The pandemic brought more attention to the need for clean air, but health-threatening pollutants, irritants and particles were already a serious problem before COVID-19. Viruses and bacteria are an issue, but so are rising pollution levels in cities, overall poor indoor air quality and the effects of climate change. All of these factors made the need for a next-generation approach to air purification even more urgent, and OneLife X addresses each of these challenges. 

“At OneLife, we believe people have a right to clean air, and our mission is to fight invisible contaminants in indoor spaces so people can live healthier, more productive lives,” Burkhardt observed. “We know we’ve only got one planet, so we have to protect Earth too. That’s why we built OneLife X using sustainable materials and designed a power-efficient air purifier with a reusable filter so there’s no need to replace disposable filters every few months and create more landfill waste. That’s how we save lives and save the planet.” 

OneLife X removes viruses and bacteria, ultrafine dust, pollen, mold spores, dust mites and other pollutants from the air, catching even the smallest particles with zero-pollution technology. Users can just rinse the reusable filter or wash it in the dishwasher, saving money while reducing environmentally damaging waste. Built sustainably from renewable materials like bamboo, OneLife X is highly energy efficient with a low-power profile that runs absolutely silently. 

“Other features that set OneLife X apart include its beautiful design, quiet operation and connectivity capabilities,” said OneLife CEO Christoph Burkhardt. “In addition to the revolutionary health tech science that powers its incredible efficiency and effectiveness in removing indoor contaminants, OneLife X is designed to fit seamlessly and beautifully into users’ lives. It looks like a work of art, it’s virtually silent, and it connects to nearly all home devices.” 

Users can control OneLife X by voice via Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home assistant, Apple’s Siri or via an iOS or Android app. Users can switch device modes, ask about filter status and inquire about indoor air quality by voice or the touch of a screen. Users can also control OneLife X operation from a display panel, set it to automatic mode for ultra-quiet performance all the time or use its unique sleeping mode, which promotes full recovery while users sleep for the best possible air quality.

OneLife will exhibit its breakthrough OneLife X device at the all-digital CES event in Las Vegas, which takes place January 05-08, 2022. Customers can join our website www.onelife.eco for product facts and updates on the OneLife X.

About OneLife 

OneLife is on a mission to revolutionize the health tech industry starting with the air we breathe. OneLife’s team of engineers, air quality experts and design pioneers builds innovative products that promote wellness while protecting the planet. Created with meticulous German engineering that integrates smart digital technologies with intuitive design, OneLife solutions are sustainable and groundbreakingly efficient, allowing everyone to live their one life while protecting the one planet we all share. The company’s groundbreaking OneLife X is the most efficient air purifier ever invented and delivers clinically clean air 24/7. Find out more at www.onelife.eco. 

Press Kit available at:
https://onelife.eco/media/

SOURCE OneLife

Originally Appeared Here

Yakima City officials are hoping you’ll give some help to the people collecting your garbage.

Create some space free of snow around your container

Yakima’s Refuse Division is continuing work in the city despite the heavy snow so there asking that you provide some clear space around your garbage container so the equipment can dump your garbage.
In fact the city issued a press release Monday;

City officials say the pickup schedule is being impacted by weather

To provide the best service possible, the City of Yakima’s Refuse Division is asking customers during winter weather to do the following:

Make sure garbage carts are accessible and clear of all snow and ice at the curbside
Keep a 36-inch wide path around the carts to enable equipment to safely pick them up
If your cart is not collected on the normal pick-up day, leave it so it can be collected later
Do not jam garbage into carts.

If you live on a hill city officials say bag your garbage

If you live on steep terrain, please bag your garbage. Operators may need to drive a smaller refuse vehicle to retrieve your garbage. Having it bagged allows operators to remove refuse from a cart in a safe and timely manner.
Avoid parking on the street on collection days to ensure access to your garbage cart.“Ice and snow cause driving problems for everyone and when you drive a 30-ton garbage truck, it can be especially challenging,” said Communications & Public Affairs Director Randy Beehler. “We appreciate the public’s assistance in helping us help them.”

