We need a trillion more indoor plants.

[Michaelangelica]

So,

Do we now have a counter-revolutionary movement within The Movement?:)

Those for, and those against Christmas trees?

This is getting complicated.

 

[freeztar]

So,

Do we now have a counter-revolutionary movement within The Movement?:)

Those for, and those against Christmas trees?

This is getting complicated.

 

Allow me to complicate it further...:hihi:

 

I'd like to quote the lyrical genius that is Louden Wainwright III

 

Suddenly It's Christmas (excerpt)

 

Suddenly it's Christmas, the longest holiday

When they say seasons greetings, they mean just what they say

It's a season, it's a marathon, retail eternity

And it's not over till it's over and you throw away the tree

I love the smell of a "Christmas tree" (fir, spruce, pine, what have you) inside a house with a quaint fire burning. I really do!

I'm curious about the link posted above relating to high concentrations of mold, but I haven't researched it yet.

My biggest qualm with Christmas trees is the "throw away the tree" part. :(

Unfortunately, most trees around here get hauled to the dump rather than recycled as wood chips or firewood (quaint fire).

 

Btw, did we ever decide on a name for the stickers? ;)

[Michaelangelica]

Btw, did we ever decide on a name for the stickers? ;)

Thank you freeztar for trying to get us back on track.

I think we should forget Christmas trees as just too hard. (There is always pine essential oil?)

 

Maybe people might like to present learned papers on the difficult and contentious issue/subject of Christmas Tress at our Third International Conference.

 

NO

we didn't

A name for saying how nasty plastic plats were or a very sticky unmoveable sticker pointing out that the said plant was plastic

 

There was also the big issue of strategy.

The issue of Positive Reinforcement or Negative Reinforcement ( a la Skinnerian Psychology) Would it be better to congratulate people who have REAL, BREATHING, ECOLOGICALLY WONDERFUL, LIVE plants aginst those who go for the ?(There is a good German word I should use here Can't think of it. It is not SaumassigeSchreibmaschiene. Any suggestions?) "crap plastic ones" will do.

 

Comm'n Guys/girls some focus is needed here. This is a life or death issue!

[freeztar]

Maybe people might like to present learned papers on the difficult and contentious issue/subject of Christmas Tress at our Third International Conference.

 

And then we can char the papers? ;)

NO

 

Bloody L. :)

:hihi:

 

A name for saying how nasty plastic plats were or a very sticky unmoveable sticker pointing out that the said plant was plastic

 

There was also the big issue of strategy.

The issue of Positive Reinforcement or Negative Reinforcement ( a la Skinnerian Psychology) Would it be better to congratulate people who have REAL, BREATHING, ECOLOGICALLY WONDERFUL, LIVE plants aginst those who go for the ?(There is a good German word I should use here Can't think of it. It is not SaumassigeSchreibmaschiene. Any suggestions?) "crap plastic ones" will do.

 

Good point Mich!!!

Maybe we're going about it all wrong. Perhaps we should sticker all the REAL plants with slogans such as "I'm alive, and lovin the sunin" or "I may not be an orchid, but at least I'm not fake".

 

Comm'n Guys/girls some focus is needed here. This is a life or death issue!

 

It's more of a life or plastic issue, which is an interesting paradox upon critical examination.

 

Anyways, my vote is still hanging as far as the "Skinner" effect goes.

[Michaelangelica]

Chinese city bans public Christmas trees

 

Fri Dec 21, 2007 3:04pm AEDT

 

A Chinese city has beaten the Grinch at his own game, banning Christmas trees from shopping malls, restaurants and other public places because they pose a fire hazard, a newspaper reported.

Chinese city bans public Christmas trees - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

MERRY CHRISTMAS

[Jet2]

Chinese city bans public Christmas trees

 

 

Hi Michaelangelica,

Comparing to Afghan bans kite flying, this is peanut right?

 

Sorry for the sidetracking again.

 

Merry Christmas mate!

[Michaelangelica]

Has this been posted before?

Should I Buy a Fake Fir?Or is it better for the environment to cut down a real Christmas tree?

By Brendan I. Koerner

Posted Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2007, at 7:34 AM ET

Illustration by Mark Alan Stamaty. Click image to expand.

