Green Wall in Your Church

Is there a green wall in the future of your church?

Green Wall in Your Room?

USA Today reports on what might be in your "Hotel of Tomorrow".

A wall that breathes: Envisioning some backlash against high-tech surroundings, designers conceived a back-to-nature hotel room with a lush "living wall" of grass-like vegetation. The wall, with a built-in watering and lighting system, would serve as an air filtering device, too.

New York Green Scene

Residential green building is on the move in New York. Read on at Greenscaper.

What Did Bill Really Say Redux

Those who read this post may be interested to read what Bill had to say recently. Read the entire thread for context. It reads like one of our red state vs. blue state flame wars.

Earth-friendly Wedding Ideas

Here are ideas for an earth-friendly wedding or other celebration.

Use organically grown flowers and candles made from beeswax. Plantable table arrangements such as rosebushes or green plants are an alternative to flowers that die quickly.

We would add…install the plant in an inexpensive cachepot with an Aquapad. Include a notecard explaining that this is an environmentally friendly plant that is greenscaped.

Include the web address for InsidePlantsLive.org of course. By the way, are you telling all your friends about eco-friendly greenscaping and IPL.org blog?

Tsk, tsk… if you’re not.

Oil Prices at Record Highs

Anyone providing or acquiring plants in buildings maintenance service should read this post on Greenscaper.net.

Speaking of Bill

Bill is in the news again today. It's no secret that we think this is a stretch.

What Did Bill Really Say?

Can you name the top three houseplant books on Amazon.com? Bet you didn’t guess them. Number 1 is a miscatagorized greenhouse book and number 2 is Indoor Marijuana Horticulture - The Indoor Bible by Jorge Cervantes. Three of the top 10 are about marijuana growing.

Potheads aren’t the only ones savvy to the use of hydroponics rather than drench and drain top watering. Dr. Bill Wolverton, retired NASA scientist and author of the number 3 book also advocates the use of technology for houseplants but we’ve never seen him quoted on this.

In his book How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 Houseplants That Purify Your Home or Office he recommends hydroculture and sub-irrigation over drench and drain top watering.¹

Thanks to money supplied by interior plantscapers, Bill’s research is some of the most misquoted science there is about plants in buildings. His findings from controlled lab experiments have been translated into statements implying that NASA (the agency) officially endorses houseplants cleaning contaminated air in buildings. People read this stuff and think they can clean the air in their house with plants as if they bought an air purifier at Sharper Image.

Most of us intuitively believe that plants in buildings are a good idea both psychologically and physiologically. Most consumers, however, do not understand that there is a negative exposure when they drench and drain which may allow overly moist soil to exist. There can be unintended consequences.

This is not an exposé to debunk the beneficial attributes of plants in buildings. The purpose is to explain that it is faulty to separate the product from its maintenance. People with asthma and other allergy problems have a medical need to understand the facts rather than hype. Simply put...plants are good...drench and drain watering is bad!

Furthermore, taxpayer dollars are funding the bad drench and drain houseplant advice published on just about every US agricultural extension and master gardener program website. This unscientific information is in dire need of updating.

The American Lung Association, The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and The American Medical Association (AMA) all understand. They are sponsors of “Indoor Air Pollution: An Introduction for Health Professionals". This is from their Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

Can plants control indoor air pollution?

Recent reports in the media and promotions by the decorative houseplant industry characterize plants as "nature's clean air machine", claiming that National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) research shows plants remove indoor air pollutants.

While it is true that plants remove carbon dioxide from the air, and the ability of plants to remove certain other pollutants from water is the basis for some pollution control methods, the ability of plants to control indoor air pollution is less well established.

Most research to date used small chambers without any air exchange which makes extrapolation to real world environments extremely uncertain. The only available study of the use of plants to control indoor air pollutants in an actual building could not determine any benefit from the use of plants⁶⁹.

As a practical means of pollution control, the plant removal mechanisms appear to be inconsequential compared to common ventilation and air exchange rates. In other words, the ability of plants to actually improve indoor air quality is limited in comparison with provision of adequate ventilation.

While decorative foliage plants may be aesthetically pleasing, it should be noted that overdamp planter soil conditions may actually promote growth of unhealthy microorganisms.

