Healthy Spaces

This summer, record-setting heat waves have impacted life and work around the globe. And although drought and wildfires are visible results of climate change, the most dangerous threat to humans is heatstroke.

As extreme heat conditions become more widespread and frequent, how can climate technology help people stay safe and healthy?

Listen in and learn from two climate innovators who are rapidly implementing climate solutions that help protect people – and their livelihoods – from extreme heat.

Learn more about Extreme Heat Initiatives at the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center.

Learn more about Operation Possible at Trane Technologies.

Guests:

Kurt Schickman, Director of Extreme Heat Initiatives at the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center

Rohith BL, Director of Innovation at Trane Technologies

As climate change continues to negatively impact the health of our planet and its people, medical research is continuously producing new and more effective life-saving treatments.

What does this mean for climate tech? Whether helping transport life-saving treatments or monitoring ventilation in indoor spaces, climate technology plays a role in helping us get better, faster – and in making our built spaces healthier to begin with.

Listen in and learn from two innovators who are leading the way to ensure that climate technologies are working to support more resilient healthcare systems.

Thanks to the iAIR Institute and Allergy Standards (ASL), the iAIR Academy Healthier Buildings Awareness Program is available to Healthy Spaces listeners for just $47 – a generous discount of $110, thanks to our partners. To benefit from the discount, visit https://www.iair.academy/healthier-buildings-awareness-with-the-iair-academy-trane and use the coupon code HBA-TRANE-70 at checkout. 

Guests:

Holly Paeper, President of Life Science Solutions for Trane Technologies

Dr. John McKeon, CEO of iAir Institute and Allergy Standards

Host: Dominique Silva, Innovation Initiatives Leader, Trane Technologies

References:

• Impact of climate change on human pathogenic diseases subject of new study by UH researchers: Over half of known human pathogenic diseases can be aggravated by greenhouse gas emissions -- ScienceDaily
• Climate change, emerging infections and blood donations | Journal of Travel Medicine | Oxford Academic (oup.com)

Did you know that high-tech greenhouses are making it possible to grow tomatoes in the desert? And that innovative solutions adopted by food transporters are helping to reduce food loss and pollution in cities? Climate technology helps to play role in making food systems more sustainable and resilient.

Listen in and learn from business leaders who are reimagining the way we grow and move food in ways that enhance access to healthy food, while reducing environmental impact. From electrification to big data and AI, our guests reflect on how technology and innovation are helping food supply systems to become more efficient, less wasteful and more resilient.

Guests:

• Majed Halawi, VP Engineering & Construction, Pure Harvest Smart Farms
• Adnan Javed, General Manager, Trane Commercial HVAC EMEA, Trane Technologies
• Mtu Pugh, VP Strategic Marketing, Thermo King Americas, Trane Technologies
• Raluca Radu, Portfolio Leader, Thermo King EMEA, Trane Technologies
• Host: Dominique Silva, Innovation Initiatives Leader, Trane Technologies

We like to think of our homes as a place of refuge and comfort from the outside world - but how is technology reducing the impact that homes have on our environment - while helping us thrive inside of them?

Listen in and learn from three different sustainable home innovators who are redefining green building, combining energy efficiency and artificial intelligence to make climate technology smarter, and advancing the home experience for families and the planet.

Guests:

Brandon Weiss, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Dvele Homes

Katie Davis, Vice President of Engineering, Trane Residential

Joel Gouker, Innovation Director, Trane Technologies

Host: Dominique Silva, Innovation Initiatives Leader, Trane Technologies

[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.

Are we able to reimagine a world where clean air, water, and food are available to all? Where economies are focused on health and wellbeing, where cities are livable, and people have control over their health and the health of the planet?

These are the questions being asked by the World Health Organization to focus attention on the urgent actions needed to keep humans and the planet healthy. 

In this special episode celebrating World Health Day, host Rasha Hasaneen speaks with Trane Technologies’ Sustainability leader, Scott Tew, to explore the link between indoor environments and the great outdoors, and what we can all do to make them better. Because it’s clear - the relationship between human health and planetary health is so intertwined, it's impossible to talk about one without the other.

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.

Sports and entertainment venues were among the first places to close their doors during the pandemic and often the last ones to open up. During that time many researched and learned ways to minimize the spread of the virus and outfitted their facilities to protect employees and patrons. The time-tested mantra that “the show must go on” never rang truer than it does today – with a goal to get people who work in the sports and entertainment sector back on the job, and bring people together to enjoy their favorite pastimes once more.

In this episode, Melanie Koch, director of commercial at the International WELL Building Institute, shares what she learned as she partnered with different venues over the last couple of years and how her organization is helping facilities prepare and communicate the steps they have taken.