Did you know three common household plants could improve the air quality in your home or office?

Kamal Meattle learnt the value of fresh air 17 years ago when his lung capacity decreased by 70%. Doctors confirmed that he had become allergic to the polluted New Delhi air. Today a much healthier Meattle is spreading the word that three common plants have the ability to purify air.

In this video, Meattle explains how he used plants and technology, initially developed by NASA, to purify the air in the Paharpur Business Centre, where Meattle is the CEO. The Paharpur Business Centre holds the distinction of being the greenest building in India.

In a health and productivity study in 2008, 1, 200 plants were used to clean the air of a 50, 000 ft ² building occupied by 300 occupants in New Dehli. The study found that there was a 42 % probability of increasing blood oxygen by 1 % in a person who occupied the building for 10 hours, eye irritation decreased by 52%, respiratory problems decreased by 34%, headaches decreased by 24%, lung impairment by 12% and asthma decreased by 9%!

So if you want to green your home and office and improve the air quality, ask your local nursery for the following three plants Meattle used to in his office:

 Areca Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)

Mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata)

Money Plant (Epipremnum aureum)

Money may not grow on trees… but air does and that’s priceless!

Sources: TEDtalks and Green Spaces

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