Little green machines
One of GOOD magazine’s latest “Transparencies” (interesting charts, to the rest of us) is on plants that can neutralize common toxins. The chart itself is a rather unwieldy graphic - I had to scroll sideways to get the whole thing, and my monitor’s set at 1280 x 800 - so similar lists can be found in text here and here.
The items containing these toxins are everywhere (e.g., plastics, as those “essential2″ ads keep helpfully reminding us). Their effects may be slight; then again, they may not. Either way, we should want clean air on principle, and if a potted plant can help make it cleaner, then why not?
For myself, I’ll look into getting a red-edged dracaena (listed as “marginata” on the GOOD chart). The source of all knowledge says it requires minimal care, so hopefully even I can manage it!
