Air purification like on a space station

I do not have a green thumb, which is a shame as I really enjoy the feel of having plants around. But plants don't seem to last long when in my care. In college a good friend of mine who was moving to Asia for a year entrusted me with the bonsai tree he had grown and raised himself. Sadly, it did not last long enough to see his return. And people often gift me beautiful orchids that don't last. Most recently, my brother gave me a cool air plant for Christmas, that I realized today had died. Sigh.

Luckily I live in walking distance to LA's Flower District so the Pepper and I took a stroll down there today as I wanted to find something to put in the great vase the air plant came in. I was talking to one of the vendors about indoor plants that are really easy to take care of. I was looking at a bunch of leafy green plants undecided on which one to get when he pointed out the the Peace Lily is great for improving air quality. Apparently NASA is always looking for ways to clean the air in space stations and certain plants are particularly good at eliminating air toxins.

So I was sold! Even though optimal air cleaning is accomplished with at least one plant per 100 square feet of home or office space, I'm going to start with the one and see if I can keep it alive. Wish me luck!

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