 

Please help settle an argument that's threatening to tear my family apart this holiday season: What's worse for the environment, a real Christmas tree that lasts just a few weeks, or an artificial one that we can haul out every December for

Is it better to buy a real Christmas tree or an artificial one? - By Brendan I. Koerner - Slate Magazine

[Michaelangelica]

Sick Buildings

"Catalyst" (ABC TV Science show) was interesting last night on indoor fine particle pollution. This is a bit of the transcript but the video is available on line (c. 10mins).

In Australia we have only just started getting the technology /machines to test for fine particle pollution. Possibly the most dangerous of all urban air pollution

Professor Lidia Morawska tested the air in a city office building to see if the filters really did block out external pollution – especially the ultra fine particles from car exhaust.

 

Lidia: Those particles being very small very light can follow the airflow deep into our lung.

 

Narration: An ultra fine particle is less than one-tenth of a micron.

 

If you picture a millimetre, that’s equal to one thousand microns.

 

Now we have health guidelines for pollution from fine particles between 2.5 and .1 of a micron, but none for ultra-fine particles – less than point one of a micron.

 

That’s small enough to go through the lungs, into the blood stream, and be transported around the body where it can cause serious harm.

 

Prof Michael Moore: There are good evidence of cardiovascular disease, damage to the heart, also cerebrovascular disease, damage to the brain.

 

Narration: It’s been known for some time that ultra fine particles from vehicle exhausts are harmful, so when Lidia’s team found high concentrations indoors they were extremely concerned.

 

Lidia: What we found was that at times concentration inside was up to five times higher than concentration outside close to the road.

 

Narration: So how could that be?

. . .

. . .

Narration: Of 62 laser printers tested in an office, 17 were found to emit high levels of particles and put to further tests in a special chamber.

.. . .

 

When research was published linking some printers with serious health problems, a printer manufacturer stated it did not believe there was a link between the emissions and any public health risk, claiming ultra-fine particle research was a very new science.

Sick Buildings (Catalyst, ABC1)

There is a bit on how air conditioning works that will make you want to smash a window if you work in an air-conditioned office.

 

Once we know a bit more about FPP the next bit of research I would like to see is how live office plants affect FPP levels.

[freeztar]

Interesting stuff M!

 

I was just thinking about this thread a few hours ago when I was at a Japanese restaurant (I know, I live a sad sad life ). I walked into the bathroom and was washing my hands. On either side of the sink were fake/plastic orchids. I immediately thought of the sticker idea and would have loved to slap two on those beauts.

We need a sticker design (or two)!!

[Michaelangelica]

Interesting stuff M!

 

I was just thinking about this thread a few hours ago when I was at a Japanese restaurant (I know, I live a sad sad life :hihi: ). I walked into the bathroom and was washing my hands. On either side of the sink were fake/plastic orchids. I immediately thought of the sticker idea and would have loved to slap two on those beauts.

We need a sticker design (or two)!!

you see how hypography changes your perception of the world and takes you to a new, higher, profound, greater,enlightened level of consciousness :lol: :)One day you will reach such enlightenment that you will shout me a meal at the Japanese restaurant. (My almost favourite food)

I think I will make a google alert for 'fine particle pollution'. :) :( We are just seeing the beginnings of a big environmental stoush I think. Diesel engines are said to be (catalyst last year when we got our first machine to measure them) the main source of fine particle pollution outside the office.

 

OK I will/can do it.

I think I have the physical resources

I have a printer who makes labels for my wife. To make them cheap enough you would need 10,00O print run and about $1,000 +?(AUS) plus there could be some initial set-up costs (knife to cut label shape etc)-these would be on sheets not rolls.

I have a daughter who edits and designs (I might need to visit Tasmania and break her legs first).

BUT

I need some money from somewhere Hypo members, environment trust or something to make it feasible as I am on the breadline and Shittybank is about to 'clap me in Irons and ship me to the colonies'.:)

Wait on. . .have they already done that. .?:) I know they need my money desperately to pay their non-performing CEOs..

 

Also would anyone support the idea enough by buying the stickers ?:hihi:

:( :)

Of course there may be a Hypo member that works at a printer:evil:

[Michaelangelica]

Fine particle pollution

Some links

Fine Particle (PM2.5) Designations | US EPA

AIRNow - Particle Pollution and Your Health

 

Fine Particle Pollution:

• * Fine particle pollution from U.S. power plants cuts short the lives of over 30,000 people each year.
  
• * In more polluted areas, fine particle pollution can shave several years off its victims’ lives.
  
