As 10 melhores plantas para dentro de casa: naturais, ecofriendly e anti-poluição

Eu vi este artigo no Huffington Post e achei que vocês gostariam dele.

Foi publicado pelo "The New Ecologist".

Top 10 Natural, Eco-Friendly and Anti-Pollutant Houseplants

Posted on Jul 07, 2009 |

– Get rid of indoor pollution in a natural way

You must have spent practically thousands of dollars to buy the latest vacuum cleaner and the latest floor cleaners that help you keep your house clean.

However, there comes a time when these machines fail to work leaving you to the unhealthy dust particles and other pollutants in your house. Rather than artificial machines, you must opt for natural pollution fighters that come in the form of plants.

These plants are quiet unlike the noisy machines when you switch them off. Moreover, you do not have to throw hundreds of dollars to repair them. Re-growing the plants is very much simple.

Hence, to get rid of pollution in your house in a natural way, you must go through the top 10 houseplants that you can buy.

1.The Feston Rose plant

( photo by parkseed )

While looking for a houseplant, you generally prefer the one’s that need the lowest maintenance. One such houseplant is Lantana camara or the feston rose plant. The most fantastic feature of this plant is that it bears innumerable flowers of variegated colors.

This houseplant brilliantly tolerates highly saline conditions, lack of water, scorching heat and billowing winds. The leaves of this houseplant bear a very strong and pleasant aroma. This houseplant not only purifies the air in your house but also leaves a beautiful aroma.

2. The Devil’s ivy

( photo by jayjayc )

Also known as the Golden Pothos and scientifically termed as Epipiremnum Aureum, the Devil’s ivy is a beautiful vine plant with leaves that are marbled and golden in color as per the name.

Even if this plant is not taken care off, it thrives on and continues growing. This plant acts as an excellent natural anti-pollutant against common pollutants like benzene, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide. If kept on a top shelf, this plant climbs down as it matures. However, you should take care that this plant is not ingested in any way even by your own pet dog.

3.Phalaenopsis

( photo by mendelu )

This houseplant proudly bears the loveliest white and pink hued flowers. It has very few fleshy leaves at its base. This houseplant possesses a rhizome that looks like a stem.

Since this houseplant cannot tolerant direct sunlight, you can place this beautiful houseplant in the artificial light in your house.

With its beautiful flowers, this plant will surely enhance the beauty of your home and also purify the air inside your house. The houseplant itself is very small but the flowers are relatively big and marvelous.

4. The English Ivy

( photo by eco-friendly-promos )

An ideal houseplant for people who have pets. Scientifically termed as Hedera Helix, this plant is known to filter indoor pollutants like fecal particles, formaldehyde aerosols and much more and keep your house toxin free.

However, English ivy occupies a lot of place and hence care should be taken while you cultivate this plant. There are several different species of the English ivy that have different leaf shape, size and color.

Growing beautifully in the bright sun but not under direct sun light, English ivy grows preferably in soil that is well drained. Care should be taken while placing English ivy indoors because it is poisonous.

5. The Parlor ivy

( photo by mgonline )

Also known as the heartleaf Philodendron, the parlor ivy proves to be a beautiful house plant that is equally useful in cleaning up the air in your house. As the name suggests, this plant has small deep green colored heart shape leaves that simply mesmerize you and the onlookers and guests too.

Scientifically termed as Philodendron Scandens, this beautiful climbing plant is easier to grow and much easier to maintain. It successfully filters out unwanted and harmful chemicals in your household making the air fresh and healthy to breathe in.

6. The African Violets

One of the most beautiful houseplants, African Violets make your house appear prettier and also fresher. Scientifically termed as the Saintpaulia species, this houseplant has really pretty violet flowers that simply awe you.

The African violets are available in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. To propagate these plants, all you need is leaf cuttings. These plants grow beautifully in moderate light and temperature. However, you should take care that these beautiful plants are not infested with those pathetic mealybugs.

