It’s been an animated week in pollution news form all around the world. In U.K. air pollution has been declared a national health emergency. A staggering 1000 people in London have died due to toxic particles in the capital’s air. Protestors in London staged a dramatic central London ‘die-in’ to urge their government to take action. Across the globe in New Delhi, India, the #OddEven rule was implemented the second time on city car owners to combat air pollution levels which are on an all time high level once more. Government has been phasing people into this practice for over 3 months now with favourable results. Moving over to Asia, reportedly, greenhouse gas emissions are rising in China (Source). It’s the most widely reported fact today that major urban centres of the world are reeling under air pollution- it’s our biggest challenge. We’re alert about the issues and have started proactively protecting ourselves from it. But what completely slips under the radar is Indoor Air Pollution. How many of us are aware that we’re equally susceptible if not more to harmful toxins & polluted air while sitting comfortably in the ‘safe’ environs of our homes & offices? The most ‘innocent’ of everyday use items like furniture, carpets, surface cleansers, electronics, detergents, even air conditioners are pollution triggers! The cleanest looking homes or the swankiest offices are no deterrent to this form of pollution which operates silently and covertly. The EPA, US estimates that the level of indoor air pollution can be 2 to 5 times higher than the pollution level outdoors (Source).
But UrbanMeisters.com has always been very alert to the problem. We’ve been giving you all the information on indoor pollution at home (read here) & offices (read here). Our team has also extensively given solutions to fight this indoor monster. Easy to follow tips to combat indoor air pollution at homes (read here) & at offices (read here). Time & again we give you updated information on the various elements that pollute indoor air. Just this week our guest writer wrote an informative piece on how air conditioning causes indoor pollution. So basically readers we have our finger on this pulse and we’ll keep giving you the latest updates on it. Because this is a big concern that we tend to overlook. Why is it important?

  • Average office goers in US spend about 8.7 hours at work (Source). Europe is not far behind either (Source).
  • Children spend more than 90% of their time indoors – at school or at home.

If we are all literally sitting at the source of pollution all day then it is a definite challenge. And one that we’ve taken with determination.
 

WHO ARE THE BAD GUYS?

Dust mites hiding your carpets, furniture, heating systems etc. VOCs from construction material, paints, glue & even cleaning products. Emissions from the army of electronics we have at home and offices. How can we forget pollutants added by us smoking, cooking etc. The list of pollutants indoors is endless! Bad ventilation and air insulation compounds the problem further.  All these are a big challenge for our already struggling respiratory and immune system.
By and large all the pollutants release the following bad guys in the indoor air which we breathe in:
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Home is the one place we should all feel completely safe in. We leave behind all worries of the world when we enter our homes so nothing should be allowed to disturb that peace and tranquility. How can we let harmful toxins to play havoc with indoor air and our health in turn. As it is the air outdoors effects us in such a terrible way causing much respiratory stress and many illnesses. At least home should be kept off limits from pollution. So that you can relax in peace and enjoy a quality life. And then your work space too is a problem area. After all you spend so much time in there working hard, making a career. Apart from the fact that indoor pollution in offices poses health issues, it also adversely effects your performance and hampers ability to work better. Can you let that pass then?

« GREEN LUNGS » FOR INDOORS- AIRY

The most reasonable solution forwarded to combat indoor pollution is ventilation. And it is essential to ventilate indoors periodically. But is that the most effective way in this day and age when the outdoor air itself is heavy in toxins and impurities? One of the best remedies is keeping indoor plants that purify air naturally. While all plants help clean air, NASA Clean Air Study has found that some plants clean air more effectively then others! These are our saviours with roots. The study also revealed that 90% of this purification process happens in the plant’s roots. Now imagine a plant pot that increases the plant’s capacity to purify the air? Enter AIRY– the small wonder as we call it! A plant pot that enables your indoor plants to better clean the air by ventilating their roots because a key requirement for plants to act as air cleaners is that their roots should be able to breathe properly. And AIRY does that for you and much more! You’ll say it’s just a plant pot- what can it do that regular pots can’t? Well the following:

  • Re-codes the air in your environment and neutralises the toxins.
  • Produces fresh, clean air.
  • Has its own energy source and is off the grid – it needs no power.
  • No filter-change is required.
  • Waters your plant even when you’re away travelling! 
Now you know why we call it Superhero Airy?
When the NASA study was released at the turn of the millennium, Helge Knickmeier, the inventor of AIRY set about making an innovative plant pot that could act as enabler for plants to purify air by ventilating their root system. Helge has suffered allergies to solvents and detergents all his life. Hay Fever was another health problem. Not surprisingly, he was fed up of not being able to breathe clean air- never outdoors and not even at home or office. Taking matters into his own hands he joined forces with two other innovators and et voilà! AIRY was born!
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The founding team of AIRY GreenTech GmbH: Peer-Arne Böttcher, Kai Pohlmann and Helge Knickmeier (left to right)
 

HOW DOES AIRY WORK?

