As we reflect on our health more than ever, and not to mention the health of our loved ones, an often overlooked, invisible factor to consider is indoor pollution, which can be up to five times higher than outdoor levels.

As recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is our basic right to be able to breathe clean air. In the GCC region, the average person spends a large portion of their time in air-conditioned spaces, either at home, work, or school, due to the desert climate, especially during the humid summer months. However, there are many sources of indoor air pollution, including outdoor pollution, common cleaning products, air fresheners, aerosols, fuel burning appliances and even carpets, paints and building materials.

How to make the indoor air cleaner?

The good news is that there are easy solutions to combat indoor air pollution; using air purifiers to filter pollutants is just one efficient tool to keep the air indoors clean. A high-performing air purifier will efficiently remove bacteria, virus, dust, pollen and toxic chemicals all-in-one. In fact, an advanced purifier from Blueair with a HEPASilent™ technology can remove up to 99.97% of airborne pollutants such as dust, pollen, dander and mould.

Other methods that can be beneficial for indoor air pollution include ensuring your home or residential building has a good ventilation system, ensuring that air conditioning systems are regular maintained and cleaned – and even something as simple as opening your windows to allow fresh air to enter your home.    

Our social mission at Blueair is purpose-driven, with our goal to provide clean air for the next generation, underpinning the fact that breathing clean air is a basic human right. By impacting the quality of our sleep and improving learning conditions, quality indoor air can result in better performance at school or work, with enhanced abilities to concentrate and problem solve, as well as can relieve symptoms of asthma, to name just a few of the benefits of clean air. Simply by breathing better, you are empowered to excel and explore your abilities. That is why we innovate air purification solutions designed to let you live life to the fullest.

Alexander Provins, Director EMEA, Blueair

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After extensive studies of how COVID spreads, scientists and policy makers are focusing on indoor air quality. Here’s everything you need to know:

What do we know?

One of the most powerful tools for limiting the spread of COVID-19 has been right in front of our noses: purifying the air we breathe. After extensive studies of outbreaks, superspreader events, and aerosol dynamics, epidemiologists who specialize in respiratory disease have warned that maintaining 6 feet of distance from others isn’t sufficient to avoid indoor infection. It took the World Health Organization more than a year to acknowledge that COVID doesn’t just travel via large respiratory droplets that fall to the ground quickly, but also spreads in tiny, aerosolized particles that can linger in the air like a fine mist for hours. As mask mandates are lifted, this underscores how crucial it is to keep air flowing in crowded indoor places, by equipping buildings with ventilation systems that pump virus-laden air outside, and with filtration devices that trap viral particles. Think of aerosolized virus as cigarette smoke, said Joseph Allen, director of Harvard’s Healthy Buildings Program. “If I’m smoking in the corner of a classroom and you have low ventilation/filtration, that room is going to fill up with smoke,” Allen said. But outdoors, he said, “you could be a couple of feet from me, depending which way the wind was blowing, you may not even know I’m smoking.”

How does the coronavirus travel?

Every time we exhale, air rushes out of our lungs and through our nose and mouth in a warm cloud of respiratory fluid. Droplets that emerge when we yell or cough can be as wide as a strand of human hair, but the coronavirus travels mainly through the millions of aerosols — droplets just a few thousandths of a millimeter wide — released with each breath. In a crowded, poorly ventilated room, up to 4 percent of each inhalation is someone else’s breath; University of Oregon researchers found there was not much difference between the number of aerosol particles shared between people standing 4 feet versus 11 feet apart. Humidity helps, however. Studies indicate that in dry places, like many offices and restaurants, respiratory droplets travel farther and longer. 

Where do infections occur?

Mostly indoors. There have been very few reports of outdoor transmission, even when tens of thousands of people converge for concerts or sporting events, because there’s unlimited ventilation outside. One of the first COVID superspreader events — at a March 2020 choir rehearsal in Washington state — highlighted the limitations of indoor social distancing. Despite taking steps to spread out singers in the church, 52 out of 61 participants tested positive for COVID within a few weeks, and two choir members died. Scientists point out that the more people there are in an indoor space, the greater the risk one of them is infectious and emitting invisible clouds of virus. That explains why crowded restaurants, gyms, and conference rooms with poor circulation have produced many outbreaks. 

How can ventilation help?

It brings in fresh air and pumps out air that people have exhaled, thus diluting the concentration of possible coronavirus particles. (It also reduces the risk of catching the flu and cold viruses, which also spread through the air.) A study of more than 10,000 classrooms in Italy found that good ventilation systems reduced COVID transmission by 82.5 percent. Airplanes are another good example of ventilation in action. Sitting in an aircraft cabin is one of the safest ways to travel, since half of the air passengers breathe comes from outside the plane, and the other half is recirculated through high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters that provide a minimum capture efficiency of 99.97 percent — better than in most buildings. You can, however, be infected on a plane if you’re sitting next to an infected person.

What steps should be taken?

Just opening windows improves ventilation, especially when they’re at opposite ends of a room. Portable HEPA filters are effective, and UV light has also proven to be effective when used to treat air passing through a building’s heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system (HVAC). Experts are also publicizing the folly of using plexiglass dividers to shield people from one another’s breath. Studies show that while these barriers might block a spray of droplets, like sneeze guards at salad bars, they also impede air circulation and may serve to raise the risk of infection. 

Is good ventilation commonplace?

No, which is why the White House recently released an action plan for improving indoor air quality to fight the spread of COVID. For decades, engineers have prioritized making buildings more energy efficient, favoring recirculation over ventilation. Pumped-in outdoor air needs to be cooled or heated, and in a typical commercial building, HVAC accounts for up to 40 percent of total energy expended; that percentage rises when thick MERV 13 filters are installed to capture aerosols. Overhauling HVAC systems is expensive, so there will be resistance, said Linsey Marr, an engineering professor at Virginia Tech. “To put some teeth into this,” she said, “there will need to be standards and regulations. And those will take years.”

Air-quality problems in schools

The average U.S. public school building is more than 45 years old, and many have outdated or poorly functioning HVAC systems, according to the Government Accountability Office. During the pandemic, some desperate schools left windows open during frigid winter months to improve ventilation. Facing enormous pressure to improve air quality and reduce the risk of COVID outbreaks, public schools earmarked an estimated $4.4 billion for HVAC projects. A study of Georgia schools found that improved ventilation and HEPA filtration led to a 48 percent lower COVID rate. As a stopgap, school districts across the country also spent tens of millions of dollars on portable air purifiers, which often overstate their effectiveness and are known to release ozone particles, which can cause asthma in developing lungs. The best solution is to upgrade HVAC systems to provide frequent air turnover, said Tracy Washington Enger, an indoor-air specialist with the Environmental Protection Agency. To enable the transition to living with COVID as “an endemic disease,” she said, schools need “long-term, effective management strategies that address indoor air quality.” 

This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.

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Right now, we are at a manageable point in the COVID-19 pandemic. The rate of new U.S. cases has significantly slowed since the first Omicron surge. Although Omicron’s BA.2 variants have increased cases, particularly in the Northeast, hospitalizations and deaths have declined or leveled off. Vaccination and prior infection by the earlier Omicron surge seem to be protecting most Americans against severe illness.

As a result, some public health pundits are urging Americans to go back to “normal.” But in fact, we should focus broadly on prevention against future variants and airborne illness. Not battling hospital surges right now gives us space to think long-term. This approach is all the more urgent because we cannot rely on individuals to test or isolate constantly and masking is decreasingly enforced, especially since federal officials are battling over the travel mask mandate.

We know future waves will threaten us all again. To prepare, we need to improve ventilation to make environments lower risk for COVID and improve case tracking so we can detect surges early enough to stop them.

Experts have been calling for better ventilation and air filtration standards as far back as early 2020. Superspreading outbreaks — at choirs, weddings, gym classes and restaurants — have made clear that transmission can happen at a distance of more than 6 feet, and infectious particles exhaled by a sick person can hang in the air for more than 15 minutes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and other major agencies acknowledged the role of airborne transmission last year. But in the U.S., we’re not acting sufficiently with that knowledge.