Garbage pickup could be suspended because of the weather

While trying to maintain regular schedules, garbage collection could be suspended if a street is considered unsafe due to snow and icy conditions. If you have any questions, please contact the City of Yakima Refuse Division at 509-575-6005.

KEEP READING: See 25 natural ways to boost your immune system

 

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YouGov investigated the most popular dining brands in the country, and Stacker compiled the list to give readers context on the findings. Read on to look through America’s vast and divergent variety of restaurants—maybe you’ll even find a favorite or two.

Originally Appeared Here

Slot machines at Sycuan Casino. Courtesy of the casino

The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency was continuing Tuesday to investigate a person at Sycuan Casino who was recently diagnosed with tuberculosis and may have exposed patrons and employees.

According to the HHSA, the dates of exposure were from April 1 to Dec. 9. HHSA representatives said they are working with Sycuan Casino officials to notify those who were potentially exposed.

Tuberculosis is transmitted from person to person through indoor air during prolonged contact with an infectious person. The exposure risk for patrons was low due to COVID-19 safety measures like masks, social distancing and divider walls in place at the casino, according to the HHSA.

“While many people exposed to tuberculosis do not become infected, some will be, and an early infection may not show any symptoms,” Dr. Cameron Kaiser, county deputy public health officer, said in a statement. “Although we don’t think this is a high-risk exposure, testing is recommended for employees who may have been exposed to the infected individual for a significant period of time.”

Symptoms of infectious tuberculosis include persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss. People with symptoms of TB, or who are immune-compromised and may not show obvious symptoms, should consult their medical provider to be evaluated. Tuberculosis can be cured with an extended course of specific antibiotics.

More information on the potential exposure is available by contacting the San Diego County TB Control Program at 619-692-8621.

According to the HHSA, tuberculosis is common in the San Diego region and, although decreasing since the early 1990s, case counts have stabilized in recent years. In 2020, 192 cases were reported in San Diego County. Last year’s TB case numbers have not been finalized yet, but so far, 164 cases have been reported in 2021.

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© Ying Feng Johansson

A webinar hosted by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) heard that the pace of change in workplaces over the next decade would be ‘astounding’, as office buildings that fail to comply with health and wellbeing regulations will become redundant

‘Reducing carbon emissions and improving user experience’

Frances Brown, senior associate at the engineering practice Hoare Lea said: “Employers now need to treat staff as customers…and health and wellbeing is a big selling point.

“We are moving towards a service model for workspaces and people will want to get what they are paying for, including the right indoor environment, rather than just a physical space.”

She also added that future workspaces would have to use digital systems to provide users with up-to-the-minute information about indoor conditions so they could decide “where to work and what is best for the planet” on a day-to-day basis.

Eventually, this decision could be made by algorithm, and workspaces that don’t meet the aspirations of users would become redundant.

Brown stated: “The current rate of learning for our industry is phenomenal. We are now able to study performance data in much greater detail both to help reduce carbon emissions and improve the user experience.

“So, you have to ask, will we still be building new offices from steel, glass, and concrete in the future?”

Safe havens

BESA’s head of technical Graeme Fox, commented that it is increasingly important that buildings found a way to demonstrate they were ‘safe havens’ from conditions that could be harmful to health and wellbeing including poor indoor air quality (IAQ).

QR codes can now be more widely used to provide visitors with real-time information about the indoor conditions allowing them to decide about whether to enter a building or not.

The role of light on wellbeing

Ruth Kelly Waskett, president of the Society of Light and Lighting (SLL) stated: “Daylight is one of the biggest components of a healthy office because it gives us a connection to the outdoors and has a direct impact on our sleep patterns.

“Circadian rhythms are disrupted by artificial light and there are some very scary statistics about cancer in shift workers. We must design workspaces that give people access to natural light and make greater use of smart lighting to improve working conditions.”

