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Indoor air pollution is a big problem. The Environmental Protection Agency stresses that our indoor air quality is typically much worse than the outdoor air that we breathe. This is alarming, especially considering that most of us spend our time dwelling in our homes and in office buildings, so that means that the air we breathe for the majority of the day isn’t the cleanest it can be. Studies show that bad air affects production levels and health in areas such as office buildings, hospitals, and the home. Should you be concerned? Well, in doctor speak, here’s a quick translation: poor air = poor health.

After reading an article on Health Taken Seriously, I began in search of a simple solution to this predicament. How can we easily incorporate changes in our home and office settings tobaby spiderplant improve air quality, without it feeling like a chore? Turns out a trip to visit the local Portland Plant Peddler, Ken, had just the solution, with the book entitled, How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 Plants to Improve Indoor Air Quality. That and he cited research performed by NASA in search of a similar solution to space age missions. Sounded simple enough, but how to employ this with a spark of fun? How could this insightful information reach a larger audience, spreading the word in order to generate a healthier population of people, and without a tremendous cost?

Spider plants and lots of them would do just the trick. Spider plants are a great way to make our air better to breathe. Here’s a brief list of what these superplants can do: filter microbes, absorb formaldehyde and other off-gassing from solvents found in paints and carpets, remove carbon monoxide, as well as radiation from our appliances, like computer monitors and television sets. Not only that, but spider plants are cheap and easy to grow, produce a lot of offspring in a short amount of time, and in turn make the idea of promoting green choices in our indoor setting much more feasible.

At the National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM), a group of citizens concerned about sustainable living formed an alliance, aptly named, the Environmental Action Committee or EAC. Our mission is to incorporate health, sustainability, and environmentally sound choices into our community. We adopted the Spider Plant Campaign in order to promote our ideas through a simple, yet easy-to-do solution designed to support our indoor environment and health. The EAC collects the spider plant offspring, distributing them throughout our community, discussing the harmful effects associated with indoor air quality and how you can take small, yet substantial steps towards improving it. We have a few handouts and suggestions, and then the spider plants are dispensed, acting as a symbol for “green change.” Later, we help our community relocate these little green reminders into terracotta pots, thus creating multiple sources for additional offspring, which are harvested to spread the word to another generation of individuals. As each spider plant grows, our indoor air becomes cleaner, thereby making the overall health of our NCNM community better. The ideas and information are spreading like wildfire here, and, moreover, the Spider Plant Outreach Campaign is able to amplify our desire to create health through conscious choices to improving indoor air quality for the Portland metro area.

spider-plant.jpgHere’s the big picture: the cycle is designed to continue, if not spreading the plants throughout one’s own home or office, but to the neighboring community as well. Spider plants are working wonders for the air here at NCNM, not to mention increased morale and community building for our own office settings. Each plant takes on a whole new meaning and provides greater insight into how these small little additions to our spaces can create profound effects of change. Perhaps this is something that you can include in your next boardroom meeting or dinner discussion around the table. You’ll find that you’re not only empowered, as taking your health into your own hands can elicit this response, but that the thought of informing your neighbors could be delightfully fun and easy. Just think: with your help, spider plants could be a recognized household name, spreading the word of sustainable health care.

To Learn more about spider plant propagation and care.

Want to branch out and try something other than the spider plant? Learn about the various chemicals and toxins plants can absorb from our air. Or check out this comprehensive list of other filtering plants for the indoor setting.

Not sure of what toxins are present in your dwelling, and you wish to pin-point which plant will serve you best? Check your local area for a tool called an air analyzer. This handy-dandy device will allow you to do just that.

For those interested in starting a Spider Plant Campaign in your neck of the woods, here are some supplies to help you create viable solutions to indoor pollutions. If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact us.

Care instructions for growing plants

Directions to this web address for individual plants containers