To limit the spread of airborne illness, hospital isolation rooms are required by the CDC to cycle through new air at least 12 times per hour. Given that people are typically most contagious with COVID when still out in the community early during infection, state and federal government should require equally strict filtration standards wherever possible in shared, crowded places.

And the public should be notified of the air quality in buildings and public transit before entering, as well as of its potential health effects such as COVID risk. (Translating air changes per hour and CO2 levels, which reflect crowding and pollutants, into a grading system is one place to start.) Just as restaurants have health inspection reports with letter grades in their windows, shared indoor spaces should display their air quality ratings. These ratings can help people adjust their behavior appropriately: For instance, people may choose to wear high-quality masks to attend an event that is important to them but has poor air quality.

In March, the White House released a plan for cleaning air to reduce COVID spread. But this document lacks specifics around ventilation and filtration and is largely a list of suggestions. While the White House announcement emphasizes that the American Rescue Plan allocates $122 billion for schools and $350 billion for state, local and tribal governments to pursue clean indoor air, it is unclear how recipients will distribute this money in the absence of federal standards.

That puts the onus on states and public health departments to set clear goals and transparently track progress. In California, the public health department recommends four to six air changes per hour (ACH) of air filtration in indoor public spaces with low ventilation. Yet last year, San Francisco’s BART transit system installed virus-trapping filters that replace the air more than 50 times per hour.

The state should eliminate inconsistencies across public spaces and support public health by recommending a minimum of 12 ACH to match the hospital isolation room standard. This level offers proven protection and can be achieved with gold-standard HEPA air purifiers, potentially including low-noise, cost-effective DIY air filtration (made from box fans and HVAC or furnace filters).

Ventilation measures can help minimize further harm to those who have consistently borne the greatest toll of the pandemic: low-income communities and communities of color. Many such families live in crowded, multigenerational households, with family members working front-line jobs that increase their exposure to infection and the likelihood they will transmit the virus to older or other high-risk relatives. They may also lack the space to isolate safely in their homes.

In addition to pandemic basics such as protective masks and rapid tests, the government should provide these households with portable home air purifiers to help reduce household spread if one person gets infected.

The other key step for COVID outbreak prevention is earlier and more accurate case detection than we have now. Rapid at-home test kits have made it harder for state health departments to keep accurate infection counts, since most people aren’t sending their results to labs or the government. And many samples are not sent in for analysis, including genomic sequencing that helps detect new variants.

Since transmission can grow exponentially, doubling every few days, by the time cases fill up hospitals or urgent care clinics we may well be into our next surge with little time to reverse or contain it. Reinstating prevention measures like masking in public will be too little, too late once another surge begins.

More COVID test options can help, such as the new COVID-19 breathalyzer that hospitals, physicians and test sites can use to quickly alert people who are likely to be infected. In time, these can be used before entry into large events to prevent superspreading. Test results from any source should be linked and sent to public health departments to keep more accurate track of spread. Wastewater detection is another important tool to predict future surges and has already been used effectively in many states. U.S. wastewater data indicate we are detecting 2.7 times fewer cases than are actually in the population.

By focusing on ventilation and testing, states can better prepare for an uncertain COVID future. Pretending the pandemic is behind us doesn’t mean it is. Let’s not become complacent when we need to do the opposite.

Abraar Karan is an infectious disease doctor and researcher at Stanford University. Devabhaktuni Srikrishna is an electrical engineer and the founder of www.patientknowhow.com. Ranu Dhillon is an instructor at Harvard Medical School and a doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

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Governor Kathy Hochul today announced $59 million in funding is now available for the Clean Green Schools initiative, which will advance clean energy and energy efficiency solutions to improve indoor air quality and reduce emissions for more than 600 under-resourced public Pre-K-12 schools across the state. All public school buildings across New York State that are designated as high-needs by the New York State Education Department or located in a disadvantaged community will be eligible to participate in the program. First announced during Climate Week 2021, the initiative was developed with input from education leaders and low carbon building experts. Today’s announcement builds on the historic achievements in the enacted FY 2023 Budget, including the expanded Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act, as well as New York’s first in the nation requirement for all new school buses to be zero-emission by 2027. It also supports the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal of an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

“Providing cleaner and healthier places for children to learn and grow is an absolute must if we want to deliver on a green transition that benefits all,” Governor Hochul said. “This Earth Day, we reflect on the ways New York has made strides to fight climate change and will continue to lead the nation with our climate goals. The Clean Green Schools initiative will bring meaningful change to communities that have been too often left behind, allowing our schools to be models of innovation while giving educators and students the type of learning environment they deserve.”

Administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), applications are now being accepted for the Clean Green Schools initiative, which will help public schools in disadvantaged communities or high-needs areas that traditionally lack resources to invest in infrastructure improvements become healthier, more productive learning environments. This initiative advances climate justice by providing technical, financial, and human resource support to help under-resourced public schools assess and implement energy efficient heating and cooling projects to benefit the most vulnerable New Yorkers. All HVAC projects funded under this initiative will address indoor air quality.

Funding to significantly expand the program will be included in the historic $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act, which will go before voters in November. If approved, the Bond Act funding will allow the program to serve will serve more than 1,000 under-resourced public schools and benefit nearly 1 million students, driving significant infrastructure upgrades, such as geothermal heating and cooling, solar, green roofs, and indoor air quality/ventilation. The historic Bond Act will also provide the support New York needs to provide safe water to drink; invest in critical water infrastructure; restore critical environmental habitats; reduce flood risks; preserve our outdoor spaces and local farms; and invest in climate change mitigation and adaptation projects that will reduce air pollution, lower carbon emissions, and improve the ability of New York communities to withstand the climate-driven increase in severe weather events and flooding.

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “Addressing the impacts of climate change in our schools is critical on this Earth Day, and every day, as it will build a more sustainable future and create healthy environments for children and educators across New York. Making improvements to increase energy efficiency and clean heating and cooling and supporting educational activities centered around decarbonization are foundational efforts for this initiative, and they ensure the Clean Green Schools initiative will benefit our communities and state for generations to come.”

Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “On this Earth Day, New York is sending a resounding message that we are leading the nation by advancing actions to fulfil our commitment under New York’s landmark Climate Law in tackling the damaging impacts of climate change. Today with the Clean Green Schools initiative, the Governor is answering that call with real and impactful change that will increase energy efficiency in our schools and electrify our school buses, building a greener, healthier and a more sustainable learning environment for our children.”

Applications are open for the two tracks participating in the initiative:

• Track I will provide professional services, including energy studies, on-site energy managers and fiscal advisors, to help schools evaluate and facilitate comprehensive energy reduction, decarbonization, environmental sustainability, and indoor air quality improvements.
  • Funding for Track I will be provided on an open enrollment, first-come-first-served basis.
• Track II will provide schools with funding for construction projects that decarbonize their building portfolios, including retrofits that impact energy consumption and overall building load, electrification readiness projects, and conversion of central heating and/or cooling plants to clean energy technologies such as heat pumps.
  • Funding for Track II will be provided on a competitive basis.

Participating schools in either Track may also apply for funding under the initiative to support eligible activities that create or further clean energy educational opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community. New York State has over 4,000 public K-12 schools that spend approximately $800 million in annual energy costs, which produce approximately 4.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide or other harmful greenhouse gases. Approximately 2,500 of these schools are located in a disadvantaged community or high-needs area and are eligible to participate in the initiative. Schools that are interested in applying to the program should visit the NYSERDA website.

In addition to today’s announcements, New York State currently offers incentives for the purchase of new electric school buses through the New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program (NYTVIP) administered by NYSERDA. NYTVIP provide incentives up to $220,000 for electric school buses located within disadvantaged communities utilizing up to $12 million in funding from the State’s settlement with Volkswagen and the Congestion Mitigation for Air Quality Improvement Program. To date, New York has committed nearly $70 million in VW settlement funds to replace diesel-powered medium-and heavy-duty vehicles with new zero emission vehicles, including electric transit buses, school buses, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and cargo handling equipment. For more information, visit https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/109784.html.