‘Modular approaches that improve flexibility’

Jordan Jeewood, product marketing executive at Mitsubishi Electric, said the industry should make more use of “modular approaches that improve flexibility” in offices.

He commented: “This will help to improve whole-life carbon performance and affect the construction materials and the type of products used to keep occupants comfortable in the building. All manufacturers are now working on the embodied carbon of their equipment.”

Mitsubishi Electric has also produced a White Paper on ‘The Future Office’, which flags up the product choices and design challenges facing building engineers as they wrestle with less predictable occupancy levels while simultaneously trying to drive down carbon emissions.

“It is really important that we don’t make office spaces worse just to save energy,” Hoare Lea’s Brown told the BESA webinar. “We need to keep measuring and monitoring, especially around IAQ. CO2 monitoring can help you design your control systems so you only install what you need and don’t over-ventilate. It is all about doing enough; not doing too much these days.

“That’s where the data comes in and helps us to get that balance right. Modular is a good approach, but we also have ways of making central systems work better for office buildings. The system no longer needs to be either on or off.”

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Originally Appeared Here

On Twitter, Kathie Dello, the state climatologist, noted the unprecedented temperatures on Jan. 1.

On the first day of 2022, the neighbors’ air conditioners were running. The temperature at Raleigh-Durham International Airport hit 78 degrees, a record for the date; at 1:51 p.m. the high humidity even produced a heat index of 79. A heat index. In January.

This was a redux of December 2021, the third-warmest December at RDU and Fayetteville since records were kept, according to the National Weather Service, and the second-warmest at the Greensboro station.

While not every meteorological blip can be attributed to climate change, the patterns are clear and troubling: The weather is warmer and wilder, and more often destructive.

Late last year, a drought in North Carolina contributed to dozens of wildfires, including a 1,000-acre blaze at Pilot Mountain. The drought drags on: As of Dec. 28, 2021, all 100 counties in the state were in some stage of drought, half of them classified as severe. (Today’s torrential rains will likely change the drought status for several counties; a new report comes out every Wednesday.)

Climate change and its effects will continue to be the most pressing environmental issue of 2022, not just in North Carolina, but also worldwide. How we tackle the existential threat to humanity depends on overcoming political resistance and inertia. The state’s Clean Energy Plan, while ambitious, still falls short.  Turning out the lights at night in state buildings, while admirable, fails to hold corporations accountable for their substantial role in the crisis. The plan focuses on reducing and eliminating carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants — laudable — but it doesn’t fully address methane emissions from natural gas and biogas.

In addition to climate change, North Carolina faces several environmental crises: Perfluorinated compounds in drinking water. The proliferation of the mining industry, subject to anemic regulations rivaled only by those governing the poultry sector, which have virtually none. Hazardous waste, air pollution, environmental justice. All of it, and all but ignored by state lawmakers.

That’s where regular North Carolinians come in: Monitoring, reporting, complaining, protecting, advocating for themselves their neighborhoods, their futures.

Here are four major environmental issues to watch in 2022. As the year progresses, the list will certainly grow.

PFAS, GenX, Chemours and the snail-like pace toward regulation

This spring the EPA plans to announce a new — and much more stringent — health advisory goal for GenX, a type of PFAS, or perfluorinated/ poly-alkylfluorinated compound. That’s the good news. Chemours will likely be required to offer alternate water supplies to even more well owners whose drinking water the company contaminated.

The bad news is a health advisory goal is not legally enforceable, and setting one — known as a maximum contaminant threshold — for GenX and two other types of PFAS will take several years. More bad news: There are 5,000-plus types of PFAS, and unless the EPA regulates them as a class, doing so individually will take, well we’ll all be pushing up daisies by the time that happens.

