We need a trillion more indoor plants.

[Ganoderma]

i just put 12 new money trees in my house/school. maybe the students will be smarter? lol.

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by Ganoderma

i just put 12 new money trees in my house/school. maybe the students will be smarter? lol.

If nothing else, they'll be richer!

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by Ganoderma

i just put 12 new money trees in my house/school. maybe the students will be smarter? lol.

Don't laugh it could be true!
At the very least they will be breathing in less crap from polluted air.

O, I just 'got" freeztars' post- groan


How about all you science teachers out there get your students to do a project/essay/experiment on/using indoor plants? Raise some awareness.

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

Don't laugh it could be true!
At the very least they will be breathing in less crap from polluted air.

O, I just 'got" freeztars' post- groan


How about all you science teachers out there get your students to do a project/essay/experiment on/using indoor plants? Raise some awareness.

i just spent five minutes with google scholar accessioning years of research on children's IQ and pollutants. I posted it all then the computer disconnected from the web
I have just spent an hour working out that it was upset because the speaker wasn't plugged in. Groan again
Why don't we have smarter computers.

Quite a big PDF file on pollutants in Jakarta, attached to this brief summary

For example, if annual concentrations of particulate matter were reduced to the midpoint of the World Health Organisation guideline (and former U.S. ambient standard), the estimates indicate a reduction per year of 1,400 premature deaths (with a range of 900 to 1,900), 49,000 emergency room visits, 600,000 asthma attacks, 7.6 million restricted activity days (including work loss), 124,000 cases of bronchitis in children, and 37 million minor respiratory symptoms.
In the case of Jakarta, the methodology suggests that reducing exposure to lead and nitrogen dioxide should also be a high priority.

Estimating the health effects of air pollutants : a method with an application to Jakarta
What's the deal with nitrogen dioxide?
It has popped up on the Terra preta forums too or is that N2O?

Another excellent article
Children's Environmental Health: Risks and Remedies - Population Reference Bureau
This shows the effects of VERY bad pollution, still , does anyone really know what is a safe level for a growing brain?

It seems, if nothing else, plants will probably result in less childhood sickness and time off school so this will effect their learning and IQ scores based on general knowledge.
leaded petrol is still a big problem in many countries. Is there any research around that shows plants remove lead from the air?

Lead Exposure to lead remains the main environmental problem for young children in developing countries, according to Environmental Defense and the Alliance to End Childhood Lead Poisoning.28 Even small amounts of lead can be dangerous, especially for the development of the brain: Studies have shown that IQ falls by up to six points for every 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood (µg/dl). Lead exposure can also cause anemia, kidney disease, hearing damage, and impaired fertility; at high levels, it can result in coma or death.2

some more stuff on IQ and indoor pollution
Exposure to PCB 153 in Vitro and in Vivo

A rodent study by Hussain et al. (p. 827) showed that long-term potentiation in the brain, believed to be correlated with learning ability, was reduced after exposure to PCB 153. The authors suggest that this mechanism may explain the reduction of IQ in humans exposed to PCBs early in development. (Also see Science Selections, p. A416)

Environ Health Perspect 108-9, 2000: In This Issue

Abstract
Psychological and toxic effects of air pollution can lead to psychiatric symptoms, including anxiety and changes in mood, cognition, and behavior.

Elsevier Article Locator

Since 1952 an avalanche of scientific research has
provided independently validated, confirmatory
evidence on the adverse health effects of fine
particles and noxious gases in the air. The quality of
air is deteriorating in many cities, due to uncontrolled
urbanisation, industrialisation, and motorization. The
World Health Organization attributes 150,000
premature deaths to outdoor air pollution each year,
with lung cancer increasing by 8%, cardiovascular
disease by 6% and all case mortality by 4%3. Even
more staggering is the global scale estimate of 2.5
million deaths each year due to indoor air pollution.
Despite these figures, indoor pollution remains a
neglected area in most developing countries4.

http://www.srilankacollegeofpaediatr...hildren%20.pdf

Some general stuff
How can you check Radon levels? How come it is indoors?
National Center for Environmental Health: Healthy Housing Reference Manual - Chapter 5: Indoor Air Pollutants and Toxic Materials | CDC
Do plants help?

My daughter just sent me this-

This story made me smile - huzzah, nature one, councils nil!

City's most expensive fig tree adds millions to busway | The Courier-Mail

[Ganoderma]

put a plant by your computer...maybe it will work? less dust to clog the (whatever-the-hell-is-making-that-sound-thing)?


but ya, i have read some of your posts in other threads about better work performance etc with cleaner air. so who knows.....that said, both sides of our school are OPEN and a huge breeze blows through all the time. if nothing else it gives them something new to break

i think raising awareness is a great thing to do! we do this in our school. respecting animals, recycling basically simple environmental stuff. unfortunately, around these parts, environment is WAY down the list of priorities to people but things like solar and wind power are quickly gaining in popularity!

[pigeon_soup]

This is undoubtedly a stupid question but, what is a VOC?

pigeon

[Ganoderma]

Volatile organic compound

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by Ganoderma

i think raising awareness is a great thing to do! we do this in our school. respecting animals, !

yes we have lost our connection with the natural world and see it as threatening. when in fact, the oposite is true.

Up to 24,000 deaths a year in California are linked to air pollution
. . .
The revised figures are based on a review of new research across the nation about the hazards posed by microscopic particles, which sink deep into the lungs.

"Our report concludes these particles are 70% more dangerous than previously thought, based on several major studies

Up to 24,000 deaths a year in California are linked to air pollution - Los Angeles Times

Is Your Commute Killing You

Is Your Commute Killing You? - Health News Story - WFTV Orlando

Air quality: ‘We still have a long way to go’

The Times West Virginian - Air quality: ‘We still have a long way to go’

One solution
Rooftop Garden (5:36) - 24/05/2008
Gardening Australia - Coming Up This Week 24/05/2008
(You may have to wait a few days before video is posted. Then it is only on line for 4 weeks.
Any way of keeping it here?)
fact sheet
Gardening Australia - Fact Sheet: Rooftop Garden

[Ganoderma]

a couple more neat sites
Greenroofs.com Projects - Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital Rooftop Garden

very cool building plan!
The Green Skyscraper of Mumbai : RecyclingSupermarket.com

good links in here as well
Green Buildings:the Cheapest Way To Reduce Global Warming - Ecofriend

Photo Gallery

The Sietch Blog Really Green Buildings

[DougF]

These green buildings are very cool looking and i think there are a Good idea,
The only thing I seem too remember a concern about the plants breaking apart the fascia of the buildings. ( the way roots can crack concrete)
I still think this is a good idea we just have to make sure it does not destroy the building. (I think this looks better then paint).