To further improve air quality for school-age New Yorkers and local communities, the State Budget requires that all new school bus purchases be zero-emissions by 2027 and all school buses on the road be zero-emissions by 2035. The State Budget will provide $500 million through the Bond Act to support school districts in purchases of zero-emission buses and related charging infrastructure including charging stations, aided by technical assistance to be provided by NYSERDA. Additionally, the State Budget authorizes school districts to lease or finance zero-emission buses for 12 years, more than double the current five-year limitation for diesel buses, in order to help districts meet this goal, and ensures Transportation Aid is provided on zero-emission buses and related charging infrastructure.

State Senator Kevin Parker said, “I applaud Governor Hochul and NYSERDA for making our children a priority by advancing clean energy in New York schools. This will investment will ensure students throughout the state are able to attend schools that are environmentally friendly.”

State Senator Shelley B. Mayer said, “Thank you to Governor Kathy Hochul and NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris for their continued commitment to improve air quality and reduce emissions in schools across our state.”

Assemblymember Michael Cusick said, “While we work to decrease our emissions to meet our statewide goals, it is important that we make sure to protect our children. The Clean Green Schools initiative protects our environment and our young students by reducing emissions and improving indoor air quality in our state’s schools. This initiative is crucial to achieving the goals of the CLCPA, reducing emissions, and creating a cleaner learning environment for our students.”

Director of Sustainability, New York City Department of Education, Meredith McDermott said, “The NYC Department of Education is thrilled to see such momentum in the dedication of programs and resources to support schools to reduce emissions, increase energy efficiency, and integrate sustainability and climate education more formally into teaching and learning. Upgrades to our buildings and infrastructure will always encircle our school communities, and means to connect these core components are critical to make progress. Schools present endless opportunities for climate action, and NYSERDA’s Clean Green Schools Initiative is a positive indicator that New York is leading the way!”

President of the New York League of Conservation Voters Julie Tighe said, “Decarbonizing our buildings is critical for our environment and crucial for public health. NYLCV supports this strong commitment from the Governor and NYSERDA to provide support for underserved communities to reduce emissions and improve air quality through the Clean Green Schools Initiative.”

NYS School Facilities Association Vice President Jeffrey Mochan said, “I am extremely excited at the prospect of participating in the Clean Green Schools Initiative. As the Director of Facilities at Clyde Savannah Central School, a small rural district, this program will provide an affordable means to curtail some of our energy costs, help the environment, and improve the indoor air quality for our staff and students. I would encourage every qualifying district to participate in this program.”

Executive Director, NYS Council of School Superintendents Charles Dedrick said, “We applaud the Clean Green Schools Initiative because, in the long-run, shifting dollars that currently pay for energy consumption and moving them towards the education of children, will benefit all of New York State. Efforts to reduce energy costs will help schools utilize resources more efficiently to improve outcomes and save taxpayers money. We look forward to partnering on this initiative moving forward.”

Director of the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council Anisa Heming said, “The Clean Green Schools Initiative is a model for states around the country. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of school environments in keeping students and teachers healthy and in school. This program’s investments in staffing and infrastructure to support energy efficiency and healthy school environments will lead to better school buildings, more prepared school facilities staff, and deeper learning for our students about energy resources and sustainability.”

Executive Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Kizzy Charles-Guzman said, “Every ounce of carbon, soot and fossil fuel pollution that we remove from the air we breathe matters, because children and communities thrive in healthy environments. Investing in energy efficiency upgrades in schools is crucial to improving health, mitigating climate impacts, and developing and supporting a green economy. That is why New York City committed to an all-electric school bus fleet last year, is expanding rooftop solar arrays on schools, and has significantly reduced greenhouse gas and soot emissions from our school buildings. We applaud Governor Hochul’s commitment to providing schools across the state with the resources they need to execute this important work.”

Co-Founder and Executive Director, WE ACT for Environmental Justice Peggy Shepard said, “Data shows that poor ventilation and air quality affect the concentration and attention span of children in schools that are not well ventilated and energy efficient. This support from the governor is critical to the overdue investment in the educational environment of children, especially those in poorly maintained schools in environmental justice communities. This is an important investment in our children.”

Conference of Big 5 School Districts Executive Director Jennifer K. Pyle said, “The Conference of Big 5 School Districts applauds Governor Hochul for advancing NYSERDA’s Clean Green Schools Initiative. Our member school districts have high concentrations of poverty and long-standing fiscal capacity issues, and this initiative will provide critical resources necessary to improve air quality and address facility deficiencies for our students, their families and staff. We thank Governor Hochul for her support and are eager to work together on this groundbreaking Initiative to make our schools safer, protect scarce resources and provide new educational experiences for our students and staff.”

Co-Founder of UndauntedK12 Sara Ross said, “New York’s new Clean Green Schools program couldn’t have come at a better time. Schools are ready to be part of the solution when it comes to climate change but they need support throughout the process from benchmarking to planning to implementation. The Clean Green Schools program does just that. And with a focus on high-need communities, this program recognizes the inequitable conditions that characterize our school facilities today. With this new initiative, New York embraces the imperative for schools to break their dependence on fossil fuels. We look forward to supporting this effort in New York and helping other states follow this exemplary lead.”

Schools that are not eligible to participate in the Clean Green Schools Initiative may be eligible to participate in the P-12 Schools: Green and Clean Energy Solutions Program, which provides technical assistance to help schools reduce energy loads and assist in the conversion to carbon-free fuels. In addition, NYSERDA prioritizes improved indoor air quality and environmental sustainability through building electrification and energy efficiency improvements to improve health in a number of public and private buildings across the state through a partnership with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

Buildings are one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in New York State, and integrating energy efficiency and electrification measures in existing buildings will reduce carbon pollution and help achieve more sustainable, healthy, and comfortable buildings – with COVID-19 making indoor air quality in schools even more paramount. Through NYSERDA and utility programs, over $6.8 billion is being invested to decarbonize buildings across the State. By improving energy efficiency in buildings and including onsite storage, renewables, and electric vehicle charging equipment, the State will reduce carbon pollution and achieve the ambitious target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 TBtu by 2025, the equivalent of powering 1.8 million homes, which will result in an additional $1.8 billion in societal and environmental benefits.

Funding for this initiative will be made available through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and the State’s 10-year, $6 billion Clean Energy Fund, supplemented by investments made available if the Bond Act is passed by voters this fall. More information about this funding is available on NYSERDA’s website.

New York State’s Nation-Leading Climate Plan

New York State’s nation-leading climate agenda is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy as New York State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Enshrined into law through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York is on a path to achieve its mandated goal of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy wide carbon neutrality. It builds on New York’s unprecedented investments to ramp up clean energy including over $33 billion in 102 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce buildings emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.6 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. Combined, these investments are supporting nearly 158,000 jobs in New York’s clean energy sector in 2020, a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011 and a commitment to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035. Under the Climate Act, New York will build on this progress and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, while ensuring that at least 35 percent with a goal of 40 percent of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities, and advance progress towards the state’s 2025 energy efficiency target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 trillion BTUs of end-use energy savings.

