In this special episode, we sit down with the founders and champions of World Ventilate Day (November 8th) to dissect the critical difference between air quality and ventilation.

They reveal why their focus is on action, agency, and empowering everyone—from homeowners to governments—to take control of their indoor environments.

Key Discussion Points:

• Action vs. Nuance: Why the day focuses on ventilation (the action) rather than the more nuanced conversation around air quality.

• The Agency Angle: How ventilation provides agency at every level, from national governance to managing your own home.

• Beyond Air Quality: Why ventilation is critical not just for air, but for managing a building's thermal environment, humidity, comfort, and energy.

• The Pandemic's Legacy: The shocking realisation during COVID that "we haven't got a clue" about the ventilation in our buildings, and the danger of apathy today.

• The Collaboration Imperative: Discussing the theme 'Collaborate to Ventilate' and the need for engineers and building users to work together.

• What We're NOT Talking About: The panellists share their most pressing overlooked topics, including the destructive power of apathy , the complexity of real-world ventilation , and the urgent need for competence and accountability in the industry.

• Reframing Success: Why we need to measure the performance and outcomes of ventilation, not just the existence of a product.

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction: World Ventilate Day and Its Mission
• 00:02:25 Why Ventilation, Not Just Air Quality?
• 00:06:25 The Origins: How World Ventilate Day Began
• 00:09:02 The Pandemic Wake-Up Call: What We Didn't Know
• 00:17:10 Breaking Down Engineering Barriers Through Collaboration
• 00:21:56 Ventilation Engineers: The Hidden Health Heroes
• 00:23:45 The Lungs as Filters: A Powerful Analogy
• 00:28:57 The Future of World Ventilate Day: Going Global
• 00:34:21 Fighting Apathy: The Destructive Power of Indifference
• 00:38:12 The Complexity Challenge: Beyond Simple Solutions
• 00:43:52 The Competence Crisis: When Good Intentions Go Wrong
• 00:49:16 Reframing Success: From Products to Performance

World Ventilate Day: November 8th. 

Find out more and get involved: https://www.worldventil8day.com/

Cath Noakes

Henry Burridge

Nathan Wood

#81 - Nathan Wood

#15 Cath Noakes

#7 Henry Burridge

The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with

Zehnder Group -  Farmwood - Eurovent- Aico - Aereco - Ultra Protect - 

The One Take Podcast in Partnership with

SafeTraces and Inbiot

Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website.