Project 1:

The Benefits of Plants

Freewrite 1

As I was reading through the instructions for this assignment, I felt as though I was at a buffet with too many options and a plate that is not big enough. There are so many things in this beautiful world that truly fascinate me. I then realized that just as you can go back for seconds at a buffet, I know there will be many more opportunities for me to write about topics that interest me.

The first thing that comes to my mind is plants. Mainly because as I sit at my desk, I can’t help but notice my Peace Lily that is drooping, again! I am pretty sure that I just watered it on Monday, then again, I thought today was Thursday, so who knows. I often find myself asking, how is it so complicated to keep something that should be so simple alive? Surely water, soil, and sunlight are all it takes to grow thriving indoor plants. Yet I seem to have a black thumb, either by overwatering them or not watering them enough. My mom talks to her plants, I used to look at her strangely when she would do so. But now I am starting to wonder if that is why some of my plants have not survived.

My fascination with plants only started once I had moved to the USA. I came over on a cultural exchange program right after I had graduated from high school. I had left my family, friends, and everything that was familiar to me behind. I lived with a host family so I couldn’t bring everything but the kitchen sink as they say. The only possessions I had, were two suitcases that were filled to the brim. As the excitement of living in a new country had settled down, I started missing my family a lot more than I had anticipated. My mom purchased a plant and had it delivered to me. She said to keep it in my room and whenever I caught a glimpse of it, to remember that they are thinking of me. It may sound strange, but that plant became my best friend. It's funny how a living thing without a heartbeat can make you feel as though you are not completely alone.

A few years and many plants later, here I am. I currently own 4 real plants that have names, Lola, Coco, Gigi, and Olive. Lola is my latest addition, it is a pineapple plant. Did you know that pineapple plants take 2 years to produce fruit? It serves as my daily reminder that beautiful things take time. In today’s world where we could almost easily get access to anything we want, we have become a very impatient generation. This plant, in particular, has taught me to stop, and appreciate the process.

I will also admit that I own a handful of artificial plants because they are the greatest thing since cakes in a mug were invented. Some people may say I'm cheating for having artificial plants but I am so intrigued them, especially the ones that look so realistic. Please tell me I am not the only one who has accidentally torn a leaf at someone’s house to check if the plant is real or not, I am embarrassed to admit that.

As a photographer and someone who has a passion for art, I like to document things by either sketching my ideas or taking photos of things that I’d like to remember. As a mom would take photos of her child growing, I take photos of my plants so that I can look back at their growth and also be proud that I have kept them alive thus far.

I look forward to researching my topic more and hopefully, I will have a green thumb at the end of this semester.

Inquiry 1

Topic: The Benefits of Plants.

1. Title: Cleaning The Air

This article goes over how many plants are really needed to purify the air inside of a small living area. This is a question that many plant enthusiasts such as myself have wondered about. Is that one Peace Lilly really enough to purify the air, or, would I need 500 of them?

Work Cited

Wong, J. (2020). Cleaning the air. New Scientist, 247(3290), 21. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0262-4079(20)31204-5

(Links to an external site.)

2. Title: The Self-Care Cookbook: Easy Healing Plant-Based Recipes

I chose this article as it is a reminder that plants can benefit us in multiple ways, this article focuses on a holistic approach to cooking and how plant-based diets can be beneficial to our overall health.

Work Cited

Lowe-Wincentsen, D. (2020). The Self-Care Cookbook: Easy Healing Plant-Based Recipes. Library Journal, 145(8), 88–89.

3. Title: Plants in the Workplace: The Effects of Plant Density on Productivity, Attitudes, and Perceptions

I found this article interesting because they conducted an experiment to measure how indoor plants have an effect on productivity, attitude, and the overall mood of people in the workplace. The end results were not exactly what I was expecting. The number of plants did not correlate with their productivity; however, some participants had a sense of comfort in the rooms which had plants present.

Work Cited

Larsen, L., Adams, J., Deal, B., Kweon, B. S., & Tyler, E. (1998). Plants in the Workplace: The Effects of Plant Density on Productivity, Attitudes, and Perceptions. Environment and Behavior, 30(3), 261–281. https://doi.org/10.1177/001391659803000301

4. A review on traditionally used South African medicinal plants, their secondary metabolites and their potential development into anticancer agents.

