Healthy Spaces

[Note: This episode was recorded before the wildfires in Canada spread out of control and reminds us how much human and planetary health are connected. We want to acknowledge the impact this event is having on the people of Canada and eastern U.S. and hope that everyone is staying safe. We believe that continued advancement in sustainable climate technologies will bring clearer skies for us all.]

Scientists, doctors, and policymakers all agree that cleaner air means better outcomes for people and the planet. But is it possible to reduce air pollution without compromising energy efficiency?

And with humans spending more and more time indoors, what role do our built spaces play in the overall quest to clear the air?

Listen in and learn from three different clean air innovators who are disrupting the status quo, building coalitions across industries, letting data drive strategy, and making our world healthier, inside and out.

Guests:
Pierre Dornier, Founder, Chercheurs d’Air (“Air Seekers”)
Sara Karerat, Managing Director, Center for Active Design
Jeff Wiseman, Vertical Market Growth Director, Trane Technologies
Host: Dominique Silva, Innovation Initiatives Leader, Trane Technologies

Did you know that 99% of the global population is breathing unhealthy air? What if it didn’t have to be that way? We believe that the relationship between human health and planetary health is so intertwined that it's impossible to talk about one without the other.

Welcome to Season 3 of the Healthy Spaces podcast, where we’re exploring how technology and innovation are transforming the spaces where we live, work and play. From building sustainable homes to growing and moving healthy food, we’re connecting the dots for listeners between climate tech and healthier spaces for people and the planet. We’ll talk to engineers, homebuilders, food growers and business leaders about the innovations they’re developing not only to improve comfort and health for people, but also to reduce the carbon footprint of the ecosystems we all depend on to live.

Join us to listen, learn and get inspired to create healthier spaces in your community.

Throughout our podcast series we have explored the link between indoor air quality and quality of life. In this episode, we dive deeper into how some strategies for improving indoor air quality can have a taxing effect on building efficiency, and how innovation and technology is evolving to address it.

Manish Sharma, Vice President and Chief Technology and Product Officer at Honeywell Building Technologies, joins us to talk about how the pandemic has accelerated innovation and technology in this space. And, how building owners and engineers are engaging on the topic and recognizing the value of monitoring other parameters of indoor air quality, beyond carbon dioxide.

According to the EPA, transportation was responsible for 29% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2019. In this episode we will look specifically at mass transit and the advancements in technology that are lowering its impact on the environment.

But, beyond the air quality outside, mass transit authorities must also balance increased passenger interest in keeping the air on the inside clean and building back trust among riders who shied away from mass transit at the height of the pandemic. Jared Schnader with CALSTART and Trane Technologies’ Dwayne Cowan join this episode to take an inside out look at the relationship between air quality, equitable mass transit and quality of life.

Ensuring we achieve a sustainable future is a team effort. But it's not just the citizens of today that need to work together - it's those of tomorrow, too. So how can we leverage a team approach to support the next generation of climate innovators?

In this episode of the Healthy Spaces podcast, Deidra Parrish Williams, Global Corporate Citizenship Leader at Trane Technologies; Alyssa Sharpe, CEO of DigiBridge; and Tyler, Texas science teacher Courtney Clague join us for a conversation about corporate citizenship, innovative education, and the importance of connecting future generations with real-world sustainability challenges and action, in their classrooms and their communities.

Listen to the full episode to learn more about how meaningful partnerships are equipping today’s students with the literacy, pathways and inspiration they need to become tomorrow’s climate innovators.

Episode guests

Deidra Parrish Williams, Global Corporate Citizenship Leader at Trane Technologies

Alyssa Sharpe, CEO of Digi-Bridge

Courtney Clague, 8th grade science teacher, Tyler Independent School District, Texas

How are you building healthy spaces in your organization or community? Share your story with us and learn more about the Healthy Spaces podcast.