• * Hundreds of thousands of Americans suffer from asthma attacks, cardiac problems and upper and lower respiratory problems associated with fine particles from power plants.
  
• * The elderly, children, and those with respiratory disease are most severely impacted by fine particle pollution from power plants.
  
• * Power plants outstrip all other polluters as the largest source of sulfates – the major component of fine particle pollution – in the U.S.
  
• * Approximately two-thirds (over 18,000) of the deaths due to fine particle pollution from power plants could be avoided by implementing policies that cut power plant sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide pollution.
  

Long Island Progressive Coalition

I wonder if FPP contributes to global warming or dimming?

 

Fine particle pollution is killing close to 300,000 Europeans per year.

In the United States, largely because of fuel standards already in place, the number is about 30,000.

And the increased ethanol blending with petroleum fuels will all but eliminate the fine particle pollution problem in the United States.

State’s Volker on U.S. Efforts To Cut Greenhouse Gases

What are the "fuel standards that save 270,000 lives?

 

 

MORE ON Fine particle pollution

 

Opponents of the coal-fired power plants proposed for Nevada say one of the public’s biggest concerns should be the tiny particles that will come out of the plants’ smokestacks.

No small worry - Las Vegas Sun

 

Health and Environment

 

The size of particles is directly linked to their potential for causing health problems. Small particles less than10 micrometers in diameter pose the greatest problems, because they can get deep into your lungs, and some may even get into your bloodstream.

. . .

For more information about asthma, visit Asthma | Indoor Air Quality | Air | US EPA.

. . .

For more information on particle pollution, health and the environment, visit:

 

Particle Pollution and Your Health: Learn who is at risk from exposure to particle pollution, what health effects you may experience as a result of particle exposure, and simple measures you can take to reduce your risk. (PDF, 2 pp, 320 KB)

 

How Smoke From Fires Can Affect Your Health: It's important to limit your exposure to smoke -- especially if you may be susceptible. This publication provides steps you can take to protect your health.

 

Air Quality Criteria Document for Particulate Matter (October 2004): This comprehensive assessment of scientific data about the health and environmental effects of particulate matter is an important part of EPA’s review of its particle pollution standards.

Health & Environment | Particulate Matter | Air & Radiation | US EPA

 

Air agency wants restrictions on fireplace burning

Air agency wants restrictions on fireplace burning | Riverside County | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California

 

AIRNow - Air Quality Guide for Particle Pollution

 

Elderly Have Higher Risk for Cardiovascular, Respiratory Disease From Fine Particle Pollution

Elderly Have Higher Risk for Cardiovascular, Respiratory Disease From Fine Particle Pollution - News

 

http://maine.gov/dep/////////////////////////air/ozone/aqfaq.htmhttp://maine.gov/dep/////////////////////////air/ozone/aqfaq.htm

 

]Particle Pollution: Frequently Asked Questions[/b]

 

* Here are some questions that DNR is often asked about particle pollution.

* How does DNR determine how much particle pollution is in Wisconsin's air?

* Does Wisconsin have any areas that don't meet federal health standards for particle pollution?

* Where does particle pollution come from?

* Is particle pollution worse now than it used to be?

* What is DNR doing about particle pollution?

* What are the main health effects of particle pollution?

* What can I do to reduce my exposure to unhealthy levels of fine particle air pollution?

Particle pollution (PM2.5) sources and health effects - WDNR

 

Monday, March 24, 2008

Air pollution may cause heart disease

 

By

Rachel Champeau 1/17/2008 1:00:00 PM

 

Patients prone to heart disease may one day be told by physicians to avoid not only fatty foods and smoking but air pollution too.

 

A new academic study led by UCLA researchers has revealed that the smallest particles from vehicle emissions may be the most damaging components of air pollution in triggering plaque buildup in the arteries, which can lead to heart attack and stroke. The findings appear in the Jan. 17 online edition of the journal Circulation Research.

 

The scientists identified a way in which pollutant particles may promote hardening of the arteries — by inactivating the protective qualities of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, known as "good" choleste

rol

donpat: Air pollution may cause heart disease

[Michaelangelica]

Interesting stuff M!

 

I was just thinking about this thread a few hours ago when I was at a Japanese restaurant (I know, I live a sad sad life :confused: ). I walked into the bathroom and was washing my hands. On either side of the sink were fake/plastic orchids. I immediately thought of the sticker idea and would have loved to slap two on those beauts.

We need a sticker design (or two)!!