Quotes from Bill’s book: pp 34-37¹

In Europe, most houseplants are grown commercially using hydroculture techniques. However, few US commercial growers use these methods. They are perceived by many as complicated or too scientific. p.35

As more people purchase houseplants for the primary purpose of improving indoor air quality, the use of hydroculture will surely increase. There are significant benefits associated with hydroculture. Hydroculture is much less messy since there is no soil involved. It takes the guesswork out of watering. Simply maintain the water between minimum and maximum on the water level indicator. Oxygen and other atmospheric gases are more easily drawn down to the root area; therefore, houseplants grown in hydroculture are more effective air purifiers. Because plants are watered from the bottom and the surface remains dry, fungal or mold problems are virtually nonexistent. Pest infestations can also be greatly reduced. p.35

Sub-irrigation is the technique of growing plants in soil-filled, watertight containers in which water is introduced below the soil surface. This system is similar to hydroculture except that soil is used instead of substrate. Sub-irrigation is rapidly gaining favor, especially in the commercial interior plantscape industry. However, it is less frequently used by individuals for growing houseplants in the home. pp 35,36

A Greener Future

Even though changing the minds of techno-averse U.S. horticulturists is an uphill climb, there are high hopes that young people are on the right track.

Read about high school students who get it.

Excerpt: The students picked Manila largely because it is located in a highly volcanic region, allowing them to harness geothermal power, according to Mr. Malloy. Steam generated by this process would turn turbines that generate electricity for the whole city.

Biodome farms would grow high-yield, low-pest crops with hydroponics, Mr. Malloy said. Vegetables and fruit would play a large part of futuristic Manila's economy, as would gemstones manufactured with geothermal power. The gems, students reasoned, could be used for high-tech optics.

When not working in the farms or gemstone facility, residents could relax in high-rise housing or more spacious surroundings near the coast.

Mold and IAQ Monitor

There is a post on Greenscaper that is pertinent to interior plantscapers and others interested in air quality.

Scary Headlines

True or not it gets reported.

Stormy Weather Breeds Scary Mold

Experts Say Mold Eats Anything

During winter months, mold tends to grow indoors, gravitating toward dark, damp, warm environments, including attic walls, house plants and garbage pails.

Black Crepe On Green Plants

This article will likely upset people connected to the indoor plants industry whether in production, retailing or commercial maintenance. The story is about students in dorms passing sicknesses back and forth. It was reported by The Post Online, an independent student-run daily newspaper serving Ohio University, Athens and the surrounding communities.

The article quotes Sam Hanson, OU environmental health coordinator offering some professional advice.

 

Excerpt: Food is not the only breeding ground messy residence hall rooms provide.
"Mold spores are in the environment," Hanson said. "When mold finds conditions that are ideal for reproduction, like wet floors or carpets, or food, or walls or ceilings, they will grow."

Indoor plants, which some people use to clean the air, can actually have negative effects on a person's health, Hanson said.

While plants do take in carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen, Hanson said, he does not know of any real health benefit they have.

"The problem with plants is they need to grow in soil, and can become their own mold problem and can also harbor insects," he said.

The first reaction to publicity of this type is usually to shoot the messenger, which is not the solution. We went on the Ohio University website to check out Sam Hanson's background. This is what we found.

He earned a BS in Environmental Health at Wright State University in 1976 and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Minnesota in 1982. Sam’s first job out of college was working for the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) in their Northeast District Office in the Akron area beginning in 1976. He worked for ODH until 1988 and then accepted a job as Health Commissioner for the Wayne County Ohio Health Department and served there until coming to Ohio University in November of 1994.

Mr. Hanson is obviously a qualified professional but more than likely unaware of a remedy other than removing the plants from the dorms. We thank him for voicing his opinion and raising the issue. If you think he's alone you're mistaken.

Here are the results of a search on the words indoor plant or houseplant and mold or Stachybotrys or asthma. There are almost 40,000 hits. Obviously, whether proven or not, there are many others with the same opinion as Sam Hanson.

Simple to do measured sub-irrigation of dorm plants rather than drench and drain would solve the problem. Using this method, the soil surface is always dry. There is no host environment for either molds or fungus gnats (Sciarid flies).

The measured sub-irrigation concept is easy for young minds to grasp. It would likely put them far ahead of their parents regarding indoor plant care knowledge.