On Dec. 28, the EPA announced it would grant a petition from six environmental groups in southeastern North Carolina, which had asked the agency to require toxicity testing of 54 types of PFAS. The EPA’s announcement, though, was a half-truth. The agency will require Chemours to test only nine PFAS; the toxicity of roughly two-dozen others will be extrapolated from existing studies. Nine additional PFAS could be studied in the future, and 15 did not meet the criteria, the EPA said.

Environmental groups were outraged, noting that the agency’s proposal fell far short of the petition’s requests. Dana Sargent of Cape Fear River Watch posted on Twitter: “As the director of an environmental nonprofit who trusted the folks of this EPA to do the right thing, I am furious. As a poisoned community member grieving the loss of a firefighter brother whose cancer could be explained by this data, I am heartbroken.”

In other Chemours news, ever recalcitrant, the company is taking the NC Department of Environmental Quality to court over a $300,000 fine the agency assessed the company over air pollution. The contested case hearing before an administrative law judge has not been scheduled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fuel to the climate change fire: biogas, wood pellets 

Montauk Renewables representatives spoke to residents of Turkey, in Sampson County, about a proposed facility that would process hog waste and other organic matter, like saw grass, into beneficial products, allegedly without emitting air pollution or wastewater discharge. (Photo: Lisa Sorg)

In the Sampson County town of Turkey, Montauk Renewable Energy plans to haul hog waste from area lagoons (likely in a vacuum truck to avoid potentially slickening Highway 24 with manure from semis) to a former furniture factory on the town’s west side. There tons of waste would be processed through a closed-loop system to turn manure into compost and other beneficial materials — allegedly without producing harmful emissions.

At a public meeting last month, Joe Carroll and Martin Redeker, the latter of whom invented the technology, explained the process, and brought jars of compost and processed hog manure to prove the materials didn’t smell. (It didn’t.) The company has a small test site in Magnolia that turns hog waste energy into electricity that it then sells to the grid; Four County electric co-op has a substation next door. The Turkey site, if it receives all required permits, could still produce biogas, possibly to power the building. At this point, no major pipeline infrastructure is planned.

Turkey residents are concerned about potential odor, flies and traffic, as well as the fact the town would be sandwiched between two hog waste/biogas facilities. A couple of miles east on Highway 24, Align RNG, a partnership between Smithfield Foods and Dominion Energy, will collect biogas from at last count, 15 (as yet mostly unidentified) hog farms outfitted with digesters on their lagoons. The gas from the lagoons will be sent through new pipelines in Sampson and Duplin counties to the Align RNG facility, and from there, injected into a conventional natural gas pipeline.

Opponents of the Align RNG project point out that 1) it still puts the state on track to rely on natural gas infrastructure, and 2) solidifies the outdated system of disposing waste in lagoons. Leftover waste is still held in open pits that stink, and it is still sprayed on fields, which can harm water quality and contaminate drinking water wells.

Enviva’s four wood pellet plants — in predominantly Black and Latinx communities in Hertford, Northampton, Sampson and Richmond counties — continue to burn North Carolina trees to burn for fuel in Europe. Not only does the wood pellet industry contribute to carbon emissions, the timbering for the fuel source removes vital natural flood protection. But Active Energy’s proposed wood pellet plant in Lumberton, in Robeson County, appears to be kaput. In May 2021 the company received a Notice of Violation from DEQ even before the plant operated; its engineers changed the production process without notifying DEQ, a process that would have increased harmful air emissions. Since then, Active Energy temporarily moved to Maine, where its CoalSwitch technology also failed. Shares of the company, traded on the London Stock Exchange, are down 54% since October; investors are griping about promises that have yet to come true. Meanwhile, Lumberton residents, many of them members of the Lumbee tribe, are relieved that their community won’t be burdened with more air pollution.

