When I think of house plants, I immediately think of Jon Arbuckle tirelessly watering and talking to his ferns, trying to get them to grow.  Of course, he was always thwarted in his attempts.  But maybe Jon had the right idea...

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In a 1980s study conducted by NASA (yes, NASA! They were looking for ways to keep air inside orbiting space stations clean), researchers found that common house plants can help purify the air inside buildings by filtering chemicals like trichloroethylene, benzene, and formaldehyde from the air.

While there's currently some disagreement over whether or not house plants can actually improve indoor air quality, I'm inclined to believe that having plants in your living space provides some kind of benefit -- whether through improved air quality or just through improved mood.  And who can deny that a thriving plant makes a room look so much more inviting?

Your Green Goal this week?  Head to the nursery and pick out a plant!  Here are a few of our top picks for easy to care for house plants (unless you live with Garfield, that is):

Of course, if you have kids or pets, please take extra care in picking out plants as some can be toxic if eaten!