7. The Christmas Cactus

( photo by bombippy )

Unlike its name, this plant is neither a Christmas tree nor a cactus. Moreover, this plant blooms beautiful during Christmas time and hence can prove to be a great Christmas gift.

The blooms are beautiful violet, pink, red, oranges, fuschia colored glossy flowers. The leaves of the Christmas cactus are pointed and lobed. The simple Y-shape cuttings of this plant can give you yet another beautiful Christmas cactus. This plant needs adequate amount of light and water.

8. The Yellow Goddess

So very much like its name, this plant seems to be blessed by the Goddess of the color yellow because of the lovely yellow flowers that this plant proudly possesses.

With a beautiful green color at the base, these trumpet shaped flowers simply take your breath away. This plant has several different hybrids bearing large flowers or miniature flowers.

You can see the beautiful bulb growth just after 6-7 weeks of potting this beautiful plant. This plant needs bright light but not directly from the sun. What makes this houseplant an excellent choice is its small size and comparatively big showy beautiful yellow flowers.

9.The Garlic vine

If you are truly a lover of garlic and onion, then this houseplant is just for you. This houseplant, as the name suggests, its leaves and flowers smell like garlic and little bit of onion when they are crushed thoroughly. This houseplant is scientifically termed as Mansoa alliacea.

Everyone very well knows the use of garlic as a placebo for innumerable health conditions. Even this plant can be used for the same. You can use the leaves, roots, flowers, etc., to treat cold, fever, sore throat and other breathing problems.

Many people suggest that this houseplant pushes out all the bad luck from your house. It bears beautiful lavender hued bell shaped flowers. Garlic vine serves a two in one purpose of air purification and treatments.

10. The Peace Lily

( photo by movingtoanapartment )

With a certainly befitting name, the Peace Lily bears beautiful white flowers, the color of truce and peace, calm and serenity. Scientifically termed as Spathiphyllum, this beautiful houseplant has flowers that surround the spadix and are oval in shape.

These flowers come right out of the plant’s base increasing the beauty of the houseplant. The flowers have a soft leathery feel when touched. This beautiful flower bearing houseplant is very much easier to grow.

The blooms grow fantastically under moderate to low light intensity. This houseplant needs significantly moist soil to grow on. If you are an ardent nail polish user, then you must be aware of the effects caused by that smell.

The nail polishes, paints, other solvents and adhesives contain harmful pollutants like benzene, toluene and xylene. These pollutants are successfully filtered out in the ambience of your house by the beautiful Peace lily houseplant. To prevent sun burn, you must place the peace lilies away from the direct sunlight.

Buying any of the above top 10 houseplants would ensure that the ambience of your house remains pure and fresh.

Visite www.TheNewEcologist.com

Piracicaba

Minha família é piracicabana de origem.

O primeiro Silva Gordo no Brasil, Antônio José da Silva Gordo é fundador de Limeira.

Suas filhas gêmeas, Maria Ignês e Adelaide Benvinda, casaram com os irmãos Moraes Barros. A primeira com Manoel, Senador da República e Adelaide Benvinda com Prudente, primeiro presidente civil do Brasil.

Meu avô paterno, José (Juquinha) era neto de José Antônio e sua mulher, vovó Calú (Carolina), era neta de Marianna, os dois filhos do primeiro casamento de Antônio José. Vovó Calú era nascida em Piracicaba.

O pai de vovó Calú, Adolpho Nardÿ de Vasconcellos faleceu como presidente da Câmara Municipal de Piracicaba, e foi enterrado com todas as glórias e pompas, com desfile pelas principais ruas da cidade e feriado municipal decretado.

Em 1969, meu pai, José Adolpho da Silva Gordo, comprou a Usina Monte Alegre (que veio dentro da Refinadora Paulista, que ele adquiriu da família Morganti) e em 1970 o Engenho Central de Piracicaba (que veio com a aquisição da Societe de Sucreries Brésiliennes, que ele nacionalizou e transformou em Usina Brasileiras de Açúcar).