Mining and mystery drilling

Hundreds of people attended a public hearing in Gastonia, most of them opposed to a proposed lithium mine near Cherryville. (Photos: Lisa Sorg)

One of the most-anticipated DEQ decisions for 2022 involves a proposed behemoth lithium mine near Cherryville, in Gaston County. At a public hearing in November, hundreds of residents turned out to oppose the 1,500-acre mine, fearing contamination of the groundwater and private drinking water wells.

Piedmont Lithium, the company behind the mine, has contracted with Tesla to provide the essential element for electric car batteries. Unlike vehicles that run on fossil fuels, electric cars don’t emit pollutants from their tailpipes — pollutants that contribute to climate change.

However, extractive industries, like mining, still exact an environmental toll. New technologies could provide companies with less damaging ways to get at the lithium, but miners must learn from their coal and petroleum counterparts, whose practices — mountaintop removal, oil spills — have destroyed neighborhoods and shorelines, harmed public health and decimated ecosystems.

DEQ is expected to announce its decision before spring; Gaston County officials, though, will likely weigh in. And opponents can still delay the permit via the courts.

Residents of Hamptonville, in Yadkin County, could know the outcome of the mystery drilling that’s been happening on 700 acres of farmland since last spring. Residents — 44 of them adjoining the land — are concerned drilling could threaten their drinking water wells. Jack Martin of Synergy Materials has refused to disclose what he’s found or even what he’s looking for, but told Policy Watch and neighbors that once his investigation is complete, possibly this month, he’ll host a public meeting to unveil his plan. Granite? Silica? Lithium? Fracking?  The property is owned by former State Rep. Wilma Sherrill, but Synergy has an option to buy it.

Shortly before the holiday break, DEQ announced it had granted a  controversial mining permit to Carolina Sunrock for its 426-acre operation in Prospect Hill, in southeastern Caswell County. The mine, in the works since 2019, has divided the county: It was the subject of a zoning referendum, which narrowly failed; figured prominently in the 2020 county elections, resulting in a complaint by Bob Hall, former director of Democracy North Carolina, over allegations of illegal political advertising.

In what appears to be an intimidation tactic, Carolina Sunrock sued 55 people over their objections to the mine and associated asphalt plants in Prospect Hill and the Black community of Anderson Township. Represented by Durham attorney Bill Brian, Carolina Sunrock even subpoenaed private emails from resident Leslie Winner, among those spearheading opposition to the mine.

Residents have not decided whether to challenge the permit before an administrative law judge. 

The state Mining Act favors industry — Martin Marietta wrote the law — but it is possible to secure additional environmental protections. Snow Camp residents recently won concessions from DEQ and a different mining company in settlement that grew out of a contested case against the agency. And opponents of the Wake Stone quarry near Umstead State Park also scored a small victory when an administrative law judge ruled DEQ had erred in authorizing a buffer request for a bridge for their mining operation over the sensitive Crabtree Creek.

Critical cleanups: progress or stalemate?

The former ABC One-Hour Cleaners site in Jacksonville has been on the Superfund site for 33 years. Money from the federal infrastructure law will help pay for a cleanup. (File photo: Lisa Sorg)

Huntersville is heading into Year 2 of the aftermath of the Colonial Pipeline disaster that spilled at least 1.3 million gallons of gasoline in a residential neighborhood, including the Oehler Nature Preserve. The cleanup is nowhere close to being finished, and will likely take at least a decade. 

The spill occurred on Aug. 14, 2020, when a portion of the pipeline failed. The extent of the environmental damage — especially to the groundwater — is still unknown. DEQ has cited Colonial for failing to provide a full accounting of the spill, the largest such onshore accident since at least 1991. Nor is it clear why PFAS was found in runoff at the spill site and in water containing fire suppressant, when that material was advertised as PFAS-free.

In October, DEQ petitioned a Mecklenburg County Superior Court judge to force Colonial to provide this critical information, but the agency has yet to fine Colonial for its deficiencies. This could be the year.