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Two-plus years into the COVID-19 pandemic, you probably know the basics of protection: Vaccines, boosters, proper handwashing and masks. But one of the most powerful tools against the coronavirus is one that experts believe is just starting to get the attention it deserves: Ventilation.Respiratory backwash”The challenge for organizations that improve air quality is that it’s invisible,” said Joseph Allen, director of the Healthy Buildings Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.It’s true: Other COVID-19 tools are more tangible. But visualizing how the virus might behave in poorly ventilated spaces can help people better understand this mitigation measure.Allen likens it to cigarette smoke. “If I’m smoking in the corner of a classroom and you have low ventilation/filtration, that room is going to fill up with smoke, and everyone is breathing that same air.”Then apply that to the outdoors.”I could be smoking a cigarette, you could be a couple of feet from me, depending which way the wind was blowing, you may not even know I’m smoking.”If you’re indoors, you could be breathing in less fresh air than you think.”Everybody in a room together is constantly breathing air that just came out of the lungs of other people in that room. And depending on the ventilation rate, it could be as much as 3% or 4% of the air you’re breathing just came out of the lungs of other people in that room,” Allen said.He describes this as respiratory backwash.”Normally, that’s not a problem, right? We do this all the time. We’re always exchanging our respiratory microbiomes with each other. But if someone’s sick and infectious … those aerosols can carry the virus. That’s a problem.”It’s airborne”We’ve known for decades how to keep people safe in buildings from infection, from airborne infectious diseases like this one,” Allen said.From the beginning of the pandemic, Allen and other experts have waved red flags, saying that the way we were thinking about transmission of COVID-19 — surfaces, large respiratory droplets — was missing the point.”Hand washing and social distancing are appropriate but, in our view, insufficient to provide protection from virus-carrying respiratory microdroplets released into the air by infected people. This problem is especially acute in indoor or enclosed environments, particularly those that are crowded and have inadequate ventilation,” hundreds of scientists stated in an open letter in July 2020.Eventually, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged what the experts had been saying all along: That COVID-19 could also spread by small aerosolized particles that can travel more than 6 feet.The coronavirus itself is very small — about 0.1 microns — but that doesn’t affect how far it can travel.”The size of the virus itself doesn’t matter because, as we say, the virus is never naked in air. In other words, the virus is always traveling in respiratory particles that develop in our lungs. And those are all different sizes,” Allen said.Singing or coughing can emit particles as large as 100 microns (almost the width of a human hair), he said, but the virus tends to travel in smaller particles — between 1 and 5 microns.The size of these particles affects not only how far it can travel but how deeply we can breathe it into our lungs, and how we should approach protecting ourselves from this virus.”When you’re talking about an airborne disease, there’s the what’s right around you, you know, the sort of the people who you know can cough in your face, the 6 feet thing, and then there’s the broader indoor air, because indoor air is recirculated,” said Max Sherman, a leader on the Epidemic Task Force for the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.Dilute and clean”Outdoors is safer than indoors” has become an accepted mantra with COVID-19. Allen points out that protecting ourselves indoors is where our focus should always be, even beyond the pandemic.”We’re indoors species. We spend 90% of our time indoors. The air we breathe indoors has a massive impact on our health, whether you think about infectious disease or anything else, but it just has escaped the public consciousness for a long time,” he said.Making sure our indoor air is healthy is not that complicated, Sherman said. “You just want to reduce the number of particles that might be carrying COVID or any other nasty .”The way you do that is through ventilation and filtration.Filtration — just like it sounds — is filtering or cleaning the air, removing the infected particles. But think of ventilation as diluting the air. You’re bringing more fresh air in to reduce the concentration of those particles.Dilution is exactly why we haven’t seen superspreader events outdoors, Allen says.”We have hardly any transmission outdoors. Why is that? Unlimited dilution, because you have unlimited ventilation. And so, even in crowded protests or outdoor sporting events like the Super Bowl, we just don’t see superspreading happening. But if we did, we’d have the signal be loud and clear. We just don’t see it. It’s all indoors in these underperforming, unhealthy spaces.”Healthy spacesEven before the advent of HVAC systems, ventilation was integrated into many building designs.The 1901 Tenement Housing Act of New York required every tenement building — a building with multifamily households — to have ventilation, running water and gas light.Builders added ventilation to many of these buildings with a shaft in the middle that runs from the roof to the ground, allowing more airflow.”In the late 19th century, people are finally starting to understand how disease spreads. So airshafts and the accompanying ventilation were seen as a solution to the public health crises that were happening in tenement buildings,” said Katheryn Lloyd, director of programming at the Tenement Museum. “There were high cases of tuberculosis, diphtheria and other diseases that spread. Now we know that spread sort of through the air.”Today, we’re facing the same challenge.”Getting basic ventilation in your home is important, full stop,” Sherman said.One of the easiest, cheapest ways to do that is to open your windows.Open doors or windows at opposite ends of your home to create cross-ventilation, the Environmental Protection Agency advises. Opening the highest and lowest windows — especially if on different floors — of a home can also increase ventilation. Adding an indoor fan can take it even further.”If a single fan is used, it should be facing (and blowing air) in the same direction the air is naturally moving. You can determine the direction the air is naturally moving by observing the movement of drapes or by holding a light fabric or dropping paper clippings and noting which direction they move,” the EPA says.Just cracking a window can help a lot, Allen says: “Even propping a window open a couple inches to really facilitate higher air changes, especially if you do it in multiple places in the house, so you can create some pressure differentials.”It’s important to note that if you have an HVAC system, it must be running to actually circulate or filter the air. The EPA says that these systems run less than 25% of the time during heating and cooling seasons.”Most of the controls these days have a setting where you can run the fan on low all the time. And that’s usually the best thing to do because that makes sure you’re getting you’re pushing air through the filter all the time and mixing the air up in your in your home,” Sherman advised.This could be something to keep in mind if you’re going to have visitors or if someone in the household is at higher risk for severe illness.Choose the most efficient filter your HVAC system can handle, and make sure you routinely change the filters.Filters have a minimum efficiency reporting value, or MERV, rating that indicates how well they capture small particles. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers recommends using at least a MERV-13 filter, which it says is at least 85% efficient at capturing particles from 1 to 3 microns.If that’s not an option, portable air filters can also work well, but the EPA says to use one that is made for the intended room size and meets at least one of these criteria:Designed as high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA)CADR ratedManufacturer says the device will remove most particles below 1 micron Finding a safe spaceWhen you walk into a space, there’s no good rule of thumb to look around and gauge how well-ventilated it might be, and that can be a challenge when people have been tasked with assessing their own risk.Allen suggests starting with the basics: Make sure you’re up to date with vaccinations and aware of where COVID-19 numbers stand in your community.But then it gets harder. Even the number of people in a space isn’t a giveaway of a higher-risk situation.”The more people in there could be higher-risk because you’re more likely to have someone who’s infectious, but if the ventilation is good, it really doesn’t matter.”Ventilation standards are based on “an amount of fresh air per person, plus the amount of fresh air per square foot,” Allen explained. “So if you have a good system, the more people that enter the room, the more ventilation is brought in to the room.”One tool that can help you assess ventilation in a room is a CO2 monitor, something Allen wishes he saw more in public spaces. He likes to carry a portable one, which you can order online for between $100 and $200.”If you see under 1,000 parts per million, generally, you’re hitting the ventilation targets that are the design standard. But remember, these are not health-based standards. So we want to see higher ventilation rates.”Allen prefers to see CO2 at or under 800 parts per million. He also notes that just because a space has low CO2 levels, it might not be unsafe if filtration is high, like on an airplane.A gamechanger for schoolsAtlanta Public Schools Superintendent Lisa Herring says the installation of 5,000 air filtration units — enough for every classroom — in her school district is “a gamechanger.”The district had begun upgrading HVAC systems in several schools even before the pandemic, but federal funding allowed it to add filtration units during a crucial time when masks have become optional.”It gives a greater level of confidence for us as a system to know that our air filtration systems are in place,” Herring said.School districts all over the country have been jumping at the opportunity for ventilation upgrades made possible by an influx of federal funding.An analysis in February by FutureEd, a think tank at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, found that public schools had earmarked $4.4 billion for HVAC projects, which could grow to almost $10 billion if trends continued.New Hampshire’s Manchester School District is pouring almost $35 million into upgrading HVAC systems, and interim Superintendent Jennifer Gillis says federal funding is “absolutely key.””You think about a district of our size with all the competing demands and the need to be fiscally responsible, a $35 million project, that’s a large project to introduce to our budget. Having those funds available to us lets us do 19 projects — and 19 projects in a very short span of time.”For Gillis, ventilation has been an important mitigation strategy and an unobtrusive way to keep people safe.”It’s something that most in the building don’t think about, but it’s a very passive way for us to create safety within the schools. Since the beginning, the goal was always ‘let’s get our kids in, let’s get our staff in, but let’s do it in a way that’s safe for all of them.’ “Good ventilation isn’t only about keeping students safe from COVID-19, Sherman says. It can also improve their performance in school.”They’re going to learn better; they’re going to be awake more; they’re going to be more receptive. They’re going to be healthier if they’ve got good indoor air quality,” he said.Finally front and centerHelping solidify ventilation’s role in the COVID-19 battle, the Biden administration announced a Clean Air in Buildings Challenge last month.The challenge calls on building operators and owners to improve ventilation by following guidelines laid out by the EPA.The main actions include creating a clean indoor air action plan, optimizing fresh air ventilation, enhancing air filtration and cleaning, and engaging the building community by communicating with occupants to increase awareness, commitment and participation.The message may seem overdue, but it’s one that Allen enthusiastically welcomed.”The White House used its pulpit to say unequivocally that clean air and buildings matter. That’s massive. Regardless of what you think about what will happen next with implementation or what happens with the funding. That is a crystal-clear message that is already being heard by businesses, nonprofits, universities and state leaders. I see these changes happening already.”