Desde então nossa relação com a cidade de nossos antepassados se estreitou ainda mais, se tornando uma relação mais emocional e mais participativa.

Papai, que era um piracicabano honorário apaixonado, cedeu por preço abaixo do mercado as terras que formaram o Distrito Industrial, criado no gestão do Prefeito Maluf.

Com o crescimento da cidade, as terras das duas usinas acabaram por tolher o crescimento urbano de Piracicaba.

Devido a isso, papai se viu forçado a desenvolver as terras mais próximas da cidade, criando os loteamentos de Terras de Engenho, Santa Rosa (com terras do Engenho Central) e Santa Rita (com terras da Usina Monte Alegre).

Com a venda destas terras e com a impossibilidade de se continuar a transportar cana por dentro da cidade para alimentar a moenda do Engenho Central, papai fechou o Engenho e transferiu sua quota de produção e seu equipamento para a Usina Tamoio de Araraquara.

Da mesma forma, a Usina Monte Alegre foi vendida para a família Ometto e as terras mais distantes da cidade foram vendidas para a Usina Costa Pinto e para Dovílio Ometto, então diretor da Dedini.

Conosco permaneceu a sede da Monte Alegre, a igreja e o escritório. Temos também algum terrenos urbanos, pontas de fazendas que permaneceram conosco.

Os prédios do Engenho Central foram desapropriados pela prefeitura municipal.

Com a doença e o falecimento do meu pai, coube a mim terminar de arrumar o que sobrou desse patrimônio, dando a estes terrenos e prédios uma utilização, que pretendo fazer de modo que beneficie toda a população da cidade e deixe um marco definitivo de nossa passagem por Piracicaba.

Ontem mesmo estive em Piracicaba aonde me reuni com o Presidente do Lar dos Velhinhos, Dr. Jairo Mattos.

Quando papai faleceu a 4 anos atrás, mamãe e eu mostramos a intenção de vir a doar a sede da Monte Alegre para o Lar dos Velhinhos de Piracicaba.

Agora o que eu pretendo fazer, é fornecer ao Lar dos Velhinhos um projeto de aproveitamento desse patrimônio, que venha a fornecer uma receita constante para a manutenção da entidade, evitando assim que sua diretoria tenha que desviar sua atenção e seus esforços para o fechamento mensal de suas necessidades de caixa.

Juntamente com esse projeto de aproveitamento para o Lar dos Velhinho, estou planejando com o arquiteto Prof. André Blanco da Unicamp, com quem acabo de assinar um contrato, uma utilização de uma área nossa no Boulevard de acesso ao Engenho Central. É nossa idéia e somar os nossos esforços ao do Prefeito Barjas para revitalizar toda essa área, transformando-a em um Polo Cultural do Estado de São Paulo.

Nos escritórios da Monte Alegre pretendemos criar um Polo Ecológico (o termo ainda não é definitivo) para São Paulo.

Começamos ontem o planejamento, e vou colocando aqui o progresso conforme for sendo realizado.

Prometo que na próxima postagem vou escrever em um protuguês menos empolado.

(Esse texto está sendo postado simultâneamente no Blog Me Lembro)

foto de Christino Diehi

Perigo, perigo

Não sei vocês, mas para mim isso tem um cheiro de Dr. Sylvana tentando eliminar a raça humana ou algo do gênero.

Estão fazendo um projeto de lançar um número imenso de satélites com um sistema de espelhos para captar a luz solar e transmitir a energia para a terra.

A companhia que tem esse projeto fala porém em utilizar esses satelites para controlar o clima no planeta todo.

Na minha opinião é mais perigoso do que qualquer "Guerra nas Estrelas" nuclear.

Para a notícia na integra eu coloquei o link abaixo,


http://io9.com/5217903/solar-farms-step-one-in-world-domination

Presidente Obama, se apresse porque os ingleses começaram na frente.

