Most of the buildings in which human beings work and live, have too dry air with an excessive amount of CO2 and are polluted with dust particles which endanger their health. For this reason, we are developing ever more and more innovative filtration systems in order to keep the air clean inside the buildings.
It is nothing new that plants improve the air. What is new is the pioneering work of Lars Thofelt, who observed how tropical forests catch dust particles from the air, let them fall down with raindrops and finally create more soil. He used his insights to design a rainforest in miniature which can be cultivated in large buildings. A mix of tropical plants not only removes dust particles, but also keeps the humidity stable, binds CO2 and even toxic formaldehyde - all this at a much lower cost than energy wasting filter systems.
If these micro-rainforests are planted in schools, the children can not only study in a more healthy surrounding. Instead of studying uninspiring biology books, they have a close experience of the functioning of ecosystems within their daily life.
