Amid the worst wildfires in US history, much of Socal is being negatively impacted by LA smog & smoke that is blanketing our region.
With state authorities issuing public health alerts on poor air & water quality, now more than ever it’s so important to do whatever we can to mitigate pollutants from what we breathe or drink. US fires add billion of tons of CO2 to the atmosphere per recent year - more than any country except China! Intense fires such as LA's 2025 ones render longer-term changes in our scorched ecosystem as vegetation struggles to recover to once again remove enough carbon from the atmosphere to offset human CO2 emissions.
Wildfires spread via embers on the fly, landing on dry fuel such as dried palm leaves, conifers' needles, invasive grasses - as well as on buildings, which are typically the most combustible part of any lot. In contrast, succulents like Aloe & Kalanchoe store water as mini heat sinks and in a NASA study, were identified among the plants that were best at cleaning the air - of CO2 and other surprisingly common pollutants that build up indoors, such as formaldehyde.
While the NASA study on plants to combat indoor pollution recommends at least one plant per 100sf of floor - ie, at least 10 in a 1,000sf home - perhaps more is better in light of the fires. Luckily, most of the recommended plants not just GROW but are also easy to PROPAGATE and make perfect gifts that keep on giving! As such, in response to the LA fires, AQCUA is providing one key plant on NASA's air-purifying list: Sansevieria aka 'Snake Plant', albeit in timely commemoration of the year of the SNAKE. Happy 2025!
In addition to our 2025 Year of the Snake Plant, we also currently have super salt-tolerant vetiver available for a recommended donation of US $20 per gallon - same for various kitchen herbs (oregano, chives, thyme, rosemary, dill, basil, cilantro, mint, parsley), fruit trees, sweet potato vines, variegated Queensland arrowroot (Canna mactro), and red Dragon fruit.