CNN —

Two-plus years into the COVID-19 pandemic, you probably know the basics of protection: Vaccines, boosters, proper handwashing and masks. But one of the most powerful tools against the coronavirus is one that experts believe is just starting to get the attention it deserves: Ventilation.

Respiratory backwash

“The challenge for organizations that improve air quality is that it’s invisible,” said Joseph Allen, director of the Healthy Buildings Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

It’s true: Other COVID-19 tools are more tangible. But visualizing how the virus might behave in poorly ventilated spaces can help people better understand this mitigation measure.

Allen likens it to cigarette smoke. “If I’m smoking in the corner of a classroom and you have low ventilation/filtration, that room is going to fill up with smoke, and everyone is breathing that same air.”

Then apply that to the outdoors.

“I could be smoking a cigarette, you could be a couple of feet from me, depending which way the wind was blowing, you may not even know I’m smoking.”

If you’re indoors, you could be breathing in less fresh air than you think.

“Everybody in a room together is constantly breathing air that just came out of the lungs of other people in that room. And depending on the ventilation rate, it could be as much as 3% or 4% of the air you’re breathing just came out of the lungs of other people in that room,” Allen said.

He describes this as respiratory backwash.

“Normally, that’s not a problem, right? We do this all the time. We’re always exchanging our respiratory microbiomes with each other. But if someone’s sick and infectious … those aerosols can carry the virus. That’s a problem.”

It’s airborne

“We’ve known for decades how to keep people safe in buildings from infection, from airborne infectious diseases like this one,” Allen said.

From the beginning of the pandemic, Allen and other experts have waved red flags, saying that the way we were thinking about transmission of COVID-19 — surfaces, large respiratory droplets — was missing the point.

“Hand washing and social distancing are appropriate but, in our view, insufficient to provide protection from virus-carrying respiratory microdroplets released into the air by infected people. This problem is especially acute in indoor or enclosed environments, particularly those that are crowded and have inadequate ventilation,” hundreds of scientists stated in an open letter in July 2020.

Eventually, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged what the experts had been saying all along: That COVID-19 could also spread by small aerosolized particles that can travel more than 6 feet.

The coronavirus itself is very small — about 0.1 microns — but that doesn’t affect how far it can travel.

“The size of the virus itself doesn’t matter because, as we say, the virus is never naked in air. In other words, the virus is always traveling in respiratory particles that develop in our lungs. And those are all different sizes,” Allen said.

Singing or coughing can emit particles as large as 100 microns (almost the width of a human hair), he said, but the virus tends to travel in smaller particles — between 1 and 5 microns.

The size of these particles affects not only how far it can travel but how deeply we can breathe it into our lungs, and how we should approach protecting ourselves from this virus.

“When you’re talking about an airborne disease, there’s the what’s right around you, you know, the sort of the people who you know can cough in your face, the 6 feet thing, and then there’s the broader indoor air, because indoor air is recirculated,” said Max Sherman, a leader on the Epidemic Task Force for the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.

Dilute and clean

“Outdoors is safer than indoors” has become an accepted mantra with COVID-19. Allen points out that protecting ourselves indoors is where our focus should always be, even beyond the pandemic.

“We’re [an] indoors species. We spend 90% of our time indoors. The air we breathe indoors has a massive impact on our health, whether you think about infectious disease or anything else, but it just has escaped the public consciousness for a long time,” he said.

Making sure our indoor air is healthy is not that complicated, Sherman said. “You just want to reduce the number of particles that might be carrying COVID or any other nasty [virus].”

The way you do that is through ventilation and filtration.

Filtration — just like it sounds — is filtering or cleaning the air, removing the infected particles. But think of ventilation as diluting the air. You’re bringing more fresh air in to reduce the concentration of those particles.

Dilution is exactly why we haven’t seen superspreader events outdoors, Allen says.

“We have hardly any transmission outdoors. Why is that? Unlimited dilution, because you have unlimited ventilation. And so, even in crowded protests or outdoor sporting events like the Super Bowl, we just don’t see superspreading happening. But if we did, we’d have the signal be loud and clear. We just don’t see it. It’s all indoors in these underperforming, unhealthy spaces.”

Healthy spaces

Even before the advent of HVAC systems, ventilation was integrated into many building designs.

The 1901 Tenement Housing Act of New York required every tenement building — a building with multifamily households — to have ventilation, running water and gas light.

Builders added ventilation to many of these buildings with a shaft in the middle that runs from the roof to the ground, allowing more airflow.

“In the late 19th century, people are finally starting to understand how disease spreads. So airshafts and the accompanying ventilation were seen as a solution to the public health crises that were happening in tenement buildings,” said Katheryn Lloyd, director of programming at the Tenement Museum. “There were high cases of tuberculosis, diphtheria and other diseases that spread. Now we know that spread sort of through the air.”

Today, we’re facing the same challenge.

“Getting basic ventilation in your home is important, full stop,” Sherman said.

One of the easiest, cheapest ways to do that is to open your windows.

Open doors or windows at opposite ends of your home to create cross-ventilation, the Environmental Protection Agency advises. Opening the highest and lowest windows — especially if on different floors — of a home can also increase ventilation. Adding an indoor fan can take it even further.

“If a single fan is used, it should be facing (and blowing air) in the same direction the air is naturally moving. You can determine the direction the air is naturally moving by observing the movement of drapes or by holding a light fabric or dropping paper clippings and noting which direction they move,” the EPA says.

Just cracking a window can help a lot, Allen says: “Even propping a window open a couple inches to really facilitate higher air changes, especially if you do it in multiple places in the house, so you can create some pressure differentials.”

It’s important to note that if you have an HVAC system, it must be running to actually circulate or filter the air. The EPA says that these systems run less than 25% of the time during heating and cooling seasons.

“Most of the controls these days have a setting where you can run the fan on low all the time. And that’s usually the best thing to do because that makes sure you’re getting you’re pushing air through the filter all the time and mixing the air up in your in your home,” Sherman advised.

This could be something to keep in mind if you’re going to have visitors or if someone in the household is at higher risk for severe illness.

Choose the most efficient filter your HVAC system can handle, and make sure you routinely change the filters.

Filters have a minimum efficiency reporting value, or MERV, rating that indicates how well they capture small particles. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers recommends using at least a MERV-13 filter, which it says is at least 85% efficient at capturing particles from 1 to 3 microns.

If that’s not an option, portable air filters can also work well, but the EPA says to use one that is made for the intended room size and meets at least one of these criteria:

• Designed as high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA)
• CADR rated
• Manufacturer says the device will remove most particles below 1 micron

Finding a safe space

When you walk into a space, there’s no good rule of thumb to look around and gauge how well-ventilated it might be, and that can be a challenge when people have been tasked with assessing their own risk.

