Healthy Indoors Magazine
Issue link: https://hi.healthyindoors.com/i/1355611
4 | March 2021 Bob Krell Founder & Publisher T here is a wealth of credible knowl- edge and information around the globe for improving our indoor envi- ronments and making them more sustainable—if you can find it. New ideas and technologies for en- hancing our built indoor environments are continually emerging. There have been nu- merous research efforts in the U.S. in recent years, such as the Harvard-Syracuse Univer- sity study on ventilation and the cognitive effects of indoor CO 2 levels, and the Univer- sity of Texas-lead HOMEChem project, that have provided a wealth of information. Even more research work is ongoing around the world on a variety of IAQ/IEQ topics that will undoubtedly advance our knowledge and understanding on these complex issues. Manufacturers and suppliers are debuting new devices, technology, and products that will purportedly improve the quality of our indoor spaces, and practitioners are devel- oping better ways to address some of the issues that frequently arise indoors. But, despite all these potential advance- ments, we still seem to have problems, and address many aspects of our built environ- ments fundamentally the same way con- tinuing much of our history for compro- mised indoor environmental quality. One reason for this is our failure to communi- cate, which seems like an odd assessment in this age of mass media and global connec- tivity. The reality is though, we remain siloed on most of these topics. Academia tends to circulate research findings among their community, with little actionable informa- tion ever reaching practitioners, and both commercial and residential consumers are typically swamped in a sea of self-serving marketing propaganda, unable to make truly informed purchasing decisions. For all the connectivity technology we have today, we have remained collectively dis- connected on these topics. Our team has recognized this fact for decades. We started this publication to help resolve that problem and are now embarking on an exciting new initiative to facilitate engagement in the industry. We are launching our new Healthy Indoors® Global Community, a rev- olutionary online networking and informa- tion platform aimed at linking the industry worldwide. Our goal for this virtual com- munity is to provide a central hub where in- dustry professionals, researchers, suppliers, and other interested parties from around globe can connect with each other to net- work, share, and learn. It will offer a host of engagement features for our community participants. It will also include a variety of multi-media content from Healthy Indoors' publications, online shows, and events, along with the offerings of other trusted content creators and organizations. Most of its unique networking and discussion features will be available free to everyone on our BASIC Level mem- bership. PRO Level members will also get access to exclusive content and live- streamed events, as well as receiving dis- counts from our sponsors on products, services, and training offerings. You can learn more at: https://iaqnet.lpages.co/ hi-global-community-pre-signup/ Bob Krell Bob Krell is president of IAQ Technologies, Inc., a Syracuse, NY-based indoor environmental firm he founded in 1990, offering consulting, mitigation and training services to a variety of clients throughout the country and abroad. He co-founded IAQNET, LLC in 2013, and serves as publisher of its Healthy Indoors Magazine. Bob is the Producer/Director for the online video series, The Healthy Indoors Show, along with numerous other industry video projects and online events, and is Training Director for live distance learning offerings through IAQschool.online. Contact him at: bob@healthyindoors.com Publisher's Rant Connecting the World