by Brianna Crandall — September 21, 2018 — Greenstreet Growers, a provider of eco-friendly, high-quality plant material, and Mark Prescott of Air8Green have announced a groundbreaking new venture in all-natural air purification technology: brēth. By leveraging a patented technology for expediting active photosynthesis, the brēth air purifier unit reportedly packs the cleaning power of almost 200 houseplants into three brēth plants.
The all-natural brēth air purifier balances nature, science and design. Image courtesy Greenstreet Growers
brēth is designed to eliminate harmful indoor pollutants by targeting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from man-made materials found in common household and office items, such as furniture, paint, particle board and electronics. During recent testing, brēth was able to remove over 70 percent of formaldehyde introduced into its airspace, claims the company. brēth’s proprietary technology filters and purifies the surrounding air and captures harmful compounds within a room or office. The unit then delivers these VOCs straight to the plant roots (rhizosphere), which convert the toxins into organic compounds that then nourish the plants and purify the air.
Mark Prescott, co-founder of brēth, remarked:
Modern building design has created excellent energy efficiency but has left inhabitants in chemical-laden and unhealthy stagnant environments due to the increased airtight residential and office structures. The average American spends 90 percent of their time indoors, breathing these toxins. brēth is a miniature ecosystem that greatly improves a plant’s ability to remove indoor air pollution. This is the most natural purification mechanism that biology provides us to clean indoor environments.
The brēth designers cite a NASA Clean Air Study found that common indoor houseplants provide a natural way to remove toxins from the air. The brēth technology was created in response to this study, and aims to improve the air quality in indoor environments where people spend most of their time.
Ray Greenstreet, co-founder of brēth, added:
brēth doesn’t require a green thumb — in fact, these plants are hard to kill. We recognize that the demands of life and work often leave little time to think about plant maintenance, which is why we designed brēth to only require watering every 10 days and minimal trimming. The worry-free, foolproof technology takes care of the rest.
Easy to use for plant novices, brēth’s sensors monitor water levels and notify you through a paired smartphone application as well as an external light indicator on the side of the unit. The app also measures how effectively the surrounding air is being purified.
The full-spectrum light-emitting diode (LED) integrated into the air purifier unit is engineered to deliver the perfect amount of light, and can be set to automatically turn on and off with its timer function.
brēth and the Bonobo Conservation Institute expressed excitement at announcing their partnership in this venture. BCI’s mission is to protect endangered bonobos [pygmy chimpanzees] and preserve their tropical rainforest habitat. Five percent of sales from the Kickstarter campaign generated by Bonobo will be donated to support rainforest conservation and the creation of the Bonobo Peace Forest in the Congo Basin.
BCI founder and president Sally Jewell Coxe commented:
The brēth concept and technology are brilliant! This is a marvelous opportunity to create a healthier environment for yourself and for the world — and to help save humankind’s closest relative, the bonobo. By having a mini rainforest in your home or office, you can help protect the real rainforest in the Congo, which sequesters billions of tons of carbon and produces oxygen the whole world needs to survive.
A limited number of brēth units will be available for purchase at 50% off the retail price during the 30-day Kickstarter campaign , which began September 13.
brēth (see video) is manufactured and sold by Air8Green and marketed by Wexler.
