Are you thinking about your New Year’s Resolution for 2016? You are in good company. Forty five percent of all Americans make at least one resolution. If you’re struggling with your resolution, blame the Babylonians. Four thousand years ago, they made promises to their gods hoping to win their favor in the coming year. Their most common pledge: to get debt free.

Today, the most common resolutions have to do with health: losing weight, exercising more, eating healthier, drinking less alcohol, quitting smoking, and managing stress (source: Marist University poll).

Only half of us are still keeping our resolution six months later. Only one in ten people manage to make a permanent change.

What’s the secret to keeping your resolution? Two things: sharing your resolution with others and getting support; and making only one simple resolution instead of several.

Good Earth Plant Company has a suggestion for you. Our resolution is simple, it’s something you do every day. It will improve your health and your productivity. You might even make more money?
Resolve to breathe better in 2016.

Air pollution, even in a relatively clean city like San Diego as compared to a city choked with smog like Beijing or New Delhi, is a part of daily life for many of us. It can be at its worst inside, in your home and workplace. Poor indoor air quality can quickly ruin your health and wellbeing, and often you don’t even realize it. Add up the pollution caused by smoke, exhaust, household cleaners and chemicals, mold, toxic off-gassing from common things like carpet and furniture – it can add up to 30 million pollutants or dust particles per cubic foot going right into your lungs.

We often think we are safe inside. This traps you inside a closed system and without taking steps to clean the air the same dirty air keeps circulating. Since many Americans spend as much as 90 percent of their time indoors, making sure we have clean air inside our homes, offices, schools, hospitals, stores, and public meeting facilities is more important than ever.

The World Health Organization tells us two million people die every year from breathing small particulates in the air.

You can fix this. So why not resolve to make changes to allow you and everyone around you to breathe better in 2016? We rely more on circulating clean air and oxygen through our lungs than any other single thing we do. We can live several weeks without food; several days without water. We can’t live for more than a few minutes without breathing.

Over and over, we are learning from scientific research the vital role of good indoor air quality in increasing our productivity, mental efficiency, creativity, and overall wellbeing. When we take things a step further and introduce living green plants into the indoor air system, oxygen and humidity levels rise, carbon dioxide decreases and we are able to function physically and mentally at our full capacity.
So why not make a New Years Resolution for 2016 you can actually keep, just by resolving to pay attention to the air your breathe daily and do something to improve it? Here are a few tips from Good Earth Plant Company to get you started.

Take steps to cut down your exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in cleaning products, polishes and paints. Avoid products with chlorine or ammonia. Choose products labeled “low VOC” or “no VOC.” Buy fragrance free cleaners. Consider liquids or pastes instead of sprays which disperse fewer particles into the air.

If San Diego gets more than its share of rain this winter and spring, it will be especially important to check for leaks and damp areas. Mold spores can take hold and then travel through the air into the rest of your home or office. When you make these fixes, it is also a good time to clean humidifiers or air conditioners and HVAC system filters to make sure residual mold isn’t trapped in them.

Avoid using indoor pesticides when possible. Integrated pest management or IPM can be very effective. Try to control insects with bait or other methods.

Air cleaning devices and air purifiers can help, but they have limits. They cannot remove gases or humidity, and many destructive particles are too heavy and fall onto surfaces before air cleaners can grab them.

Consider replacing old carpet or reducing the amount of carpet. Carpet traps unhealthy particulates including chemicals, dust mites, dirt, mold and fungi. Vacuuming can send all that stuff airborne, eww.
Add plants. From numerous studies, we know plants clean the air, add oxygen and humidity, and improve your indoor environment. This doesn’t count the psychological and creativity benefits. How many plants are recommended? Former NASA air quality researcher Dr. Bill Wolverton says his studies recommend one plant be used per 100 square feet, or 15 plants spread through the average single family house. Here are a few ideas for easy care plants.

So resolve to do just a few things to improve your air quality and breathe easier in 2016 and beyond as your New Year’s Resolution. You might actually keep this resolution, and you could even be inspired to go back and keep all those other resolutions about improving your diet or exercising more or stop smoking thanks to all the oxygen making you feel so great.

If you could use a hand improving your indoor environment in 2016 with potted plants or a living wall, get in touch with us at Good Earth Plant Company. Our experts can survey your interior spaces and make recommendations for beautiful, healthy results.