Plant parent is the new dog mom. And thanks to millennials all over the world, the gardening industry is now worth billions of dollars.

Houseplants are great for the aesthetic, obviously. They’re fun to care for, make beautiful Instagram content, and add a little bit of spice to your interior design. And, if you’re like most people, one of your reasons for having a houseplant or two is that they supposedly clean your air for you.

But do they?

The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Houseplants

Indoor plants are known for plenty of well-researched benefits to our personal health:

• Better sleep

• Stronger immune system

• Improved focus and productivity

• Elevated mood

• Increased wellbeing

• Reduced stress

All those benefits are worth a houseplant or two in their own right. But that air-filtering quality may be what sealed the deal for your own obsession.

The often-cited 1989 NASA Clean Air Study concluded that some plant varieties were so effective at taking in pollutants and emitting oxygen that they virtually cleaned the air around them. NASA then published a list of these so-called “natural air filters.”

Buuuuuut here’s the deal: We care so much about you (and Mama Earth) that we’re about to prove ourselves to be true Debbie Downers.

First, the impact of houseplants on surrounding air pollution is wildly overblown. In reality, it would take way more houseplants than anyone would ever want to get the kind of air-cleaning effects we’re all looking for.

Second, your houseplants might be bad for the environment. (GASP!) While the negative impacts of your snake and rubber plants aren’t nearly as much as taking a flight to your next vacation destination, there are consequences.

Fortunately, there are also some easy ways to make your houseplants more sustainable.

FREEBIE ALERT! Keep reading…(we know it’s a LOT of words, but it’ll be worth it).

Seven Ways to Better Care for the Planet as a Plant Parent

#1 Buy local.

Dozens of online houseplant retailers will deliver beautiful foliage to you in a matter of days. But with the added convenience comes a lot of plant miles. Plant miles are the ecological footprint houseplants create when they’re transported from all over the world to your doorstep. (Who knew?)

Instead of racking up plant miles on your own special deliveries, browse a local plant nursery who had them shipped in bulk!

#2 Find a plant swap.

Even better than a local nursery is a plant swap. Here, you can trade unwanted plants, seedlings, and cuttings (often for free) with other houseplant enthusiasts. Make some new friends and get more Earth-friendly plant babies at the same time!

#3 Choose your grower wisely.

Sometimes doing the eco-friendlier thing means putting our money where our mouths are. Choosing to patronize local growers who value sustainability is an important step in our own journeys!

For example, opt for a grower that uses a peat alternative. Peat, while a-ma-zing for plant growth, is terrible for the environment. 

Peat is a decomposed plant matter that takes thousands of years to form. Its extraction not only undoes all that work, but it also takes away a carbon dioxide vacuum from the local wetland ecosystems. This allows more carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, to enter our atmosphere. 

Peat alternatives keep your plants and the environment happy. 

#4 Ditch the novelty houseplants.

When choosing your next plant baby, pick one that will last! 

Designed-to-die houseplants—like poinsettias, chrysanthemums, and sprayed cacti—are exactly what they sound like. And with their short lifespan, you’re likely in for repeat purchase. That’s a lot of waste you can avoid with a long-lasting houseplant!

#5 Avoid plastic pots.

Single-use plastics are the worst, and plastic planters are no exception. They’re often unrecyclable because they’re:

• Made from black-colored plastic that’s overlooked by sorting machines.

• Considered contaminated unless thoroughly rinsed of soil.

When purchasing plants, opt for those in biodegradable pots—then replant in your own super cute, non-plastic container.

#6 Put your food scraps to good use.

Composting is a fantastic earth-friendly activity. Over time, your decomposing waste—yard trimmings, leaves, mulch, paper products, food scraps, and other plant-based materials—becomes a plant’s best friend. 

Compost can make just about any soil more fertile, efficient, and healthy. Hello, happy houseplants! 

#7 Conserve water.

We often forget that fresh, clean water is a limited and costly resource. And we use a lot of it! According to the Environmental Protection Agency, our global water consumption has tripled in the last 50 years. The average American uses 80-100 gallons every day.

So to do our part, we should all conserve a little more water. Here’s how to do it while still giving your plants the moisture they need:

• Water outdoor plants in the morning to decrease water lost to evaporation.

• Use your cooking water to water your plants.

• Add a coarse mulch on top of your soil to slow down evaporation.

• Choose established or slow growing plants, which use less water.

• Grow leathery, hairy, curled, or fuzzy-leafed plants, which typically require less moisture.

• Check the weather before you water outdoor plants.

• Use a moisture meter to tell you when you actually need to water your plants.

• Avoid unglazed terracotta pots, which heat up and lose moisture through their porous surfaces.

Wanna add to your plant collection?

While house plants aren’t necessarily the air filtering wonders we thought, they’re good to have around for all the reasons we mentioned at the top of this post. So we’d love to send you a money tree! 

These super low-maintenance guys require very little water, they’re pet-friendly, they’re good for feng shui, and they love listening to Brandi Carlile. (OK, we made that last part up, but whatever. They’re fun plants!)

Just fill out this form to get your new little green buddy. And don’t worry—we’ll take our own advice and buy in bulk!

We want to see you grow, too!

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