The topic of indoor air quality has taken center stage since the pandemic hit and altered our lives nearly a year ago.
“Air can make us sick or keep us healthy or keep us productive,” said retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and public health expert Dr. Jane Ward of Centerville. “Besides wearing masks and maintaining your personal hygiene, air quality is critical to your personal safety. The more people can do to take care of their indoor environment, the safer they will be, not just from the pandemic, but overall.”
This Friday, February 19, from 9 to 11 am, Dr. Ward will moderate a free virtual Indoor Air Quality Summit organized by the Cape Cod Technology Council. The event will feature Dr. Stephanie Taylor, the CEO of Taylor Healthcare Commissioning in Stowe, Vermont, and Scott Ellis of Falmouth, the product marketing manager at Onset Computer Corporation in Bourne.
A physician and an architect, Dr. Taylor is a global expert on air quality in the built environment. “She took an interesting career path,” Dr. Ward said. “She was concerned too many of her patients in the hospital were getting sick because of the building environment they were in so she took time out of her medical career to go back to school and train as an architect. She provides both a health and a design perspective on indoor air quality.”
Dr. Taylor will focus on why people should be concerned about improving air quality and practical ways to do just that through upgrades in filters, vents, air purifiers and HVAC systems. Ellis will talk about ways homeowners and businesses can measure the impact of these upgrades using the types of air quality monitors his company manufactures.
This week’s summit is a continuation of a discussion the Cape Cod Technology Council held in November during a virtual Coffee Q&A with Dr. Ward. It’s a conversation that Bert Jackson, CEO of the tech council, said is more important than ever. “Air quality in the built environment is something we have put up with, overlooked, and taken for granted for far too long,” he said. “COVID has sharpened our awareness to the need for improved air quality, but it doesn’t end there. This summit will not only provide critical education, but the tools for Cape Codders to keep their colleagues, customers, and families safe.”
Thanks to sponsorship from Cape & Plymouth Business Media, Cape Associates, Cape Light Compact, CapeSpace, Catalyst Architecture & Interiors, Robies Heating & Cooling, and Shepley Wood Products, the Indoor Air Quality Summit is free to the public.
“We believe that indoor air quality is an important factor in virus containment that isn’t getting enough attention,” said CapeSpace President Robbin Orbison who sits on the board of the tech council. “We’re happy to be able to bring this valuable information to our community.”
Both homeowners and business owners are encouraged to participate in Friday’s summit. To register, visit www.cctechcouncil.org.
“I think anybody who wants to know about having a healthier indoor environment – it could be homeowners, it could be small business owners – will find this event valuable,” said Dr. Ward.