A Inglaterra vai dar uma vantagem de £5.000 para quem comprar carro elétrico.

Nos Estados Unidos a GM, a um passo da falência, já tem um modelo pronto para ser produzido em suas fábricas.

Não seria o momento do governo americano dar um incentivo para a compra de carros elétrico como os ingleses estão fazendo?

Seria muito mais produtivo dar dinheiro para o público comprar carros que poderiam colocar a GM de volta no mercado, do que dar dinheiro para tentar slavar a companhia.

Presidente Obama, a saída da crise é o novo paradigma ecológico.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8001254.stm

FREE AT LAST

Como alcançar uma independência energética genuina.

Artigo de Fareed Zakaria na Newsweek


http://www.newsweek.com/id/192479

The Green - Sundance Channel

http://www.sundancechannel.com/thegreen/#/homePage

Do Liberation (França)

http://www.liberation.fr/economie/0601788-l-electricite-solaire-est-encore-dans-l-enfance

From The Huffington Post

Study: Arctic Sea Ice Melting Faster Than Expected

RANDOLPH E. SCHMID | April 3, 2009 01:03 AM EST |

In this July 11, 2008 photo, a giant glacier is seen making its way to the waters of Croaker Bay on Devon Island. Arctic sea ice is melting so fast most of it could be gone in 30 years, according to a new report to be released Friday, April 3, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward, File)

WASHINGTON — Arctic sea ice is melting so fast most of it could be gone in 30 years. A new analysis of changing conditions in the region, using complex computer models of weather and climate, says conditions that had been forecast by the end of the century could occur much sooner.

A change in the amount of ice is important because the white surface reflects sunlight back into space. When ice is replaced by dark ocean water that sunlight can be absorbed, warming the water and increasing the warming of the planet.

The finding adds to concern about climate change caused by human activities such as burning fossil fuels, a problem that has begun receiving more attention in the Obama administration and is part of the G20 discussions under way in London.

"Due to the recent loss of sea ice, the 2005-2008 autumn central Arctic surface air temperatures were greater than 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) above" what would be expected, the new study reports.

That amount of temperature increase had been expected by the year 2070.

The new report by Muyin Wang of the Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Ocean and James E. Overland of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, appears in Friday's edition of the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

They expect the area covered by summer sea ice to decline from about 2.8 million square miles normally to 620,000 square miles within 30 years.

Last year's summer minimum was 1.8 million square miles in September, second lowest only to 2007 which had a minimum of 1.65 million square miles, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

The Center said Arctic sea ice reached its winter maximum for this year at 5.8 million square miles on Feb. 28. That was 278,000 square miles below the 1979-2000 average making it the fifth lowest on record. The six lowest maximums since 1979 have all occurred in the last six years.

Overland and Wang combined sea-ice observations with six complex computer models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to reach their conclusions. Combining several computer models helps avoid uncertainties caused by natural variability.

Much of the remaining ice would be north of Canada and Greenland, with much less between Alaska and Russia in the Pacific Arctic.

"The Arctic is often called the Earth's refrigerator because the sea ice helps cool the planet by reflecting the sun's radiation back into space," Wang said in a statement. "With less ice, the sun's warmth is instead absorbed by the open water, contributing to warmer temperatures in the water and the air."

The study was supported by the NOAA Climate Change Program Office, the Institute for the Study of the Ocean and Atmosphere and the U.S. Department of Energy.

___

On the Net:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Ocean: http://jisao.washington.edu/

National Snow and Ice Data Center: http://nsidc.org/

Geophysical Research Letters: http://www.agu.org/journals/gl/

Um Site Interessante

Vale a pena visitar esse site.

É sobre um projeto conjunto de alunos da University of North Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Comunication e da Facultad de Comunicación da Universidade de Los Andes, de Santiago, Chile.


http://www.southofhere.org/#