Earth Day 2018:
How to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality

Did you know that NASA did a study about using plants to improve air quality? Mother Nature Network did a great article in 2016 that described this study:

In the late ’80s, NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America studied houseplants as a way to purify the air in space facilities. They found several plants that filter out common volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Lucky for us, the plants can also help clean indoor air on Earth, which is typically far more polluted than outdoor air. Other studies have since been published in the Journal of American Society of Horticultural Science, further proving the science.

So, it just makes sense that you, too, can improve your indoor air quality by bringing the best plants for the job into your home.

What Are the Best Plants to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality?

HGTV shares their top ten plants to improve indoor air quality. Click here for photos. This is their Top Ten:

• English Ivy
• Bamboo Palm
• Chinese Evergreen
• Gerbera Daisy
• Dragon Tree
• Mother-In-Law’s Tongue
• Pot Mum
• Peace Lily
• Janet Craig
• Corn Plant

What is NASA Growing Now?

NASA continued its air purification studies in the International Space Station. While I had to take a moment to read this description for understanding, it’s worth reading because the results of these studies were phenomenal.

The Advanced AstrocultureTM (ADVASC) investigation, led by Dr. Weijia Zhou of the Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, explored the benefits of using microgravity to create custom crops that can withstand the inhospitable climates of space flight, resist pestilence, and need less volume to grow. ADVASC was performed in three phases over several ISS expeditions. The first phase of the investigation occurred on ISS Expedition 2 and involved growing Arabidopsis thaliana (rapidly growing, flowering plant in the mustard family that has been grown on many space missions) from seed to seed in space. The second phase of the investigation used new Arabidopsis thaliana seed, as well as seeds harvested from the first phase to create a second generation of Arabidopsis thaliana plants. The third and final phase of the investigation grew soybean plants, from seed to seed, all using the ADVASC payload, an autonomously operated plant growth unit.

Here is what the ADVASC project produced:

• improvements National Security (NASA’s words, not mine)
• increases in the effectiveness of cancer-fighting drugs in vitro
• educational tools for students
• an air purifier that is beneficial on Earth by killing 98% of airborne pathogens that pass through it
• a light source (created for simulating photosynthesis in the space station growth chambers) that actually heals wounds

In Gratitude

QueenBee: “I love it when ancient wisdom and science come together.” So, it is with a great deal of pleasure that we honor and are in deep gratitude to the plant kingdom on this Earth Day. Plants not only improve indoor air quality, they improve the quality of life for us all with their beauty.