Allen suggests starting with the basics: Make sure you’re up to date with vaccinations and aware of where COVID-19 numbers stand in your community.

But then it gets harder. Even the number of people in a space isn’t a giveaway of a higher-risk situation.

“The more people in there could be higher-risk because you’re more likely to have someone who’s infectious, but if the ventilation is good, it really doesn’t matter.”

Ventilation standards are based on “an amount of fresh air per person, plus the amount of fresh air per square foot,” Allen explained. “So if you have a good system, the more people that enter the room, the more ventilation is brought in to the room.”

One tool that can help you assess ventilation in a room is a CO2 monitor, something Allen wishes he saw more in public spaces. He likes to carry a portable one, which you can order online for between $100 and $200.

“If you see under 1,000 parts per million, generally, you’re hitting the ventilation targets that are the design standard. But remember, these are not health-based standards. So we want to see higher ventilation rates.”

Allen prefers to see CO2 at or under 800 parts per million. He also notes that just because a space has low CO2 levels, it might not be unsafe if filtration is high, like on an airplane.

A gamechanger for schools

Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Lisa Herring says the installation of 5,000 air filtration units — enough for every classroom — in her school district is “a gamechanger.”

The district had begun upgrading HVAC systems in several schools even before the pandemic, but federal funding allowed it to add filtration units during a crucial time when masks have become optional.

“It gives a greater level of confidence for us as a system to know that our air filtration systems are in place,” Herring said.

School districts all over the country have been jumping at the opportunity for ventilation upgrades made possible by an influx of federal funding.

An analysis in February by FutureEd, a think tank at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, found that public schools had earmarked $4.4 billion for HVAC projects, which could grow to almost $10 billion if trends continued.

New Hampshire’s Manchester School District is pouring almost $35 million into upgrading HVAC systems, and interim Superintendent Jennifer Gillis says federal funding is “absolutely key.”

“You think about a district of our size with all the competing demands and the need to be fiscally responsible, a $35 million project, that’s a large project to introduce to our budget. Having those funds available to us lets us do 19 projects — and 19 projects in a very short span of time.”

For Gillis, ventilation has been an important mitigation strategy and an unobtrusive way to keep people safe.

“It’s something that most in the building don’t think about, but it’s a very passive way for us to create safety within the schools. Since the beginning, the goal was always ‘let’s get our kids in, let’s get our staff in, but let’s do it in a way that’s safe for all of them.’ “

Good ventilation isn’t only about keeping students safe from COVID-19, Sherman says. It can also improve their performance in school.

“They’re going to learn better; they’re going to be awake more; they’re going to be more receptive. They’re going to be healthier if they’ve got good indoor air quality,” he said.

Finally front and center

Helping solidify ventilation’s role in the COVID-19 battle, the Biden administration announced a Clean Air in Buildings Challenge last month.

The challenge calls on building operators and owners to improve ventilation by following guidelines laid out by the EPA.

The main actions include creating a clean indoor air action plan, optimizing fresh air ventilation, enhancing air filtration and cleaning, and engaging the building community by communicating with occupants to increase awareness, commitment and participation.

The message may seem overdue, but it’s one that Allen enthusiastically welcomed.

“The White House used its pulpit to say unequivocally that clean air and buildings matter. That’s massive. Regardless of what you think about what will happen next with implementation or what happens with the funding. That is a crystal-clear message that is already being heard by businesses, nonprofits, universities and state leaders. I see these changes happening already.”

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Originally Appeared Here

Experts have called for the Government to focus on Covid-19 safety in public schools, amidst the emergence of the Omicron XE variant in New Zealand on Saturday.

The Ministry of Health announced the XE variant had been detected in Aotearoa for the first time, found in an overseas traveller.

It’s a variant that, while only 10% more transmissible, is expected to impact the number of Kiwis getting infected with the virus, according to Professor Michael Baker from Otago University.

Unsplash

Experts have called for the Government to focus on Covid-19 safety in public schools, amidst the emergence of the Omicron XE variant in New Zealand on Saturday.

There’s fresh concern with the variant arriving in New Zealand that school children are particularly vulnerable, given their statistically low vaccination rates in comparison to adult vaccine rates. Only 22.4% of eligible 5-11 year olds are fully immunised.

READ MORE:
* Covid-19: Omicron XE not ‘a big leap’ from previous variants – experts
* Covid-19: Omicron XE variant detected in NZ for first time, 7930 new community cases, 19 deaths reported
* XE: What is the Omicron recombinant variant that might be more transmissible than BA.2?

“The thing I’m concerned about is orange light doesn’t require any barriers in schools, what environments do they come back to when holidays end?” Baker told Stuff.

“We haven’t yet transformed the safety of indoor air in schools, masks do work, but that barrier is removed in the orange setting.”

The Ministry of Health reported on Saturday there are 7930 new community cases of Covid-19, with 494 people in hospital with the virus.

Two people under age 9 and one person in their 20s are among the latest reported deaths of those with Covid-19, which occurred over the last seven days.

All of New Zealand moved to the orange traffic light setting on April 13. All gathering restrictions were then removed.

As part of that shift, mask requirements remain until green, apart from at schools, where they are encouraged but no longer required across the board.

SUPPLIED

Not all masks are created equal when it comes to protection against different strains, so which one is best for you?

At the time, Baker urged the Government to reconsider its mask requirements for schools.

Dr David Welch, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland’s School of Computer Science, made it clear the vaccine rates among children are not where they should be.

With a “complacent” attitude around getting boosted, Welch said XE is the opportunity to pick the vaccine response back up.

“It’s literally stagnant, it’s almost like people have forgotten about it.

“The Government did well to get the adult population vaccinated, a mediocre job of rolling it out and a poor job of getting kids vaccinated,” he said.

“Something has to spark that conversation. I don’t think XE is going to be the next dominant variant, but there are going to be new variants that do arrive and there’s still a high prevalence of Omicron around.”

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Originally Appeared Here

Students in a classroom. Credit: Contributed photo / CEA

KATE DIAS and JOSLYN DeLANCEY

With only a handful of days left in the 2022 legislative session, we are at a pivotal moment for passing legislation critical to Connecticut’s children, teachers, and public schools.

Throughout the pandemic, educators have been applauded for the vital role they’ve played in maintaining the highest-possible standards of school safety, social and emotional support, and academic progress despite significant challenges. The pandemic has also raised serious concerns among community members and their elected officials about school staffing shortages and education budget shortfalls that have left students in overcrowded classrooms and in under-resourced, poorly maintained buildings.

The Connecticut Education Association (CEA), representing tens of thousands of professional educators and advocating for the students they serve, urges you to take positive and immediate action.

The time is now to stand with Connecticut’s public schools and the students and educators at the heart of those schools, and to make investments that underscore your support. Three important measures would do just that, and we all need to encourage legislators to take action to:

1. Pass the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Task Force proposed in Senate Bill 427 and include incentives to better attract and retain teachers, such as special COVID service credit that recognizes teachers’ sacrifices during the pandemic.  
2. Prohibit the teaching of remote and in-person students at the same time by a single teacher. Used as a cost-saving measure, this inequitable practice is detrimental to students on both sides of the screen.   
3. Support school indoor air quality with bond funding and classroom temperature standards called for in Senate Bill 423. For those who argue that the cost is too high, look no further than the recent $500K settlement awarded to Wilton families whose children’s health deteriorated because of poor ventilation, mold, and substandard air quality in their schools.

Teachers have gone above and beyond to ensure in-person learning and safe, healthy conditions in Connecticut’s public schools, but they cannot do it alone, and they cannot do it without the legislative commitment and funding that makes those achievements possible and sustainable.   Public education is the great equalizer in our society, but only if we invest in it. There has never been a more important time to stand with our educators and their students.

Kate Dias and Joslyn DeLancey are president and vice-president of the Connecticut Education Association, respectively.

The views, opinions, positions, or strategies expressed by the author are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of CTNewsJunkie.com.

