Costa Farms Supports National Indoor Plant Week for Cleaner Indoor Air

Join the national effort for cleaner, fresher indoor air in homes, schools and workplaces and support National Indoor Plant Week and Costa Farms' national grassroots campaign, ‘O2 for You’: Houseplants with a Purpose, on September 15-21, 2013!

This week-long initiative was created to raise consumer awareness on the value and benefits of live indoor houseplants.

Event founder Mark Martin from Interior Tropical Gardens says, “We like to say that the ‘oxygen arrives when the plants do.’”

‘O2 for You’: Houseplants with a Purpose has been spreading awareness since 2008 on how live houseplants can cleanse indoor air from chemical pollutants (volatile organic compounds) emitted from products and materials found in homes and offices. Check out where it all began in NYC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0V1w-NnCKbI.

Besides removing carbon dioxide and giving back oxygen, emerging research indicates that certain varieties of indoor houseplants work best to help cleanse interior spaces of indoor pollutants and improve productivity in offices where we spend most of our day.

Plus, studies from the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) have found that levels of indoor air pollution can be two to five times higher - and in some cases 10 times more polluted than outdoor air. And since most of us spend about 90 percent of our time indoors, these findings are particularly alarming.

This is where nature’s natural air purifiers take center stage. Working 24/7, certain plants absorb almost all volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) in indoor air. These toxic VOC’s are common chemicals like ammonia, formaldehyde and benzene emitted from products you may already have in your home and office like carpets, printer ink, tobacco smoke and cleaning products.

During National Indoor Plant Week and throughout the month of September, look for varieties such as peace lilies, ferns and spider plants with ‘O2 for You’ plant tags at your local retailer and reap the benefits of these hardworking plants.

Throughout the week, people are encouraged to use social media to share messages about the many benefits of indoor plants and how they not only cleanse our indoor spaces but help reduce stress, as they brighten up any room with beautiful foliage and color.

For more information on National Indoor Plant Week, visit http://www.nationalindoorplantweek.com. To learn more about ‘O2 for You’: Houseplants with a Purpose, visit http://www.o2foryou.org.