This article stuck out to me because I was born and raised in South Africa. I am also interested in a more natural form of medicine, I believe it is beneficial especially in third world countries where the majority of the population do not have access to the medication that we have here in the USA. The article discusses the use of South African plants (approximately 22,755 different plant species) for the treatment of cancer, the downside unfortunately is that the use of plants for cancer treatment has been poorly documented in South Africa.

Work Cited

Twilley, D., Rademan, S., & Lall, N. (2020). A review on traditionally used South African medicinal plants, their secondary metabolites and their potential development into anticancer agents. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 261, N.PAG. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2020.113101

(Links to an external site.)

5. Title: Efficacy and safety of catnip (Nepeta cataria) as a novel filth fly repellent

I decided on writing more about this particular article because I have had an interest in Nepeta cataria (Catnip) since last Christmas when I bought a Catnip toy for my parents’ cat. I was not fully aware of the effect that it has on cats until we gave it to him. It is like Marijuana for cats to say the least. He spent a solid hour drooling, purring, and staring off into the distance once he got his paws on the toy, I believe it was his first experience with catnip, one we certainly won’t forget. I started questioning whether it should be legal or not. Surprisingly, this article doesn’t cover the effects on cats, rather the repellency on the house and stable flies. While I do not own a cat, I do happen to have those unwanted and unpleasant little flying nuisances that pop by here and there, and they don’t pay rent, so they are not welcome. I expressed my interest in plants in my Freewrite 1 Assignment, so having a plant around that has multiple purposes sounds intriguing to me.

This article is about an experiment that was conducted on catnip essential oil which has been reported as an “effective mosquito repellent.” The objective of the experiment was to test the repellency against the house and stable flies. As the authors mention in the introduction (Page 209) “Flies are capable of becoming contaminated with more than 100 different pathogens (such as Salmonella and Campylobacter) that cause enteric infections and lead to the development of diseases in both humans and animals” As one can imagine in a third world country where the majority, if the population are already susceptible to diseases, reducing the transmission of diseases through flies and mosquitos, could be the saving grace that they need. With that being said, as one can expect, they conducted tests to see what if any effects that the catnip oil has on human skin. As stated on page 213 “the study also aimed to evaluate the safety profile of catnip oil as a repellent before designating it as a safe alternative repellent against biting insects for practical application on humans and animals.” They found that the catnip oil caused minor skin irritation, which in the bigger picture of things, I would choose that over contracting a disease from the flies.

In conclusion, I was not aware that the Nepeta cataria had additional benefits other than taking your cat to another universe. Nepeta cataria can in fact be used as a natural repellent against mosquitos and flies, however, it may cause minor skin irritation. After reading this article I am left with a few questions, could Catnip potentially replace other repellants that are on the market? Furthermore, what effect would catnip oil that has been used as a repellent on human skin have on cats? Would one attract cats from afar? If it was only recently discovered as a repellent, it left me wondering what other plants may have good or bad effects on animals and humans? What other benefits have we yet to discover from plants?

Work Cited

Zhu, J. J., Zeng, X. P., Berkebile, D., DU, H. J., Tong, Y., & Qian, K. (2009). Efficacy and safety of catnip (Nepeta cataria) as a novel filth fly repellent. Medical and veterinary entomology, 23(3), 209–216. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2009.00809.x

Experiment 1

INTRODUCTION/PREWRITING:

I have decided to stick with plants as my topic because as someone who has only recently dived deeper into the care and nurturing of plants, there are so many unanswered questions and things I’d like to learn about them. While I was researching my topic on plants through the library resources tab for my Inquiry 1 Assignment, I came across a very interesting article in which an experiment was conducted to measure how indoor plants affect the productivity, attitudes, and perceptions of people in the workplace. That leads me to wonder what is the reasoning behind people owning indoor plants whether it be at home, at work, or even in a restaurant. We are surrounded by outdoor plants, why are people spending money on plants for indoors? Is it for aesthetics, to purify the air, or perhaps because it’s a trend and makes great material for Instagram posts?

I took a moment to think about why I own the plants that I have, both the real and artificial. I have a Peace Lilly which is known for purifying the air, they are also a low maintenance house plant that works well for me. I have a clear bowl filled with white pebbles and about 12 fake succulents sitting on my desk, they are purely for looks. Honestly, I thought they were just taking up space so I tried removing them off of my desk for a day, but something didn’t feel quite right, I put a notepad where they were to fill up the spot. I ended up putting them back, they may be fake but they sure do make my workspace feel lively. As for my pineapple plant, I couldn’t bring myself to leave the store without one in my hand, I have no idea how to care for it, but I do know there is a sweet reward at the end if I am able to give it the nurturing that it needs. I like the responsibility of keeping it alive to enjoy the fruit.

