Are houseplants good for us and the environment?
There's no place like home. It's the place where we're surrounded by our possessions and creature comforts. We purchase things to give our homes a personal touch and create a certain ambience. And one thing we're buying more of is houseplants. But are these 'living' additions to our homes good for us and the environment?
Houseplants, also known as pot plants, have Instagram-friendly appeal; add a natural touch and they have the ability to brighten up a room on a budget.
The Royal Horticultural Society found that nearly 72% of adults in the UK had a houseplant in their home, with this figure rising to 80% of 16-24 year olds. A fifth of owners also said they use plants in the home to boost their health and well-being. And average sales last year were up on the previous year.
It seems millennials are driving the growth in the sales of houseplants. According to research by The Economist, more young people are living in flats without a garden. 24 year-old Daisy Hale told the BBC "being able to care for something but not having too much commitment - I guess that's a classic millennial line - is ideal for my lifestyle."
From hanging baskets, to cacti and succulent ferns, the choice of vegetation is endless. They are easy to care for, and there have been unproven claims that they improve the air quality in our home.
But whatever their benefits, there are now concerns that they might not be so good for the environment. Some are bought online and shipped from overseas. Fay Kenworthy, co-founder of PlantSwap, a community initiative that encourages people to trade plants locally, told the BBC "this could rack up 'plant miles'".
But botanist and BBC presenter James Wong argues that home delivery has less of an environmental impact than multiple trips to the garden centre in a car. Although he's not too concerned about the environmental impact, others are worried about the plastic pots they are in and the type of peat that some of them are grown in.
However, a sustainable approach to buying them may be the best way forward if we want to introduce some natural greenery into our homes.
词汇表
creature comforts [ˈkriːtʃə(r) ˈkʌmfəts] 物质享受，舒适的生活设施
personal touch 个人风格，个性化色彩
ambience [ˈæmbiəns] n. 气氛，情调，环境氛围
houseplant [ˈhaʊsplɑːnt] n. 室内植物，盆栽植物
pot plant [ˈpɒt] 盆栽植物
natural touch 自然气息，自然之美
brighten up [ˈbraɪtn] （通过装饰或设计等）点缀，增色，使焕发生机
on a budget [ˈbʌdʒɪt] 经济实惠地，在预算有限的情况下
Royal Horticultural Society [ˈrɔɪəl ˌhɔːtɪˈkʌltʃərəl] 英国皇家园艺学会
millennial [mɪˈleniəl] n. 千禧一代（约1981–1996年出生的人）
commitment [kəˈmɪtmənt] n. 承诺，投入，责任
hanging basket [ˈhæŋɪŋ ˈbɑːskɪt] 悬挂花篮，吊篮
cacti [ˈkæktaɪ] n. 仙人掌（cactus ['kæktəs] 的复数）
succulent fern [ˈsʌkjələnt fɜːn] 多肉蕨类植物
vegetation [ˌvedʒəˈteɪʃn] n. 植物，植被
unproven claim [ˌʌnˈpruːvn kleɪm] 未经证实的说法/主张
rack up [ræk] 提高，增加（费用、里程等）
plant miles 植物里程（指植物从产地运输到消费者手中经过的距离）
botanist [ˈbɒtənɪst] n. 植物学家
home delivery [dɪˈlɪvəri] 送货上门，送货到家
garden centre 园艺中心，花卉商店
peat [piːt] n. 泥炭，泥煤
greenery [ˈɡriːnəri] n. 绿色植物；绿意，生机
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