All of us know that plants are important, but do we really know and understand just how important they really are? We say we do, and many people likely have a base knowledge of why plants are so important, but many people don’t act on this or demonstrate that they really understand the hugely important role that plants play in our lives. Many people may say, “Oh yeah, plants are really important because without plants there’s no food and without food, well…”. But the importance of green plants in our life goes so much further than that. Yes, plants give us food. They also provide us with oxygen, clean air to breathe, enhanced health, natural herbal remedies and medicines, and so much more in a world that is polluted, chemicalized, synthetic, and more or less detrimentally unhealthy.
Plants Provide the World with Food
Since this is the most obvious and straightforward benefit of plants, this is where we are going to begin. Plants not only provide sustenance in terms of fruits, vegetables, grains, and more, but they also provide us with protein. The cows in the field or the chickens on the farm all need something to eat too, and their nourishment also comes from plants. Even certain luxuries in many people's lives find their root in plants, whether it is beans from a coffee tree, tea from various leaves and flowers, or sweeteners of all sorts, whether it be cane sugar, coconut sugar, stevia, are all derived from plants!
Plants Provide Us with Oxygen to Breathe
As elementary as this is, it is also an irrefutable and incomparable benefit that truly demonstrates the importance of green plants in our lives. This is because, simply put, if there were no plants, there would also be no oxygen, which also means there would be no life!
Plants Purify the Air We Breathe
You may be thinking, isn’t this a bit redundant? It really isn't, actually, as creating oxygen is really quite different from air purification. Certain plants are better at this than others (we can’t all be experts at everything, can we?), but all plants do it to some extent. While plants create oxygen and release it into our environments for us to breathe and benefit from, they do not just create it out of thin air. In order for there to be an output, there must be an input, and what is that input you may ask? Chemicals!! Icky things in the air that we do not want to breathe and that are harmful to our bodies if we do. Such things include carbon dioxide, benzene, toluene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and other airborne toxins and pollutants. Many of these chemicals, though you may not know exactly what they are, are present in many of our household items, from the paint on our walls to the detergent we wash our clothes with. And while these toxins are nearly impossible to avoid, the presence of plants helps dilute their presence, creating a cleaner, healthier environment for you to live and breathe in. If you want to learn more about some of the best houseplants for purifying the air in your home, check out this blog!
Plants Increase Our Health in Countless Ways
Aside from creating oxygen and purifying the air we breathe, plants contribute to our health in a great number of different ways. Whether it is filling your home with living plants, gardening in your backyard, planting annual flowers in pots on your front porch, or spending time tending to your existing flowerbeds, it is proven that plants help reduce stress levels, contribute to a sharpened attention, help you recover from injury and illness quicker, increase your productivity, and improve your outlook on work and life as a whole. And this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the different ways that plants contribute to your overall health, mentally, physically, AND emotionally. If you would like more details on the importance of green plants in our life, read our blog on 20 reasons why plants are good for your health!
Let’s Get Planting!
With all of these benefits of plants, it is a wonder that more homes aren’t overflowing with plant life! It is also a wonder that more emphasis is not put on how important it is that we protect the land that makes growing plants of all kinds possible. Together we can help make a difference, and organic gardening is just one very feasible way to make a difference, today! With gardening also becoming somewhat of a lost art, we also understand that it may seem intimidating or too difficult to learn. That is why we are here! We are here to help you through every step of the process, whether it is starting your own garden, keeping your houseplants alive, or any other plant-related endeavors. So, please let us know if you have any questions or need some advice, and together we can take steps towards protecting our lands and encouraging a love for plants of all shapes, sizes, colors, and varieties!