QUESTION:

What is the greatest reason for people purchasing and owning house plants? For the health benefits, trend, comfort, or the responsibility of keeping them alive?

HYPOTHESIS:

I believe that the majority of people who participate in my survey will respond that they own plants because of their benefits to purify the air, while few will respond that they own plants just for their looks.

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE:

Equipment: I decided to conduct my experiment by creating a survey on google forms to gather feedback from family and friends all over the world. I made sure to send the questionnaire to people from various countries so that my experiment includes a variety of people who live in different climates.

Procedure: I will create a survey, in which people will have the opportunity to participate and provide feedback on why they own house plants or if they own any at all. Once a participant opens the survey they will have 3 simple questions to answer. I will create my survey in a way that a participant will only see certain sections based on their answers, for example, the first and most obvious question that I will ask is if they own a house plant? If they answer yes, they will able to continue with the survey, if the answer was no, the survey will end for them and they will be documented as taking part in the survey and fall into the pool of people who do not own plants. The same procedure will happen for the remaining two questions, do they own more artificial or real plants? If they answer that they have more real plants it will take them to the final question, where they will have the opportunity to pick from a variety of possible reasons as to why they own house plants.

I will analyze the responses throughout the day and take notes on what I see. Once I close out the survey, I will be able to evaluate the results and have a better understanding as to what is the greatest reason behind people purchasing and owning house plants.

RESULTS & DISCUSSION:

Once I had opened up my survey for participants to take part in it. I decided to analyze the results throughout the day to get a general idea of whether I was on track to prove my hypothesis to be correct.

For the first hour of my survey being open, 50% of people who own real house plants reported that their main reason for owning them was to improve their mood. I was surprised to find that only 12.5% have them for the health benefits, while 37.5% reported that they have them purely for looks, trend, and décor.

I checked up on the results in the middle of the day and was surprised by what I saw. I observed that owning a house plant for improving their mood was still in the lead with 42.9%, with looks, trend, and décor not far behind at 35.7%, health benefits coming in second to last at 16.7% and a new choice was answered, a few people had responded that they like the responsibility of taking care of plants.

At the end of the day, I closed the survey down with a total of 85 responses. As seen in (Fig. 1) out of the 85 participants, 83.5% (71 participants) own artificial or real plants while 16.5% (14 participants) do not own any plants. In (Fig. 2) we see that 83.1% own more real plants while the remaining 16.9% own more artificial plants. I was very surprised by the responses as seen in (Fig. 3) coming in at the lead with 40.7% of people responded that they own house plants because they improve their mood, with 35.6% owning them because of looks, trend, and décor. The real shocker to me was that only 16.9% of people who own house plants own them because of their health benefits. 5.1% like the responsibility of taking care of plants and 1.7% reported that they are more productive with house plants around.

While the main question in my experiment was answered, I wanted to dive deeper into the reasoning behind why people didn’t pick health benefits as their number one choice for owning house plants. A few of the people had told me that it is stressful trying to keep a plant alive, which I resonate with, others said that they purchased their plants for their looks and hadn’t thought of them as improving the air in their home.

CONCLUSION:

The majority of people who own real plants own them because they improve their mood.

(Figure 1)

(Figure 2)

(Figure 3)

Studio 1

ANNE'S CHRISTMAS MARKET REVELATION

Why on earth is he taking his time? (QUEST) Anne finds herself stuck behind a tall gentleman with dark hair and broad shoulders, strolling toward the platform that she is headed to. He seems to be in no rush at all, it is as if he wants time to slow down. She finds her patience is slowly running out as she hears the final call for her train over the intercom (SOUND 1). The terminal looks like a page out of Where’s Wally? Anne is wearing a bright apple red coat, to match her new red lipstick. She sticks out amongst the hustle and bustle of crowds trying to navigate their way through the terminal. Finally, the man who seems to be in no hurry at all turns and stops at a newspaper stand, she uses the opportunity to pick up her pace and get ahead of him. As she brushes past him, she catches a smell of his cologne, a hint of sandalwood and eucalyptus (SMELL 1).