Archaic top watering methods requiring a so-called green thumb have been handed down from one earth mother generation to the next. It is long overdue that we break this chain of misinformation.

Unfortunately, the misinformation put out by the extension program of Ohio State University just 75 miles away precludes this. If Sam and the students were to seek advice, here is what they would find in a web document titled A General Health Management Guide for Indoor Plants.

Obviously, it is not A General Health Management Guide for Dorm Students.

This is essentially the same out of date advice that appears on extension program websites across the country. It is simply bad advice in need of correction. It describes the worst way to water containerized plants in buildings.

We are making efforts to get these extension program websites revised with up to date plant care information using 21st century technology. We need the help of professional colleagues in this effort. Stay tuned. This story will continue.

Containers

Containers should have drainage holes that are large and numerous. Watch that the holes do not become plugged with roots or compacted soil. Use a saucer to catch water that drains through, but do not allow plants to sit in the water. Do not water plants via the saucer. If you wish to use an undrained decorative container, use a smaller, correctly drained container within it (double potting).

Watering

If soils are properly constituted, weekly thorough soakings are usually sufficient for plants in most indoor environments. However, do not depend solely on the calendar to schedule watering. Inspect the soil-under the surface, 2 to 6 inches-to determine watering needs.

Each watering must thoroughly wet the soil and the entire root mass. Use of tepid water (60 degrees to 80 degrees F) is beneficial. Excess water must drain out of the container. If soils have dried excessively, they may be difficult to rewet. Water may run freely through or around the root mass.

Watch for this and soak such soil masses in water for several hours until they are properly rewetted. Pot-bound plants and large plants in small pots will need watering more frequently.

Greening The American Dream

There is a business opportunity here for progressive interiorscapers and retailers of indoor plants who understand the green movement sweeping across the country. Organizations that support these businesses should at least attend conferences of this type if not participate.

"Greening the American Dream" is an apt slogan for plants in buildings. It has far wider meaning than a more narrow slogan such as "plants at work". It conveys a message about both meanings of the word "green".

We previously posted about a local green building tour we attended. One of the stops was a housing development advertised as being green by a leading homebuilder. The model home furnishings included a wide selection of houseplants. All of them were crudely installed in grower pots concealed inside decorative planters.

Drench and drain top watering is the antithesis of green methods and the spirit of green building. It was most disappointing to see interior plants misrepresented in this way.

Excerpt: The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) will build on its commitment to meeting consumer demand for resource efficient, environmentally sensitive and cost-effective new homes at its 2005 National Green Building Conference, March 13-15, 2005 in downtown Atlanta.

“To thrive as a green builder, you have got to be environmentally friendly while keeping in mind your customers’ pocketbooks,” said Ray Tonjes, chairman of NAHB’s Green Building Subcommittee and a home builder from Austin, Texas. “This conference shines a spotlight on successful green building techniques and concepts as they move further into mainstream home building.”

A special learning track will provide comprehensive information on NAHB’s voluntary Model Green Home Building Guidelines, recently developed to help builders incorporate affordable environmental practices into every phase of the home building process.

Aptly themed “Greening the American Dream,” the 2005 conference will also focus on meeting rising consumer demand for green-built homes through educational sessions such as “Building America’s Houses that Work,” “Why Green Development Makes Cents” and “New Approaches to Great Communities.”

Who Would You Choose?

A Greenscaper post of interest to interior plantscapers and those who choose them.

How Green Is My Product?

Interior plantscapers and all who have an interest in green buildings should read this.

GreenScaper Is Here!

GreenScaper is our new companion blog. Here is what it is about. Please come and visit.

Greenscaping Versus Retroscaping Of Green Buildings

We continue to read about green buildings. The buzz about them is increasing. There is even a new LEED-certified green supermarket. This, by the way, looks to us like a business opportunity for an enterprising interior plantscaper.

We know that there are plants installed in many widely publicized green buildings even though they’re never listed in the green resources addenda. We see them in project photos such as here, here and here. Water saving outdoor landscaping and waterless urinals are frequently listed but not interior plants.

To omit plants from green building specifications is a significant omission. Although obviously not established at this time, let’s make an assumption for this discussion that there is acceptance of interior plants as environmentally green building products.