 

I had another thought.

Does anyone own a LabelWriter

(A dedicated label printer)

or

Label printing hardware and software that actually works without you tearing your hair out by the roots in frustration?

[Michaelangelica]

Maine Indoor Air Quality Council Home Page

 

Indoor Air Quality | Air | US EPA

Radon You can't see radon, you can't smell it or taste it, but it may be a problem in your home.

Radon is estimated to cause many thousands of deaths each year.

That's because when you breathe air containing radon, you can get lung cancer. In fact, the Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today.

Find out how to test your home for radon and, if the reading is elevated, find out what to do next.

 

Background Material: Residential Air Cleaners and Particles

 

http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/indoor/pmfactsheet.pdf

[Moontanman]

Maine Indoor Air Quality Council Home Page

 

Indoor Air Quality | Air | US EPA

 

 

Background Material: Residential Air Cleaners and Particles

 

http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/indoor/pmfactsheet.pdf

 

Luckily no radon here, just lots of hydrogen sulfide!

 

Moon

[Michaelangelica]

This is a facinating invention.

But I wonder how many just normal indoor plants (with a good terra preta potting mix) you could buy for $200-$300.?

That ‘new’ smell could be fumes

That ‘new’ smell could be fumes

Solutions rid homes of formaldehyde

. . .

Manufacturing will start in the next four or five months on a filter that uses Mother Nature to remove formaldehyde from the air. Phytofilter Technologies Inc., a startup company owned by Malta resident Martin Mittelmark, has the U.S. rights to manufacture the filters, which are now made by a Japanese company based on technology developed by a NASA senior scientist who was looking for ways to help people live in space.

 

The filter looks like a normal houseplant, but its 12-inch planter base contains an ultraviolet light and an induction fan that pulls indoor air to the roots

. Microbes on the roots eat the formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that pollute indoor air, Mittelmark said.

 

“One creature’s waste turned out to be another creature’s food,” he said.

 

When the toxins flowing to the roots are plentiful, the microbes multiply, so there are more of them on the so-called EcoPlanter than on the roots of a normal plant. “Microbes can mutate according to their food supply,” Mittelmark said.

 

The plants need no other care than a little light and water, unlike synthetic filters that need to be replaced.

 

With the filter, one houseplant can do the work of 100, Mittelmark said.

That ‘new’ smell could be fumes

Obviously the potting mix is as important as the plant itself. something that has not been mentioned before

 

Research has also suggested that plants play a psychological role in welfare, and that people actually recover from illness faster in the presence of plants.

Wolverton’s company is working with another Japanese company, Takenaka Garden Afforestation Inc., of Tokyo, to design ecology gardens.

These are carefully designed gardens that help remove the toxins from the air in hospitals, as well as provide the healing presence of the foliage.

Plants Clean Air and Water for Indoor Environments

 

Another one of Wolverton’s discoveries is that the more air that is allowed to circulate through the roots of the plants, the more effective they are at cleaning polluted air.

To take advantage of this science, Wolverton has teamed with the Japanese company, Actree Corporation, to develop what the Japanese firm is marketing as the EcoPlanter.

Using high-efficiency carbon filters and a root-level circulation system, the pot allows the plant to remove approximately 200 times more VOCs than a single traditionally-potted plant can remove.

Plants Clean Air and Water for Indoor Environments

 

Wolverton published . . .as a simple consumer-friendly book, “How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 Houseplants That Purify Your Home or Office.”

In it, he explains, in easy-to-understand terms, how plants emit water vapor that creates a pumping action to pull contaminated air down around a plant’s roots, where it is then converted into food for the plant.

He then goes on to explain which plants and varieties remove the most toxins, as well as to rate each plant for the level of maintenance it requires.

 

The book has now been translated into 12 languages and has been on the shelves of bookstores for nearly 10 years. Wolverton has also published a companion book, “Growing Clean Water: Nature’s Solution to Water Pollution,” which explains how plants can clean waste water.

 

HUMAN NATURE; Green Air Purifiers Vs. Ground Zero

By ANNE RAVER

Published: November 8, 2001

ON Tuesday, a tractor-trailer loaded with 1,000 houseplants rumbled to a stop at Stuyvesant High School, a few blocks from ground zero. That was after Howard Bader, an environmental engineer hired by the school's parents association, had reported high levels of airborne particles.