As Anne approaches the antique steam train, she catches a glimpse of the stoker shoveling coal into the boiler's firebox, causing a bright, orange flame to burst out (LIGHT 1). She feels the heat of the broiler, from a distance, it feels like a hint of summer (WEATHER 1). Understandably, the stoker looks beat, his face is barely recognizable with coal smothered across his forehead and chin (EXHAUST). She stops for a moment to show her gratitude for the men and women who are working on Christmas eve. The train conductor shouts “all abroad” one final time, followed by “mind the gap” as Anne steps onto the old train (WARN). The passenger coach is poorly lit and most of the seats are taken up (LIGHT 2). As she manages to make her way down the aisle to find an empty seat she notices an empty window seat next to an old man. She keeps her eye on the seat as she approaches it. Once she gets to her desired spot, she politely asks the old man if she may take a seat (STRANGE). He stares at her bright red lips, pauses for a moment, and frowns as he tries to understand her question. She is taken back as she didn’t expect a frown, she was assuming he would respond with a polite yes. She gazes around to look for another seat, the old man realizes that she misunderstood him (MISUNDER). He uses sign language to direct her to the seat next to him. She realizes that he is deaf and tries her best to sign a thank you (TRANS). As she sits down, his face lights up and he smiles. At that moment she is reminded that kindness is a universal language that everyone understands.

She feels a sense of excitement (EXHIL) as the train starts to rumble. Her eyes are fixed are on the clock hanging on the terminal wall (WALL). Three more hours to midnight. She feels a sense of relief as she is finally on vacation, headed toward a magical place. She settles into her seat and takes in the atmosphere. The train puffs out steam and honks the horn (SOUND 2) Anne can hear the conversation between a mom and her son who are seated across the aisle from her and the old man. The little boy is inquisitive (NAIV) asking his mom about the picture of the Stonehenge in England (FACTS) on the front of the brochure that she is holding. He bombards her with questions “But how did they get there mom? Why did they place them like that? Can we go there?” The mom smiles and responds “Son, we are headed there, let’s look at the map and plan our route.” (PLAN) Anne smiles at the thought of the son visiting the stone hedge in person. She has fond memories of visiting historical architectural sites with her parents. She can’t help but notice a cat on a leash, laying calmly on his owner’s lap, with his eyes wide open. How is he so calm? She thinks to herself. His eyes meet with hers, as she gets a closer look at what in its owners’ hand, catnip (INQUIRY 1) chews. That makes sense, how else would a cat be so clam on such a bumpy ride. It also explains the peculiar smell on the train (SMELL 2) She starts to wonder if the cat is perhaps a Christmas gift for a loved one, as she gets lost in thought she slowly drifts into a peaceful sleep.

Anne is awoken by screeching breaks (SOUND 3) and a bright illuminated “Welcome to the Enchanted Christmas Market” sign (LIGHT 3) As she steps off the train (TRIP) she instantly hit with the smell of freshly popped buttery popcorn (SMELL 3) She closes her eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath in, she is instantly taken back to the memories of her Christmas’s spent at granny and grandpa’s (HOME) while Frank Sinatra (LEGEND) is playing in the background. She feels like a character out of Hallmark Christmas Movie (CHAR) As per tradition she heads to the “Mrs. Clause’s Made with Love” food stand to indulge in her favorite Christmas treat, a freshly baked gingerbread cookie (FOOD). Once she has the delicious warm treat along with hot cocoa, she heads to her favorite spot that overlooks the village. She takes a moment to admire the Christmas lights (LIGHT 4) that reflect on the glistening snow (WEATHER 2) She mumbles to herself, “That’s a sight for sore eyes.” (SAYING). She takes a sip of her hot cocoa, warming her soul, it takes her back to her summer that she spent in sunny Mexico (WEATHER 3).

