Kinston Rotary inducts new leadership
When the Kinston Rotary Club met June 27, it swore in new officers and board members for the 2013-2014 club year.
Newly installed were Jamie Creel as president; Keith Hayes as secretary-treasurer; Bruce Parson, Jacque Passailaigue and Molly Taylor as board members; Dirk Griffith as vice president; and Steve Jefferson, past president.
The club meets at 1 p.m. Thursdays at King's Restaurant.
Family plans reunion
The family of John and Flossie Simmons will be celebrating 22 years of togetherness Friday through Sunday.
Activities will begin at 6 p.m. Friday with a fish fry and fellowship; and 9 a.m. Saturday at the Woodmen Community Center. The Simmons family will end the day Saturday and meet at the host reunion hotel, The Hampton Inn on 258 South, for further gathering. The family will convene on Sunday at Kings Chapel Church, 2109 Elijah Loftin Road.
For more information, contact Brenda McLamore at 954-864-2061.
Gardening Guru: Breathing easier indoors
Plants in our homes and offices are beneficial to our health and are important in maintaining the quality of indoor air. Research by NASA in the 1980s studied ways to purify air and confirmed that houseplants could remove some air pollutants.
Margaret Burchett is a plant scientist with the team of researchers at the University of Technology, Sydney Plant and Indoor Environmental Quality Group. Burchett reports that recent studies have shown the fungal spore count in rooms with plants are miniscule compared to the count in outdoor air. She reports that one breath outdoors is equal to about a day’s breathing indoors.
The research indicated that just three potted plants in an office space can reduce volatile organic compounds. Plants can also help stabilize humidity and temperature. By the process of transpiration, plants release moisture into the air. Growing plants in your office can help reduce noise, dust and reduce carbon dioxide.
Plants can absorb and degrade some of the volatile organic compounds that are emitted from plastics, synthetics, electronic equipment, carpet and furniture. Included in the volatile organic compounds are xylene, benzene and formaldehyde.
Vigorously growing plants work with roots and potting soil to remove air pollutants in a confined space. Toxins are taken into plant leaves and transported down into the roots. Micro-organisms in the soil use very small amounts of these materials as a food source by breaking them down. Increasing the soil contact with air increases the effectiveness.
Improved air quality is just one reason to grow plants indoors. Next time you need a gift, look for a healthy houseplant to share.
Peg Godwin is horticulture agent, Lenoir County Cooperative Extension Center. Reach her at Peg_Godwin@ncsu.edu or 252-527-2191.