GoingTrueGreen's Blog Postings

Clear the Air with House Plants

1/30/2023

air, air quality, indoor air pollution, indoor air, air filters, plants, boston ferns, hepa filters, NASA, air contamination, formaldehyde, oxygen, trichloroethylene, toxins, fertilizer, toluene, xylene, sunlight, green leaves, benzene, peat moss, goingtruegreen, going green, sustainable living

Electrical Air Filter

VS

Boston Fern

I have purchased many different types of air filters since the 1980s. I stopped buying them just after the turn into this century. Perhaps I was just buying a "bill of goods" just like Bottled Water is today, but some of the HEPA filters did help with my Hay-fever days. Then there was the cost to operate them... the electric bill, batteries, replacement filters. When winter enters the equation, we have the heat on and air circulation is cut dramatically due to closed doors and windows. Unlike AC units in the summertime that have filters, heating systems raise dust and do not filter. Yet, there is always another way, a better way.

About twenty plus years ago, at least three investigators with NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America found that specific house plants were very good at expunging elements expelled by items such as: new rugs, building materials, furnishings, cleaning agents, paints, varnishes, cigarettes, fabrics, preserved foods and other airborne pollutants.

Everyday items found in every home and office contribute to indoor air contamination. So to improve air quality and add oxygen into your living and working spaces, adding certain types of plants will make a difference for the better.

We already know that plants take in carbon dioxide and substances from the surrounding air through openings in each leaf. These elements are pollutants to us, but are broken down by plants to become food through translocation to the roots of the plant. Below is a list of plants that work the best for cleaning indoor air. They are in alphabetical order:

Aloe Vera
Known For:    Treatment for cuts, scraps and minor burns
Accomplish:   Removes benzene and formaldehyde
Care: Sun, well drainage and don’t over water

Areca Palm:
Known For:    Seven foot height, grow 7 inches per year
Accomplish:   Absorbs formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene
Care: Indirect Sunlight, water and fertilizer

Bamboo Palm:
Known For:    Loves the tropical amount of sunlight
Accomplish:   Removes trichloroethylene toxins
Care: Water only when the soil is dry and never overwater
Boston Ferns:
Known For:    Needs space to spread and grow its fronds
Accomplish:   Removes formaldehyde and improves oxygen levels
Care: Water frequently, mist twice per week and add peat moss

Gerber Daisies:
Known For:    A variety of bright colors and broad green leaves
Accomplish:   Absorbs benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene
Care: Direct sunlight and moist soil

Peace Lilies:
Known For:    Inability to tolerate cold, love warm and humid climates
Accomplish:   Absorbs benzene and trichloroethylene
Care: Direct sunlight and moist soil that drains well

Snake Plant
Known For:    Available in yellow, dark and light greens
Accomplish:   Removes formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, xylene, and trichloroethylene
Care: Indirect sunlight and keep the soil dry

There are a few more plants that can help, nevertheless, using house plants in your home or office saves money while being Eco-friendly with cleaning out indoor air toxins.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
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New York, The Big Onion

1/13/2023

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The Big Apple

I received several types of feed back and questions about a story that broke in New York near the end of last year. The newly elected Governor had vetoed a bill that would have helped consumer advocates fight utility hikes. Below is a copy of my comment and answer to the GoingTrueGreen followers that questioned me about this:

Please realize that I am not involved or have first hand information on this topic other than what everyone else knows through the media that loves sensationalizing stories. Nevertheless, there are so many layers to this onion...

I heard some things about this veto, but I thought it was the other way around! I thought the bill was to prevent fighting utility hikes and her veto was to allow actions against higher rates requested by utility companies.

I guess just wishful thinking on my part. So her veto turned out to be in support of utility companies requesting hikes.
From my experience when I worked at a Power Utility, many times they put in rate increases for cost hikes that didn't even happen yet. These requests were mostly blocked or reduced to only meet the real cost increases.

Utilities love wording cost increases to sound dire, but most are for future predictions of increases and problems that may or may not even happen! We should have the right to question and examine those requested increases. This puts pressure on the reviewing board, such as the Public Service Commission (PSC), that approves or discounts the utilities increase request. Having a bill to create an easier path for the public to request the reviewing board for a complete scrutinization of all the data is not anything that should be troublesome or vetoed.

Here are two reported pieces of data:
1) The state Legislature from all parties, overwhelmingly passed the bill last year, but the governor vetoed it Dec. 23.
2) The bill received fierce opposition from utility interests, who lobbied the new Governor and state lawmakers on the bill. Supposedly State records show this. With the recent election cycle, the law firms for utilities, raised funds for the New York Governor's gubernatorial bid.

I guess the story behind the veto of this bill, which is just a check and balance law, needs some real true investigative journalists. Sadly, they do not exist anymore and the onion stinks.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
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