The quality of our indoor air has declined to the point that poor air quality is fourth on a list of 31 environmental threats in the US, according to the EPA. "It is estimated that nearly 25% of US residents are affected by poor indoor air quality, either at the workplace or the home. Indoor air pollutants can be as diverse as toxic chemicals emitted from building materials and furnishings, combustion pollutants like carbon monoxide and toxic particles, and biological contaminants such as mold and bacteria."
A living wall is a vertical arrangement of plants and other organisms that naturally removes toxins and unhealthy contaminants from the air. Living walls can be complete ecosystems or simple configurations of plants that thrive in and help to decontaminate indor environments. Those of us who remember the 60's and 70's remember that houseplants were widely touted as a means of helping to keep our indoor air clean. Now architects are taking this idea to a new level in green building. The process of photosynthesis has some great side effects for humans.
Living walls are primarily composed of plants that absorb and filter out airborne toxins. All plants are able to remove toxins, but some plants are better at filtering out such harmful substances than others. The plants that are especially good at removing toxins include: azalea, bamboo palm, chrysanthemum, spider plant, aloe vera, English ivy, elephant ear philodendron, golden pothos, and peace lily. Different plants can remove different types of toxins, so use a variety of plants. It requires a bit of figuring out to know what plants are best suited for what environments and what size wall is required for any given space so it is not really a DIY project unless you have an appropriate background. It certainly can be a beautiful way to improve indoor air quality though!
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Deb,
Thanks for the post. I can certainly relate to the off gases of building materials and furnishings in homes. Far too many people are moving into homes, developing illness and not exploring the connection between the off gases in their home and their poor health. Great post with helpful information.
Yvette, well, yes, I know what you mean...it IS alive after all. Hopefully, it will not take over the house!
William, People don't seem to connect the "new Home smell" or New car smell" to off gassing that is not good for them. I just love simple, easy, inexpensive solutions to problems and this one got my attention.
An alternative to plants is clay wall coverings. Clay is considered a living wall, because if you re-wet it, it goes back to it original state. But what clay does is similar to the plants it acts as an air filter. We are seeing more of these installed in homes with residents who have breathing issues, smog areas and senior centers. The clay also provides a clamming effect and acts as a sound barrier. If wall gets nicked, scratched or marked on, it can easily be repaired by simply wetting the area and reworking it a bit. American Clay is one I have seen, but I am sure there are others.
My blog is as much about a philosophy of life and living as it is about real estate as a business. E.F. Shumacher subtitled his book SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL "Economics as if People Mattered" In the real estate industry we realize that people matter and that where they live matters. We now also have a larger responsiblity, I believe, to get them to consider HOW they live. Everyone in the developed world using less energy and resources makes it possible for those who have access to neither to experience a better life and to make the difference between their being able to having a roof overhead or not or for their children to eat or not.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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