Tay Miaw Lang

“I really enjoy the scenery at the Curtin Malaysia campus, especially the greenery and lakes surrounding it. As a nature lover, I also keep little pots of succulents and cacti at my workstation. Besides looking adorable, they help purify the air and remove harmful toxins. I fell in love with these little plants when I started to plant a couple of them early last year. I have a few types of them – succulents, cacti and lithops.

“Succulents are plants that have parts that are thicker and fleshier than normal plants, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. They are also known as water storage plants. Lithops are often known as pebble plants or living stones. Indoor cacti are cactus that can be grown indoors, are smaller than normal cacti, and are easy to care for.

“We breathe in oxygen and release carbon dioxide into the environment. During the day, plants do the opposite, absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing more oxygen into the air. During the night, this photosynthesis process ceases, except when it comes to certain succulents and cacti, which continue to release oxygen throughout the night. Let’s start potting to bring more green and fresh air to our living environment.” –Tay Miaw Lang, Application Development Officer, ICT Department