The Tarheel Army Missile Plant, 204 N. Graham-Hopedale Road, in East Burlington (Archival photo: DEQ)

Two years for a cleanup seems short considering remediation of the former Tarheel Army Missile Plant in Burlington is in Year 30. Yes, the East Burlington neighborhood, which is predominantly Black and Latinx, has been waiting 30 years for a solution to the contamination at the 22-acre site.

The U.S. Army, which is responsible for cleaning up the contamination in the groundwater, filed yet another environmental assessment to DEQ last year, but so far that has translated into no action. Meanwhile, groundwater tainted with cancer-causing solvents continues to seep beneath the neighborhood and into a nearby stream that eventually feeds the Haw River.

Aboveground, property owner David Tsui is on the hook for containing and removing contamination in the dozen-plus buildings. DEQ documents show he plans to renovate the few uncontaminated buildings, one for office space and two others for storage. Those upgrades began last fall, but the contaminated buildings that border private homes are not on the renovation list.

The neighborhood desperately needs answers, as well as indoor air testing to ensure hazardous vapors from the solvents have not entered private homes. 30 years is too long to wait; DEQ and the Army must ensure meaningful action occurs before Year 31. 

On a more hopeful note, the new federal infrastructure law is funding stalled cleanups beginning this year at 49 Superfund sites, including four in North Carolina. One of those, Policy Watch reported in February 2020, is ABC One-Hour Cleaners near Camp Lejeune.

The former dry cleaners is now in Year 33 of being on the Superfund list, which contains some of the most toxic and intractably polluted areas in the country. But after $1 million in taxpayer money, the cleanup of solvents in the groundwater should be nearly finished. Instead, because of contractual disputes, recalcitrant business owners, broken equipment and even hurricane damage, the cleanup has failed. As a result, the contaminated plume has expanded and threatens Northeast Creek and the New River. The estimated cost of the new cleanup, which includes only soil, not groundwater, is $3.34 million. Once the system is built — about a two-month project — the EPA projects it will take two years to reach clean up goals for the soil.

Three more Superfund projects will also receive funding:

• The 15-acre Hemphill Road TCE site in south Gastonia, went on the Superfund list in 2013 because the business had contaminated private drinking water wells with hazardous solvents. Those households have alternate water supplies now, but the groundwater contamination persists.
• In Yadkinville, the 80-acre Holcomb Creosote site has been on the Superfund list since 2012. The wood-treating business contaminated the soil, sediment, groundwater, surface water and on-site structures.
• Ram Leather Care in Charlotte, another dry cleaning and leather-restoration business, has been on the Superfund list since 2003. Although households were connected to the public water system in 2008, there is a risk that hazardous vapors from contaminated groundwater and soil have entered nearby buildings.

Originally Appeared Here

The Chicago Teachers Union is planning to convene an emergency meeting to vote on whether its teachers would move strictly to virtual teaching amid a surge in Covid-19 cases, according to a union official, setting up a potential lockout with the school district.  

Chicago Public Schools, the third largest school district in the country, resumed in-person learning Monday and has maintained its conditions are safe for in-person instruction. 

The union meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, would include a poll of the group’s delegates, (elected union leaders for individual schools,) on if they support a return to remote learning until the pandemic is under better control.

The union will also be sending the same question electronically to its roughly 25,000 rank-and-file members Tuesday, according to the official. If rank-and-file members vote to return to remote learning, those teachers would notify their respective principals either Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning that they would be ready to teach, but remotely.

At that point, it would be in the hands of Chicago Public Schools to potentially lock teachers out of their remote classrooms, as the district has threatened to do under similar circumstances in the past.

At a union virtual town hall meeting Sunday, about 80% of the 8,000 members who attended indicated they did not want to return to work in-person under the current conditions, according to the union official.

It could trigger a “mass electronic lockout,” the official said.

Part of the union hesitation to return has come from a recent surge in Covid-19 cases among both students and in the community, along with uncertainty over the current picture of infection.

