Beautify, De-Stress and Clean the Air with 5 of Costa Farms’ Mighty Houseplants This Earth Day

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Peace lilies are common, easy to care for houseplants

We should be as concerned about our indoor environments as we are the outdoors.

Miami, Florida (PRWEB) April 09, 2014

This year celebrate Earth Day with a houseplant that keeps giving all year. Houseplants may be thought of as décor accents; however they’re far more than pretty faces.

Over the last 20 years, NASA research has proven that certain houseplants remove Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from indoor air—just one of houseplants’ many benefits.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates Americans spend 90% of their time indoors, where air quality can be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air.

Armed with this knowledge, Costa Farms took action in 2008 and launched their "O2 for You: Houseplants with a Purpose" program that promotes the many benefits of houseplants.

“We should be as concerned about our indoor environments as we are the outdoors,” says Justin Hancock, garden expert from Costa Farms. “Houseplants scrub the air of common indoor pollutants commonly found in homes, apartments and offices.”

The power of houseplants doesn’t stop there: New research conducted by the University of Exeter reveals houseplants are proven to aid in concentration, increase productivity and boost well-being by 47% over areas without houseplants.

Reap the full power of plants this Earth Day by adding houseplants to indoor spaces where you work and live. Below houseplant experts at Costa Farms outline the 5 best plants to scrub the air, de-stress areas and keep homes and office spaces beautiful.

1.    Peace Lily
Peace lilies are common, easy to care for houseplants—and powerful, too. With their broad, green leaves and charming, white calla-like flowers, the peace lily topped NASA’s list for removing three of the most common VOCs.

2.    Orchids
Orchids offer classic, timeless beauty, and are not the drama queens some people think. In fact, Costa Farms’ Orchids are easy to grow and show off gorgeous blooms for weeks, or even months.

As radiant orchid is Pantone’s Color of the Year, orchids are a big trend in indoor design. Plus, they rid the air of xylene, a pollutant found in many glues and paints.

3.    Anthurium
Anthuriums bear heart-shaped red flowers and leaves, complemented with standing-at-attention yellow centers, like little exclamation points. The blooms last for weeks. Also known as the flamingo flower, this colorful houseplants’ dark leaves also suck up a multitude of common VOCs.

4.    Ferns
Ferns’ lacy, exuberant leaves catch attention in any space, and best of all, ferns are some of the easiest houseplants to care for. They add instant texture and color to a room, and their leaves also rid the air of common indoor pollutants such as toulene and xylene, found in many paints, nail polishes and glues.

5.    ZZ Plant
ZZ plant, also part of Costa Farms’ Plants of Steel collection, excels in nearly any location, even dark corners of offices and homes. Its shiny, dark-green leaves also clean the air of common air pollutants to keep indoor air clean as can be.

Get Kids Involved
Through the month of April, kids and families can make every day an Earth Day. Look for Costa Farms’ ‘O2 for You’ Plant Party houseplants in kid-friendly containers that come with Let’s Have a Party sticker books. They’re ready for kids of all ages to personalize. Choose from more than 10 varieties of Plant Party houseplants, available at your nearest home improvement centers and mass merchandisers. From snake plants to ferns, these little green heroes bring a little green into your home all year.

Learn more about how houseplants clean air here: http://www.costafarms.com.

About Costa Farms
Costa Farms is the largest producer of indoor houseplants in the world. Founded in 1961 by Jose Costa, Costa Farms is a third-generation, family-owned business that globally stretches over 3,800 acres and employs 2,800 people. Along with thriving indoor, bedding and perennial plant divisions, Costa Farms operations are located in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina, and abroad in the Dominican Republic, and Far East. Learn more about Costa Farms at http://www.costafarms.com.

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