 

''Let's face it, they have some serious air pollution problems,'' said Eric Keil, a wholesale nurseryman who manages Otto Keil Florist in Huntington, N.Y. He helped arrange the delivery. ''I don't know how much the plants can do -- but it's got to help some.''

HUMAN NATURE; Green Air Purifiers Vs. Ground Zero - New York Times

(A great story of "capatalist' generosity that will cheer you. -Worth a read)

[Michaelangelica]

 

Stressbusting Plants

 

Indoor plants can reduce fatigue, coughs, sore throats, and other cold related illnesses by more than 30%. Extensive research already shows that houseplants alleviate stress, help us relax, and increase our general wellbeing. This study aimed to discover how far houseplants could benefit our physical and psychological health.

 

Office staff, working in offices 10m2, were questioned on their health, particularly symptoms related to spending a lot of time indoors and being under stress. After two months without plants, a range of houseplants were placed in half the offices. After a year, the plants were swapped to those offices with no plants in. After another year all staff were questioned on what effect the plants hah had on their health and well being.

Stressbusting Plants

 

Reducing Illness

 

Dr Tove Fjeld, University of Agriculture, Norway 1995

 

Indoor plants can reduce fatigue, coughs, sore throats and other cold related illnesses by more than 30%.

 

Across the spring months in 1995 & 199. . . .

Reducing Illness

All these symptoms were 10-45% less with indoor plants!!!!

practically a portable hospital

• Fatigue
  
• Feeling heavy-headed
  
• Headache
  
• Dizziness
  
• Problems concentrating
  
• Itching, irritated eyes
  
• Irritated/running/stuffy nose
  
• Dry, hoarse throat
  
• Cough
  
• Dry, irritated facial skin
  
• Scaling, itching scalp/ ears
  
• Dry/itching hands
  

Scientific studies prove that houseplants are good for you - physically, emotionally and psychologically, they are proven to:-

 

* Remove harmful chemicals from the air, such as those in paints and varnishes, new carpets and MDF furniture

* Absorb noise and lessen dust in the home

* Help hospital patients recover faster, and with less medication

* Lower blood pressure, help concentration and improve memory

* Promote feelings of relaxation, calm and well-being

* Make rooms look cared for and welcoming

Plants for Health

 

Summary

The studies showed that:

• Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOCs) were higher indoors, with or without

plants.

• Pot-plants consistently reduced office or room TVOC levels by 50 to 70% where

more than 100 ppb TVOC load was present without pot plants

• Three large floor standing pot plants were as effective as six in bringing about

large TVOC reductions in offices or rooms that are 10–12 m2 with a ceiling height

of between 3–4m

• Six table-sized pot plants were as effective as three (or six) of the larger floor

standing pot plants.

• Pot-plants reduce TVOC levels in air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned

circumstances.

http://www.rentokiltropicalplants.com.au/Downloads/nursery_%20paper_oct%2004.pdf

 

A Breathing Wall??-tm?

http://www.plantscleanair.com/docs/NATURAIRE_BREATHING_WALL.pdf

 

SUMMARY

Health and environment are the focus of individuals, employers, and organisations such as WorkCover, the National Environment Protection Council and the World Health Organisation, for example.

 

We now have a wealth of additional evidence to support the use of potted plants to improve indoor air quality. They provide an inexpensive, flexible, portable and aesthetically attractive biofiltration system for indoor air, which is self-sustaining when normal plant care is given.

 

We would encourage both homeowners and building managers to use indoor plants much more to help improve indoor air quality.

Architects, designers and engineers might also think more creatively about how they could integrate plants into building designs at an early stage, to make better use of this green technology.

Facility managers have the opportunity in a costeffective way to enhance their value to the client by providing attractive healthy workplaces that maximise employee productivity and business profitability.

http://www.rentokiltropicalplants.com.au/Downloads/ron_wood.pdf

(Huge bibliography/references list here)

 

http://www.plantscleanair.com/docs/2001_nov2.pdf

[Flapjack]

Hi all,

 

I should as fit as a spring chicken, we have plannts all over the place. 5 streptocarpus within a few centemetres from where I am sat.

 

On the stats side of the statement. I have four greenhouses with a National Collection of Fuchsia Species. I use what I call indicator plants to make sure the air conditions are okay for their well being. The plants need a humidity so I use Tillandsia unisoides that suffers quickly if the air is too dry. I use Chloriphytum (spiser plant) to tell if there are any palutants from the natural gas heating sysem.