We hold the opinion that a green product can be less than green if improperly installed and maintained. We believe this is particularly true of interior plants. Our recent Greenbuilt Tour experience is an example.

We visited six facilities touted as green buildings. They all contained plants. They were all maintained with drench and drain retroscaping methods. All had exposed moist soil creating an environment for mold generation, allergy triggers and plant pests such as fungus gnats. All wasted water that did not need to be wasted.

Retroscaping also requires unnecessary weekly plant care. Two-week interval or more is all that is needed using greenscaping methods. The result is reduced vehicle use and a significant savings in fossil fuel with no loss of quality. This alone justifies the use of greenscaping.

The interior plantscaping industry needs to address retroscaping within its ranks before it can hope to be looked upon as green. Helping in this effort will be a significant activity of our new GreenScaper blog.

The Case For Drench And Drain Interior Plantscape Watering

As previously outlined, we believe there is no horticultural advantage or benefit associated with drench and drain top watering of indoor plants. We also believe the practice has a negative impact on the growth of the interior plantscaping business.

Please refer to the disadvantages described in the following post.

The Case Against Drench And Drain Interior Plantscape Watering

There is still a significant (but unmeasured) segment of the U.S. interior plantscaping industry that practices drench and drain watering.

We believe widespread use of top watering methods is counter productive to current efforts to attain LEED credits status for interior plants. There are negative environmental factors associated with top watering that cast a shadow over the green benefits of interior plants in commercial spaces. It is more difficult to argue that interior plants are ‘green’ if the method of maintaining them is ‘brown’.

Negative to the environment

• There are LEED Water Efficiency credits for reducing water consumption. Opposed to this, drench and drain methods waste water.

• Drench and drain watering is typically coupled with unnecessary weekly plant care. This is a waste of petroleum and human resources at a time when the industry should be publicizing all that it can do to conserve natural resources.

• A moist soil surface provides a haven for the growth of fungus gnat (Sciarid fly) larvae. Fungus gnats are annoying to employees, guests and customers. Sciarid flies are also vectors for plant disease that can shorten plant life.

• Overly moist surface soil can be a source of mold generation and asthma aggravation. Whether real or imagined this increases the potential for arbitrary, capricious legal actions.

Negative to the business

• Drench and drain watering requires an investment of but a few dollars for a watering can. It invites unqualified low-price practitioners into the business. When larger, more established companies compete on the same terms, the impact on profitability is devastating.

Negative to the plants

• With the exception of floor and furnishings damage, all of the negative horticultural factors outlined in the case against houseplant drench and drain apply to interior plantscaping.

LEED Existing Buildings

PAW newsletter comment posted yesterday - Numerous LEED professionals suggested that we might want to lobby the LEED EB (Existing Buildings) committee rather than CI as EB deals more with "ongoing" operational efficiencies--in particular air quality.

This is the U.S. Green Building Council web page with information about LEED-EB (pdf file).

A Green² Atrium

Here is an opportunity for creative, techo-proficient interior plantscapers who understand greenscaping? We are attempting to get photos of this installation.

Excerpt: Stu Rose sleeps in a windowless bedroom, but he can see the moonlight shining on the leaves of his houseplants in Poquoson, Va.

But the houseplants aren't your normal potted shrubs. They grow 12 feet high and have to be trimmed to keep from grazing the ceiling. And that windowless bedroom? It opens into a sky-lit atrium.

"I can lie in my bed and see sky," Rose said with a smile that reappears whenever the conversation turns to his unconventional home.

The three-bedroom house is the first of what Rose and his wife, Trina Duncan, hope will be a cluster of seven sustainable, environmentally friendly homes -- dubbed Garden Atriums -- where rainwater fills the toilets and garden hoses and where electricity is supplied by the sun.

Ecological Gifts

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has some good waste reduction ideas for the holidays.

Excerpt: Buy living gifts. House plants, garden seeds or potted trees that can be transplanted in the spring.

Better yet, sub-irrigate the gift plants so that the recipient can easily maintain them indoors. This is an even more sustainable greenscaping practice. It's a simple matter to set up your gift plant for measured sub-irrigation using the shoestring method.

