Three Houseplants To Clear The Air
Posted by Sonja Ebron
The TED Talks Conference has a reputation for broadcasting the best ideas on the planet. At this year’s conference, Kamal Meattle described a 15-year study in India that showed three common houseplants — the Areca Palm, the Mother-in-law’s Tongue, and the Money Tree — in combination could clean the air in a home or office building better than most electronic devices.
Meattle’s study is good news for indoor air quality but could also reduce the need for air cleaners and ventilation equipment. Who ever thought living plants could be energy-saving devices? Check out Meattle’s four-minute TED talk:
Shopping Online Is Eco-Friendly
Posted by Sonja Ebron
The number of shoppers buying online grows every year. Consumers cite the convenience of staying home and a lesser need to see products before buying. Now there’s evidence that shopping from home actually helps the environment. According to a study by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, shopping online prevents the emission of a key greenhouse gas.
An estimated 30 percent of holiday gifts will be purchased online this year, saving half a million metric tons of carbon dioxide from getting into the atmosphere. Some of these savings are offset by commercial delivery trucks, but they make several deliveries per truckload, compared to one delivery per brick-n-mortar shopper. Savings are also reduced by the online shoppers’ computer usage, which is typically powered by burning fossil fuels. Still, the environmental costs of shopping are much lower for those buying online. This year, consider shopping from home to find gifts for your favorite people.