According to data released by Chicago Public Schools, 35,590 tests were completed by students and staff between Dec. 26 and Jan. 1, and 24,843 were declared invalid. Of those tests that were accepted, 18% tested positive for Covid-19.

In a statement to CNN, Chicago Public Schools wrote, “Over the holiday weekend, we learned from our vendors, ThermoFisher and Color, that more than half of the 40,000 submitted tests could not be validated. While we continue to seek answers, we are focused on increasing on-site testing opportunities for the impacted students and schools this week as part of our ongoing weekly testing.” 

“CPS is aware of the CTU’s calls for possible member actions, including refusal to report to work which CPS is deeply concerned could place the health and safety of members of our community, particularly our students, at increased risk,” part of the statement read. “In the face of evolving pandemic challenges, our plan is to double down on those proven COVID-19 mitigation strategies: vaccination, testing, contact tracing, universal masking; social distancing; strong hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette; monitored and high indoor air quality; appropriately cleaned and disinfected spaces; and making certain staff and families know that sick people must stay home,” it continued.

Additionally, as the school district headed into winter break, it reported its highest weekly Covid-19 case count since the school year began. Citywide over the past two weeks, Chicago has reported its highest daily case counts of Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.

“Remote two-way live online instruction” is available for any students directed to quarantine.

Originally Appeared Here

US-headquartered Carrier – a high-tech player in the heating, air-conditioning, and refrigeration solutions sectors – brought together more than 50 leading heating and air conditioning consultants and engineers for its Technology for the Future forum, where the company outlined its latest HVAC solutions backed by digital controls and servicing.

Carrier, which operates in the UAE through its joint ventures with United Technical Services as UTS Carrier, is a part of the New York Stock Exchange-listed Carrier Global Corporation, the leading global provider of healthy, safe, sustainable, and intelligent building and cold chain solutions.

During the event, Carrier discussed its split systems and variable refrigerant flow (VRF) technology for residential and small commercial buildings designed for reliable performance in the Middle East’s harsh climatic conditions.

The latest innovations in water-cooled centrifugal chillers were showcased for large buildings and facilities, including the newly launched AquaEdge® 19MV with its oil-free magnetic bearings designed to make buildings better by allowing optimisation of HVAC systems, building operation, and data.

More about the latest Carrier HVAC solutions

The firm also identified how it continues to innovate with the BluEdge™ service platform that provides customers real-time monitoring, diagnostic alerts and data analysis to help minimise losses from downtime caused by unknown failures.

“We are happy to introduce new technologies that cater to the specific needs of the Middle East,” said Sathya Moorthi, the managing director at Carrier Middle East. “This underscores our commitment to continuous innovation by meeting the changing demands of our customers for all types of residential and commercial applications. With the launch of state-of-the-art products, we unlock incremental value for our customers, aligned to their evolving needs in various verticals. These new technology platforms provide solutions that deliver a strong return on investment for customers.”

With the technology discussion on smart controls and healthy buildings, consultants were able see ways to balance the growing need for efficiency with the consistent demand for comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ).

Carrier provided information on how to transform offices and other commercial environments into tools that drive energy efficiency, human health and worker productivity with the OptiClean™ air scrubber and negative air machine.

“The current pandemic posted various challenges and as modern challenges requiring modern solutions, Carrier has been working aggressively on introducing energy efficient cooling and heating technologies along with our Healthy building solutions to improve Indoor Air Quality. The Technology for the Future road show is a forum for our valued customers to know about the latest of product technology backed by smart controls and an excellent after sales support,” said Salman Zebian, the general manager of UTS Carrier.

Originally Appeared Here

 

Think Air Purifiers has launched a new report discussing the most effective ways to prevent dust mites. These creatures are common across America, and can cause allergic reactions when they’re present in the home.

Saint Paul, United States – January 4, 2022 —

The latest report is part of the company’s focus on customer education, helping buyers to make more informed decisions about their living environment. Readers can learn some of the most effective methods for eliminating dust mites, and it covers the best air purifiers to use.

