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Hollyhocks Flowers & Gifts

breathe green™ provides plants that are beneficial to the home and friendly to the environment. The idea germinated while cleaning the basement. What was I going to do with all those cute ceramic planters and the many useful clay pots? They didn't deserve to be in a landfill. The slight nicks and cracks gave them character. So, I needed to find them a loving home. Maybe, if I filled them with beneficial, healthful, beautiful and undemanding plants someone would take them home.

Our plants are commonly available houseplants tested by NASA and identified as more able to clean the air of certain toxins. These plants are potted with organic soil in recycled, gently used, or earth-friendly containers. Recycled tumbled glass is added to the top of the planter to reduce the exposed area of damp soil in order to inhibit the growth of mold.

As we insulate and seal our homes to conserve energy, we may be building up dangerous organic compounds emitted by products commonly used in our homes such as carpeting, plywood, glues, varnishes, etc. We also add undesirable elements to our atmosphere by the simple act of breathing. There are certain plants that clean these toxins more efficiently than others.

In the 80's, NASA experimented with certain plants and three toxic chemicals.

Formaldehyde is found in foam insulation, plywood, particle board, grocery bags, waxed papers, facial tissues, paper towels, many common household cleaning agents, floor coverings, carpet backing, permanent-press clothing, cigarette smoke and natural gas. It is hard to avoid in our environment. High formaldehyde concentration have been associated with irritation of eyes, throat and lungs, allergies, respiratory disorders and headaches. 

Benzene is an often used solvent, also found in gasoline, plastics, paints, detergents and dyes. It is known to irritate skin and eyes, and may be a factor in chromosomal aberrations & leukemia. On the skin, benzene can cause drying, blistering and dermatitis.  Breathing high levels of benzene can cause drowsiness, dizziness, rapid heart rate, headaches, tremors, confusion, and unconsciousness.

Trichloroethylene is a commercial product that is used as solvent to remove grease from metal parts, but it is also an ingredient in adhesives, paint removers, typewriter correction fluids, and spot removers. This chemical is considered as a liver carcinogen.

Results of these experiments are documented at NASA John C. Stennis Space Center website, specifically in the following publication:

INTERIOR LANDSCAPE PLANTS FOR INDOOR AIR POLLUTION ABATEMENT
>B.C. Wolverton,Ph.D., Anne Johnson, Keith Bounds
September 15, 1989.

Of course, there are opposing views. Check out California Environmental Protection Agency, and  Walter Reeves  and decide for yourself.