I came across this ANDREA Air Purifier on inhabitat and couldn't quite get my head around it. See the video making some astonishing claims here.
- How can sticking a plant inside an albeit nice and futuristic pot with an electric fan and light boost the positive effect of an indoor plant by 1000 fold? How is this additional use of power and resources good for the environment?
- How can that little fan actually blow air through the actual soil? How loose would the soil particles have to be before it can no longer actually support the plant?
- And how does blowing air across the water tray (under the soil) help purify the air in any additionally significant way?
I can't help but think this is another pointless design with dubious benefits; wrapped up in a nice pseudo-science snake-oil sales pitch (any pitch that uses the word "detoxify" is suspect in my books.) This object will cost more resources to manufacture, ship and operate than a common old pot plant. And it will create significantly more waste.
What if I just grew a bunch of pot plants and stuck a desk fan next to them, and add a couple of trays of water? Less tidy for sure.
Can anyone please explain this to me? This could be an elaborate hoax of course.
ANDREA Air Purifier via Inhabitat. Pot plant (on the right) via Shutterstock.
