't need much care. An honored place in my new office is awaiting its arrival.

1 comment:

Becca said...

Good luck Mom! Perhaps you could paint your thumbs green?