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Originally Appeared Here

On Monday, a Trump-appointed judge of questionable legal credentials and an appetite for fileting the English language struck down the CDC’s requirement that “a person must wear a mask while boarding, disembarking, and traveling on any conveyance into or within the United States.” Within hours, major carriers lifted the mask requirements, in some cases during flights, sandbagging passengers who’d taken comfort knowing their fellow passengers were masked. It is difficult to assess whether or not the lifting of the mandate will have an impact on public health, but at least one carrier, Delta Airlines, was initially willing to plump up its assessment with some magical thinking: In an eventually retracted statement, Delta said, “We are relieved to see the U.S. mask mandate lift to facilitate global travel as Covid-19 has transitioned to an ordinary seasonal virus”—badly botching the definitions of both “ordinary” and “seasonal.”

It would have been nice if the Biden administration had been as quick on the draw. In a press conference after the decision, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki could only profess “disappointment” over the decision, coupled with a wan recommendation that passengers continue to wear masks. Meanwhile, an anonymous lobbyist suggested to The New York Times’ Jonathan Martin that the administration was perhaps not that “upset about the ruling,” presumably because any blame for what ill effects might follow could now be laid at the GOP’s doorstep. On Tuesday, according to Politico, White House officials essentially passed the buck between various executive branch agencies, looking for some sucker to take responsibility for whatever came next. Come Wednesday, the Department of Justice finally announced it would appeal the decision.

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Originally Appeared Here

Neiman Marcus Group is working toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2030.

As part of its commitment, the luxury retailer is collaborating with Trane Technologies to decarbonize its footprint through capital and operating investments in four key areas: renewable energy, electrification, energy efficiency and refrigerant management.

The two companies recently marked a major milestone in NMG’s decarbonization plans at the retailer’s Bergdorf Goodman women’s store in New York City.

The 94-year-old historic landmark received an environmentally friendly makeover, replacing its outdated HVAC equipment with two highly efficient chillers from Trane. The chillers use next-generation, low global warming potential refrigerant, resulting in the site’s elimination of natural gas use (effective Earth Day, April 22, 2022). The building has also been upgraded with Trane controls, optimizing the on-site chiller plant to better manage the system’s run time.

The installation of these chillers will result in an annual reduction of 642 metric tons of carbon and nearly $61,000 in annual energy cost savings. Also, with natural gas pricing on the rise, the elimination of its use in the building will increase savings for NMG even more significantly while mitigating its price risk. (In April 2021 the NYMEX natural gas price was $2.854/MMBtu, compared to $5.336/MMBtu in April 2022.)

The move will contribute to New York City’s goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 while keeping shoppers cool and comfortable.

“Our partnership with Trane represents the significant investment we are making across the organization to achieve these goals and decarbonize our operations,” said Chris Demuth, senior VP of people services, ESG, & Belonging, Neiman Marcus Group. “This electrification project has enabled us to improve the energy efficiency of this landmark building and transition it to renewable energy so that we can do our part to move New York City and the fashion industry toward a net-zero future by 2050.”

Companywide improvements
Leveraging recommendations from Trane’s customized energy decarbonization roadmap, NMG is implementing significant change through major climate commitments and upgrades at stores across the country. The retailer and Trane, which have worked together for years, are now expanding their collaboration to achieve emissions reductions in line with NMG sustainability goals, beginning with a quantitative portfolio-wide analysis to strategically identify the facilities and initiatives that will deliver the most impactful outcomes for the company, shoppers and shareholders.

Through its comprehensive decarbonization program, Trane is also completing decarbonization assessments at select Neiman Marcus stores, along with energy-efficient improvements and upgrades to building automation systems, rooftop units, LED lighting, energy-conserving fixtures, and indoor air quality technology at Neiman Marcus stores in Dallas; Austin; San Francisco; Troy, Michigan; Pinnacle Point, Texas; Sunrise, Florida; and more.

“Helping businesses achieve their sustainability and operational goals is what we do best,” said Donny Simmons, president, commercial HVAC Americas, Trane Technologies. “We’re proud to play an important role in Neiman Marcus Group’s journey to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030. This is decarbonization in action, and we applaud Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman for taking bold steps to ensure a more sustainable world.”

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Originally Appeared Here

Program Will Improve Air Quality, Advance Clean Energy and Reduce Carbon Emissions in Pre-K-12 Public Schools

April 22, 2022

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced $59 million in funding is now available for the Clean Green Schools initiative, which will advance clean energy and energy efficiency solutions to improve indoor air quality and reduce emissions for more than 600 under-resourced public Pre-K-12 schools across the state. All public school buildings across New York State that are designated as high-needs by the New York State Education Department [PDF] or located in a disadvantaged community will be eligible to participate in the program. First announced during Climate Week 2021, the initiative was developed with input from education leaders and low carbon building experts. Today’s announcement builds on the historic achievements in the enacted FY 2023 Budget, including the expanded Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act, as well as New York’s first in the nation requirement for all new school buses to be zero-emission by 2027. It also supports the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal of an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

“Providing cleaner and healthier places for children to learn and grow is an absolute must if we want to deliver on a green transition that benefits all,” Governor Hochul said. “This Earth Day, we reflect on the ways New York has made strides to fight climate change and will continue to lead the nation with our climate goals. The Clean Green Schools initiative will bring meaningful change to communities that have been too often left behind, allowing our schools to be models of innovation while giving educators and students the type of learning environment they deserve.”

Administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), applications are now being accepted for the Clean Green Schools initiative, which will help public schools in disadvantaged communities or high-needs areas [PDF] that traditionally lack resources to invest in infrastructure improvements become healthier, more productive learning environments. This initiative advances climate justice by providing technical, financial, and human resource support to help under-resourced public schools assess and implement energy efficient heating and cooling projects to benefit the most vulnerable New Yorkers. All HVAC projects funded under this initiative will address indoor air quality.

Funding to significantly expand the program will be included in the historic $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act, which will go before voters in November. If approved, the Bond Act funding will allow the program to serve will serve more than 1,000 under-resourced public schools and benefit nearly 1 million students, driving significant infrastructure upgrades, such as geothermal heating and cooling, solar, green roofs, and indoor air quality/ventilation. The historic Bond Act will also provide the support New York needs to provide safe water to drink; invest in critical water infrastructure; restore critical environmental habitats; reduce flood risks; preserve our outdoor spaces and local farms; and invest in climate change mitigation and adaptation projects that will reduce air pollution, lower carbon emissions, and improve the ability of New York communities to withstand the climate-driven increase in severe weather events and flooding.

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “Addressing the impacts of climate change in our schools is critical on this Earth Day, and every day, as it will build a more sustainable future and create healthy environments for children and educators across New York. Making improvements to increase energy efficiency and clean heating and cooling and supporting educational activities centered around decarbonization are foundational efforts for this initiative, and they ensure the Clean Green Schools initiative will benefit our communities and state for generations to come.”

Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “On this Earth Day, New York is sending a resounding message that we are leading the nation by advancing actions to fulfil our commitment under New York’s landmark Climate Law in tackling the damaging impacts of climate change. Today with the Clean Green Schools initiative, the Governor is answering that call with real and impactful change that will increase energy efficiency in our schools and electrify our school buses, building a greener, healthier and a more sustainable learning environment for our children.”

Applications are open for the two tracks participating in the initiative:

• Track I will provide professional services, including energy studies, on-site energy managers and fiscal advisors, to help schools evaluate and facilitate comprehensive energy reduction, decarbonization, environmental sustainability, and indoor air quality improvements.
  • Funding for Track I will be provided on an open enrollment, first-come-first-served basis.
• Track II will provide schools with funding for construction projects that decarbonize their building portfolios, including retrofits that impact energy consumption and overall building load, electrification readiness projects, and conversion of central heating and/or cooling plants to clean energy technologies such as heat pumps.
  • Funding for Track II will be provided on a competitive basis.