What a low-cost value added addition it will be to your gift plant. Just point the recipient here to our weblog for any questions or assistance needed. Suggest that they click on 'Sub-irrigation' and 'Inside Plant Care' under 'Topics'.

Smarter Plants In Smart Buildings

Reading this we realize how close we are to entirely new interior plantscaping concepts. If we can control HVAC for the individual, we can control light and water for interior plants in buildings. The days of plonk-a-plant with drench and drain watering are hopefully ending.

This article is packed with key words and phrases that trigger positive thoughts about 21st century greenscaping in green buildings. All it will take is more out of the box thinking from sometimes technology averse interior plantscaping professionals.

We already have sophisticated sub-irrigation systems and new compact fluorescent light fixtures. Architects and interior designers have the skills to put these to use given horticultural direction from the interior plantscaping industry. More and better professional collaboration is long overdue.

We are dedicated to helping make this happen. Are you interested in joining the greenscaping movement?

Excerpt: Green technology can reduce costs by millions of dollars over the life of a building, and "doesn't cost a penny more than conventional construction," asserts Rick Fedrizzi, chairman of the 11-year-old council.

One Bryant Park will include floor-to-ceiling windows made of translucent insulating glass; it also will have roof gardens, and a system to capture and reuse rain and waste water.

Bob Fox, one of the architects, says the biggest savings could be in health care.

Sunlight in every office will offer a psychological benefit while filtered ventilation built into floors instead of ceilings will provide individual temperature control and reduce indoor air pollution.

A Sharp Cookie

We discovered this article about Kim Parker when we searched for her company website. It was a delight to read. Kim is a professional, a pioneer and a personality we admire. Her success story in the interior plantscaping business is an inspritiation to women entrepreneurs everywhere.

Kim is a progressive 'greenscaper'. She was an early adopter of sub-irrigation methods and is, in our opinion, a sharp cookie.

We wish her continued success.

Excerpt: But to Ms. Parker, plantscaping is more than putting on a pretty face: It is remaining conscious of the environment. Her company reduces the need for power and water by installing plumbing-free reservoirs -- or "invisible irrigation systems" -- in the interior gardens it creates.

In addition, her plantscape system enables cleaner air in the workplace, since plants remove toxins from the earth's atmosphere.

A Greenscaper: Kim Parker Plantscapes, Inc., a California Corporation, was created in 1980 to "break the mold" by specializing in self watering plantscapes. It was our intention to become the first (and we remain to date) and only plantscape contractor to have used self-watering technology in every project to reduce plant replacements, reduce labor costs, and reduce the environmental impact of our fleet. PLUS: Eliminate watering "guesswork" and the plants will thrive!

As a result of our commitment to the most innovative and newest irrigation technologies, our schedule of guaranteed service maintenance is every 10-20 days; displacing the old and obsolete standard of weekly service. The proven savings in time, the reduced disruption to our clients and the reduction of carbon monoxide emissions has elevated KPI to a leadership position within the plantscape industry. Further, 20+ years of self-watering experience makes us the experts in technical support and customer service.

We Volunteer To Help

It’s not enough to find a problem if you don’t also have a solution. We’ve been thinking about that after our GreenBuilt tour this past Saturday. We saw a problem. Now, what can we do to help solve it?

We make an offer to San Diego EarthWorks to provide an onsite pro bono consultation to any of the site owners we visited. We know how to improve every one of the indoor plant installations we observed. The objective is to make them consistent with sustainable green building standards.

We also know that we will likely learn more then anyone and it will make us better equipped to help others down the line.

SmartScaping

This article about smart buildings is pertinent to interior plantscaping. You could substitute interior plantscaping industry for construction industry.

Excerpt: Many new building materials are first developed in Europe, where energy is more expensive. "The construction industry is behind the times in some ways, compared to many other industries," said Patrick Mays, chief information officer of architecture firm NBBJ.

We first learned about sub-irrigation technology from Europe. When gas in Europe is more than twice as expensive as in the U.S. there is a motivation to create and adopt technology to conserve it.

This is why the basics of sub-irrigation and hydroculture were developed in Europe. However, the US arguably has the most sophisticated system, the vacuum-sensor controlled CWI from Planter Technology. It is widely used, but no one knows what percent of commercial interior plants are installed in CWIs or any of the other systems such as Jardinier and MONA.