Anne then makes her way to the Christmas tree field where there stands somewhat over 500 freshly cut Christmas trees. As a plant enthusiast, she can't help but want to be closer to them. She closes her eyes once again and takes a deep breath to smell the pine (SMELL 4) in the crisp cold air (WEATHER 4). She opens her eyes to the sight of children huddled together singing Christmas carols (SOUND 4). While she walks amongst the trees, she smells something familiar; pine with hints of sandalwood and eucalyptus (SMELL 5). She overhears a man speaking about World War 1, the war that ended in 1918 (STORY). “How could someone talk about something as cold and cruel as the war during such a festive time?”, she thought to herself. He goes on to explain that he is leaving for Vietnam the following morning and that he wanted his last night before heading to war to be one of cheer, love, and laughter (INTERP). She peaks her head around the tree to put a face to the voice, there’s something familiar about him, tall, broad shoulders. She suddenly has an (EPIPHANY). Her eyes widen as she realizes it was the man who was strolling his way through the terminal, the man who she was stuck behind and frustrated with. She instantly feels guilty for judging his character from the terminal to behind the Christmas tree (MISINTERP). Anne realizes that her vacation has just started, while his is ending (ATMOS). His eyes are bright, she sees the reflection of the shining star that is on top of the Christmas tree in his eyes (LIGHT 5), she also sees a sense of uncertainty in his eyes (FEAR). He has a strong jawline and distinct features that make him look like a soldier ready for battle. While she is trying to go unnoticed as he continues to tell of his duty to serve, a gust of wind (WEATHER 5) blows through the village. Her coat strap blows and gets tangled between the tinsel and branches of the tree that she is hiding behind, she tries to get herself untangled but only tangles herself up even more. She is embarrassed as the man who she was admiring was now chuckling (SOUND 5) as he reassured her that he would get her untangled (HELP).

“I’m Jimmy”, the soldier introduces himself as he works around getting her coat strap untangled from the tree. Anne still feeling embarrassed with cheeks flushed red responds to the gentlemen, “Thank you but I don’t need help, I can handle this” (BODY) while she is clearly still in a tangle. “You look familiar, aren’t you the lady who was in a hurry, huffing and puffing behind me at the terminal?” Anne slowly nods, she is not able to handle the embarrassment, she wants to crawl into the nearest ditch. Jimmy sets her free and smiles “You still look beautiful, even when you’re frustrated.” That set the mood for the remainder of the evening. Anne and Jimmy spent the rest of the evening getting to know one another. Eventually, the time came for them to depart their separate ways. Jimmy headed to war that he was uncertain he would return from, and Anne headed back to Pearl Harbor unknown to her, and the rest of the country, the unimaginable awaited them. Anne is left with asking herself, why on earth was I in such a hurry?

OPTION 2: THE TRAVEL NARRATIVE

Content Requirements:

_X_ 750-2000 words in any medium
*_X_Connects with current topic of inquiry in some way (INQUIRY)
*_X_Begins and ends with a question (QUEST)
_X_ No use of the word (or any derivative of the word) “travel” anywhere in the narrative
_X_ A place becomes a character (CHAR)
_X_ Strangers meet (STRANGE)
_X_ Translation (TRANS)
_X_ A Journey (TRIP)
_X_ A moment of misunderstanding (MISUNDER)
_X_ A helpful stranger (HELP)
_X_ A story from long ago (STORY)
_X_ 5 Distinctive Smells (SMELL 1, SMELL 2… SMELL 5)
_X_ 5 Distinctive Sounds (SOUND 1-5)
_X_ A moment of Interpretation (INTERP)
_X_ A moment of misinterpretation (MISINTERP)
_X_ Memories of home (HOME)
_X_ Something on a wall (WALL)
_X_ Atmospheres collide (ATMOS)
_X_ A Warning (WARN)
_X_ A Plan (PLAN)
_X_ An old saying (SAYING)
_X_ A recounting of archeological or architectural facts (FACTS)
_X_ A legend (LEGEND)
_X_ Fear (FEAR)
_X_ Exhaustion (EXHAUST)
_X_ Exhilaration (EXHIL)
_X_ Naiveté (NAIV)
_X_ Detailed encounter with food (FOOD)
_X_ Body language that contradicts words (BODY)
_X_ An epiphany (EPIPHANY)
_X_ 5 references to lighting (LIGHT 1-5)
_X_ 5 references to weather (WEATHER 1-5)

Formatting Specifications

_X_ Copy and paste this rule sheet at the end of your Studio 1 text
_X_ You should use an X to tick off all the rules as you follow them, leaving blank any rules that you are unable to follow. Please, be honest about this.
_X_ Use the parenthetical notations (IN ALL CAPS) to note where in the narrative you are following each rule; this is probably best done as you go though some students approach this task differently.
_X_ Follow as many of the rules as you can in a way that makes them feel natural and necessary to the telling of the story.
_X_ FOR PORTFOLIOS: Be sure to follow all rules noted in the rule sheet to avoid grade penalties.
_X_ Please post your Studio as a Reply to this forum.

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