Participating schools in either Track may also apply for funding under the initiative to support eligible activities that create or further clean energy educational opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community. New York State has over 4,000 public K-12 schools that spend approximately $800 million in annual energy costs, which produce approximately 4.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide or other harmful greenhouse gases. Approximately 2,500 of these schools are located in a disadvantaged community or high-needs area and are eligible to participate in the initiative. Schools that are interested in applying to the program should visit the NYSERDA website.

In addition to today’s announcements, New York State currently offers incentives for the purchase of new electric school buses through the New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program (NYTVIP) administered by NYSERDA. NYTVIP provide incentives up to $220,000 for electric school buses located within disadvantaged communities utilizing up to $12 million in funding from the State’s settlement with Volkswagen and the Congestion Mitigation for Air Quality Improvement Program. To date, New York has committed nearly $70 million in VW settlement funds to replace diesel-powered medium-and heavy-duty vehicles with new zero emission vehicles, including electric transit buses, school buses, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and cargo handling equipment. For more information, visit https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/109784.html .

To further improve air quality for school-age New Yorkers and local communities, the State Budget requires that all new school bus purchases be zero-emissions by 2027 and all school buses on the road be zero-emissions by 2035. The State Budget will provide $500 million through the Bond Act to support school districts in purchases of zero-emission buses and related charging infrastructure including charging stations, aided by technical assistance to be provided by NYSERDA. Additionally, the State Budget authorizes school districts to lease or finance zero-emission buses for 12 years, more than double the current five-year limitation for diesel buses, in order to help districts meet this goal, and ensures Transportation Aid is provided on zero-emission buses and related charging infrastructure.

State Senator Kevin Parker said, “I applaud Governor Hochul and NYSERDA for making our children a priority by advancing clean energy in New York schools. This will investment will ensure students throughout the state are able to attend schools that are environmentally friendly.”

State Senator Shelley B. Mayer said, “Thank you to Governor Kathy Hochul and NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris for their continued commitment to improve air quality and reduce emissions in schools across our state.”

Assemblymember Michael Cusick said, “While we work to decrease our emissions to meet our statewide goals, it is important that we make sure to protect our children. The Clean Green Schools initiative protects our environment and our young students by reducing emissions and improving indoor air quality in our state’s schools. This initiative is crucial to achieving the goals of the CLCPA, reducing emissions, and creating a cleaner learning environment for our students.”

Director of Sustainability, New York City Department of Education, Meredith McDermott said, “The NYC Department of Education is thrilled to see such momentum in the dedication of programs and resources to support schools to reduce emissions, increase energy efficiency, and integrate sustainability and climate education more formally into teaching and learning. Upgrades to our buildings and infrastructure will always encircle our school communities, and means to connect these core components are critical to make progress. Schools present endless opportunities for climate action, and NYSERDA’s Clean Green Schools Initiative is a positive indicator that New York is leading the way!”

President of the New York League of Conservation Voters Julie Tighe said, “Decarbonizing our buildings is critical for our environment and crucial for public health. NYLCV supports this strong commitment from the Governor and NYSERDA to provide support for underserved communities to reduce emissions and improve air quality through the Clean Green Schools Initiative.”

NYS School Facilities Association Vice President Jeffrey Mochan said, “I am extremely excited at the prospect of participating in the Clean Green Schools Initiative. As the Director of Facilities at Clyde Savannah Central School, a small rural district, this program will provide an affordable means to curtail some of our energy costs, help the environment, and improve the indoor air quality for our staff and students. I would encourage every qualifying district to participate in this program.”

Executive Director, NYS Council of School Superintendents Charles Dedrick said, “We applaud the Clean Green Schools Initiative because, in the long-run, shifting dollars that currently pay for energy consumption and moving them towards the education of children, will benefit all of New York State. Efforts to reduce energy costs will help schools utilize resources more efficiently to improve outcomes and save taxpayers money. We look forward to partnering on this initiative moving forward.”

Director of the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council Anisa Heming said, “The Clean Green Schools Initiative is a model for states around the country. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of school environments in keeping students and teachers healthy and in school. This program’s investments in staffing and infrastructure to support energy efficiency and healthy school environments will lead to better school buildings, more prepared school facilities staff, and deeper learning for our students about energy resources and sustainability.”

Executive Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Kizzy Charles-Guzman said, “Every ounce of carbon, soot and fossil fuel pollution that we remove from the air we breathe matters, because children and communities thrive in healthy environments. Investing in energy efficiency upgrades in schools is crucial to improving health, mitigating climate impacts, and developing and supporting a green economy. That is why New York City committed to an all-electric school bus fleet last year, is expanding rooftop solar arrays on schools, and has significantly reduced greenhouse gas and soot emissions from our school buildings. We applaud Governor Hochul’s commitment to providing schools across the state with the resources they need to execute this important work.”

Co-Founder and Executive Director, WE ACT for Environmental Justice Peggy Shepard said, “Data shows that poor ventilation and air quality affect the concentration and attention span of children in schools that are not well ventilated and energy efficient. This support from the governor is critical to the overdue investment in the educational environment of children, especially those in poorly maintained schools in environmental justice communities. This is an important investment in our children.”

Conference of Big 5 School Districts Executive Director Jennifer K. Pyle said, “The Conference of Big 5 School Districts applauds Governor Hochul for advancing NYSERDA’s Clean Green Schools Initiative. Our member school districts have high concentrations of poverty and long-standing fiscal capacity issues, and this initiative will provide critical resources necessary to improve air quality and address facility deficiencies for our students, their families and staff. We thank Governor Hochul for her support and are eager to work together on this groundbreaking Initiative to make our schools safer, protect scarce resources and provide new educational experiences for our students and staff.”

Co-Founder of UndauntedK12 Sara Ross said, “New York’s new Clean Green Schools program couldn’t have come at a better time. Schools are ready to be part of the solution when it comes to climate change but they need support throughout the process from benchmarking to planning to implementation. The Clean Green Schools program does just that. And with a focus on high-need communities, this program recognizes the inequitable conditions that characterize our school facilities today. With this new initiative, New York embraces the imperative for schools to break their dependence on fossil fuels. We look forward to supporting this effort in New York and helping other states follow this exemplary lead.”

Schools that are not eligible to participate in the Clean Green Schools Initiative may be eligible to participate in the P-12 Schools: Green and Clean Energy Solutions Program, which provides technical assistance to help schools reduce energy loads and assist in the conversion to carbon-free fuels. In addition, NYSERDA prioritizes improved indoor air quality and environmental sustainability through building electrification and energy efficiency improvements to improve health in a number of public and private buildings across the state through a partnership with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

Buildings are one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in New York State, and integrating energy efficiency and electrification measures in existing buildings will reduce carbon pollution and help achieve more sustainable, healthy, and comfortable buildings – with COVID-19 making indoor air quality in schools even more paramount. Through NYSERDA and utility programs, over $6.8 billion is being invested to decarbonize buildings across the State. By improving energy efficiency in buildings and including onsite storage, renewables, and electric vehicle charging equipment, the State will reduce carbon pollution and achieve the ambitious target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 TBtu by 2025, the equivalent of powering 1.8 million homes, which will result in an additional $1.8 billion in societal and environmental benefits.

Funding for this initiative will be made available through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and the State’s 10-year, $6 billion Clean Energy Fund, supplemented by investments made available if the Bond Act is passed by voters this fall. More information about this funding is available on NYSERDA’s website.

New York State’s Nation-Leading Climate Plan

New York State’s nation-leading climate agenda is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy as New York State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Enshrined into law through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York is on a path to achieve its mandated goal of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy wide carbon neutrality. It builds on New York’s unprecedented investments to ramp up clean energy including over $33 billion in 102 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce buildings emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.6 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. Combined, these investments are supporting nearly 158,000 jobs in New York’s clean energy sector in 2020, a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011 and a commitment to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035. Under the Climate Act, New York will build on this progress and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, while ensuring that at least 35 percent with a goal of 40 percent of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities, and advance progress towards the state’s 2025 energy efficiency target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 trillion BTUs of end-use energy savings.

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