Unfortunately, there is still a large number of technophobic interiorscapers slavishly addicted to weekly drench and drain top watering. They are reluctant to give up this wasteful practice but we believe energy costs and the green building movement will force them to modernize or exit the business. The market is always the ultimate boss.

Community Partner Champion of the Month

Community Partners selected Commuter Link, sponsor of OzoneNY, as Community Partner Champion of the Month for September.

Congratulations to everyone who was involved in the creation of OzoneNY, a campaign that merits implementation in every city in the country.

Please comment below or post an e-mail if you have an interest in learning more about this outstanding program.

Excerpt: This year Ozone NY launched a new and innovative campaign—Get a Plant, Green Means Cleaner Air. The campaign, which includes traffic, sports, and weather report sponsorships on several radio stations and advertisements on several local cable TV networks (such as HGTV and Fox News), targets individuals rather than the business audience that Ozone NY traditionally targets. The ads center on the simple and thought-provoking concept that plants can improve air quality by reducing ground-level ozone (see www.OzoneNY.org for details on how plants can reduce VOC levels and air temperature).

As part of the program, Ozone NY formed partnerships with 250 plant stores in the region that will allow anyone who mentions ground-level ozone to get a 5-10% discount on the purchase of a plant. The plant stores were given two posters to help them promote the campaign. In turn, the plant stores receive free advertising and a listing on the Ozone NY web site. A plant tag congratulates purchasers for taking the first step to improving air quality, lists three more steps from the It All Adds Up “Ten Simple Steps to Improving Air Quality” flyer, and directs customers to the Ozone NY web site for more information.

Under A Sheltering Palm

If interior plants are so good for the health and welfare of white-color workers, why aren’t they just as beneficial for blue-collar workers?

Behr Systems USA management asked the same question and had Planterra install a palm in one of its factories. They heard a resounding ‘yes’ to the question from employees in the area. They also heard the palm say ‘okay’, even though it doesn't really think it's living in ‘paradise’.

We applaud this out-of-the-box thinking. We also have the feeling that there are many more 'factoryscaping' installations like this around the world. Please let us know so we can publish them for the benefit of all readers. Thanks!

Oil Prices Charge Toward $50 a Barrel

Here's an article from Forbes for those interior plant maintainers who are still driving around weekly to drench and drain their customer's plants.

Bi-weekly (or longer) plant care using subirrigation is both plant-friendly and friendly to our environment. Dare we say (marketed wisely) it's also profit friendly. We call it greenscaping in every sense of the word.

Excerpt: The price of oil is up roughly 75 percent from a year ago, while gasoline is 22 cents per gallon more expensive than last year at $1.85 per gallon.

The high cost of jet fuel has devastated the already battered airline industry and as diesel prices continue to rise the trucking industry's profit margins are being squeezed.

"$2 per gallon diesel isn't as sexy to the public as $2 per gallon gasoline, but the added costs will certainly filter into every nook and cranny of the commercial economy," said Tom Kloza, director of Lakewood, N.J.-based Oil Price Information Service.

Not Quite So Green

This story Housing project will be 'green' caught our attention with the not-so-green element sitting in the corner. Note the fake ficus.

The interior plantscaping community has a challenge on its hands to educate the other green community about the real meaning of greenscaping. There are likely many in it who think replica plants are “green”.

Excerpt: Specifically, "green" buildings use recycled materials, solar energy, geothermal heat pumps, sod roofs, renewable woods and many more technologies to cut energy costs and damage to the planet while creating healthier indoor environments.

Green Home - Greenscaping

The Ravalli Republic (Ravalli County, Montana) reported that Sustainable Living Systems, formerly the Western Cultural Heritage Institute sponsored a Green Homes Tour recently. It included homes from Florence, on the Oregon coast, to Victor, Montana.

This got our attention.

Not only is the Bassler house super energy efficient, it also utilizes rain water for the garden and gray water for the indoor house plants. "The water filters down into a cistern and is taken up by the plants from below," he said. "The soil in the garden is bone dry but the plants are all green and lush."

We would like to see this example of "greenscaping" using sub-irrigation. We forecast that environmentally unsound "drench and drain" watering practices will become more and more of an issue for interior plantscapers and homeowners.