The plant-friendly AIRY pot is a unique air cleaning system, which utilizes the bio-power of indoor plants. AIRY  does this by ventilating the roots. The air reaches the roots through vents in the flower pot and a stack effect washes the roots with it. Through this unique process, the roots can de-tox the air much quicker and more effectively.

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AIRY is designed in such a way so as to facilitate ventilation of plant roots by what is called the STACK EFFECT. There are 3 small vents at the bottom of the pot through which the air travels upward between the inner shell and the outer pot. It is further allowed to escape through the gaps in the outer rims of the pot. Enabled by this design and by other factors like differences in air pressure and room temperature, the stack effect sets in motion in the plant pot. As a result, roots of the plant absorb environmental toxins significantly faster. In your regular plant pot, the roots are enclosed from all sides which does not allow for proper ventilation. When the roots don’t breathe freely, the air cleansing properties of the plant go down. AIRY’s design gives it that quality to enable root ventilation and dance the purification process is strengthened. You can watch a video on the workings of the stack effect here.

AIRY is the only plant-pot in the world that powerfully enhances the scientifically proven natural air cleansing properties of indoor plants. A single in-door plant growing in an AIRY is 8 times more effective in purifying your air from the bad guys shown on top than one growing in an ordinary plant pot.

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AIRY- THE PROVEN SMART GREEN CHOICE

AIRY is an internationally patented system for air purification that verifiably purifies the air of pollutants by means of indoor plants. One whole system which consists of the plant, soil and pot, can neutralize around 75 % of most dangerous environmental toxins. Tests have shown it takes just 24 hours in a room of the size of 16 square metre. Several independent scientific studies at prestigious institutions like University of Beijing, TÜV Nord & EPEA Umweltinstitut have confirmed the effectiveness of the AIRY system (Source).  In 2015, Helge  optimized the AIRY system with the assistance of the internationally renowned product designer Ämilios Grohmann.

The plant is compact and great looking- often a concern with home owners. But worry not, AIRY comes in a 14 different colours, s you are sure to find one that suits your indoors. It’s round in shape and made of polypropylene plastic. The biggest model’s inner diameter is 22cm making it suitable for even full grown plants. The company is also planning a range in wood and other sustainable materials.

AIRY works on bio-filtering technology instead of a power plug. So essentially it doesn’t use power or electricity hence doesn’t cause any pollution of it’s own! In fact, in an AIRY pot the plant transforms pollutants into usable nutrients without any residue. Didn’t we tell you it’s the smartest green choice for a happy home and a healthy work place?!
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EVEN YOUR PLANT FEELS HAPPIER IN AN AIRY!

Apart from the fact that it’s a truly innovative product, AIRY provides your plant with ideal conditions for growth. Comparative tests between AIRY and conventional plant pots show that plants grow faster, bigger & healthier in an AIRY. And of course their air purification properties become 8 times better than normal! It’s easy to pot the plant in AIRY- same as any other plant pot but your maintenance work is far lower. You see AIRY comes with built in water reservoir of 2.4 litres so even when you’re unavailable your plant never goes unwatered. Typically the watering interval goes down to once in every 4-6 weeks.
The plant pot can be filled with any type of soil available in the market like Hydroponics, Sera- mis, Lechuza-Pon, or Coco Substrates free of humus.  Though AIRY makers recommend soil substrate because it’s the perfect source of life for plants and soil organisms and does not require much care on top. Then another great feature is that AIRY requires no repotting which is a constant effort with ordinary plant pots. You see the ventilation in this special pot regulates the root growth so that as soon as they touch the vents in the pot and sense air, they stop growing in length but instead branch out in the entire potting soil. A plant can enjoy and feel good in an AIRY plant pot for years!

Shop for your AIRY today here. The average price is Euro 80 and all prices are inclusive of VAT and shipping costs. And we have a very special offer for our readers. Subscribe to our newsletter Free Bee here and you will get a 10% special discount on your purchase of AIRY. So sign-up now and enjoy the healthy feeling of clean fresh air at your home and office.
With AIRY, the plant is Happy. The air is Pure. The home is Safe. And we are Healthy. What more could one ask for?! Get your AIRY today and make the indoor air at home and office breathable once more. We leave you now in this quick video with the founding Team of Airy:

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(NOTE: All images are sourced from AIRY.de)
 

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