More information can be found at: https://thinkairpurifiers.com/blogs/news/how-to-prevent-dust-mites

Many customers are unaware that air purifiers can be an effective solution for dust mites. With the new report, Think Air Purifiers highlights the innovative HEPA filters, which make them so versatile.

Because dust mites are over 100 microns in size, they are easily picked up by the HEPA filters used inside modern air purifiers. These have the capability of filtering out sub-micron-sized particles at over 99% effectiveness.

As detailed in the new report, one of the best purifier devices for households with dust mites is the Austin Air HealthMate Plus Medical Grade HEPA Filter Air Purifier. The company also recommends the Austin Allergy Machine Air Purifier, which boasts a cutting-edge design to improve air quality.

The HealthMate Plus is ideally suited for those who are exposed to smoke, or in dental clinics where it’s important to protect against bacteria. It can effectively reduce the viral load, reducing risk of infection.

Contrasting this, the Air Allergy Machine model was designed specifically to combat allergies. It helps to strengthen the immune system and improve sleep due to a unique design that increases airflow.

Additional details can be found at: https://thinkairpurifiers.com/products/austin-air-healthmate-plus-air-purifier

The company provides access to the most sought-after brands and products in the air purifier space. Think Air Purifiers has established itself as a reliable and trustworthy destination for all the latest products and information.

A spokesperson for the business states: “HEPA filters can also trap dust mite waste and dust mite eggs. In a nutshell, you can say air purifiers kill dust mites and are very effective in reducing dust mite proliferation. We offer a variety of air purifiers to help with dust mites and many other indoor air quality concerns.”

Interested parties can learn more at: https://thinkairpurifiers.com/products/austin-air-allergy-machine

Contact Info:
Name: Elle Mason
Email: Send Email
Organization: Think Air Purifiers
Address: 2136 Ford Parkway #5017, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55116, United States
Phone: +1-866-626-5969
Website: https://ThinkAirPurifiers.com

Originally Appeared Here

The new year presents many challenges, several of which look similar to the ones of the past two years. But this year, there’s more hope that this year will be better than the last.

Where did 2021 go? It is amazing how fast last year flew by — maybe it seemed extra quick compared to the standstill that was 2020. And although 2021 was a vast improvement over its predecessor, it likely wasn’t as wonderful as many of us hoped it would be. When the calendar turned to 2021, our problems didn’t simply vanish. Now, as we kickstart another new year, it seems that many of the same trends are once again following facility managers into 2022.  

The Omicron COVID variant renews concerns that the pandemic will linger well into the year and demonstrates that the pandemic is far from being under control. Cleaning schedules and indoor air quality will continue to be critical.   

The congested supply chain has made products and materials scarce, causing project delays and soaring prices. Some improvements have been made to ease the gridlock, but it’s likely that this mess won’t be sorted out until late 2022 or even 2023.  

Hybrid work environments are definitely a trend for 2022. However, I think for a lot of office facilities it won’t last long beyond this year. As this decade continues, I believe more commercial facilities will move to a 100-percent remote workforce. There are benefits to being in the office in-person, but I don’t think utilizing them a couple days a week is enough to offset the costs of running a building. As the recent NFMT Remix keynote speaker alluded to, we’ll see more co-working spaces pop up in the future when companies need a temporary office space.   

Oppositely, while schools dabbled in virtual learning last year, it wasn’t successful. As we saw from heated school board meetings, parents want their kids in school — and frankly, students learn better in-person. This requires educational facilities to remain open, albeit in a safe manner.  

These are just a few reflections on the year ahead. For even more trends, fnPrime members can check out our eBook “2022 Facility Management Predictions.” We asked five industry experts to give us their perspectives on the trends that will impact facility managers in 2022, including Internet of Things, sustainability, new performance metrics and more. Visit facilitiesnet.com/fnPrime to check it out.

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