Greenery and plant life has been shown to increase quality of life and overall wellness in classroom and work environments (Erzsebet et al. 7; Pitts 2). Specifically, many ornamental plants have unique roles in filtering toxic chemicals from ambient air (Erzsebet et al. 3). With a recent push to increase student involvement in a greener environment, in conjunction with the University of North Florida’s Ogier Gardens, we focus here to determine and describe the most optimal plants to propagate and increase student engagement with. We chose Dracaena trifasciata, Chlorophytum comosum, and Philodendron hederaceum to research. Initially selecting these three popular ornamental plants based on their simple processes of water propagation (Damiano et al. 6) and a non-demanding upkeep routine (Gilman 1; Damiano et al. 1), further research was done to integrate and summarize all current information on their specific effects on classroom/workplace success. The presence of D. trifasciata, C. comosum, and P. hederaceum was found to decrease ambient carcinogens and increase overall air quality (Erzsebet et al. 3), increase workplace and classroom engagement, satisfaction, positive affect, academic success, and more (Qin et al. 6; Pitts 2), and was even found to have a physiological basis of comfort and relaxation (Qin et al. 1). Our research indicates that the ease of propagation, upkeep, significant impact on classroom/workplace success, and an increase in overall wellness makes these plant species a great choice for devoting resources to propagate and subsequently positively influence the student population through further involvement.
