Lewis Maclean May 2019

A Look at the Healthiest Building in New Delhi Growing Fresh Air 3 Questions to Ask

BEFORE INSTALLING AN AIR CONDITIONER

Imagine you are told you must leave the city you work and live in because it’s killing you. Hard to fathom, isn’t it? But this actually happened to Kamal Meattle, a researcher, activist, and New Delhi native, who was told by doctors that the city’s air quality was a threat to his health. His lung capacity had gone down 70 percent, and doctors suggested he leave New Delhi. Instead, Meattle chose to stay and find an innovative solution to his health problems and the city’s air quality crisis.

Though an air conditioner is considered a “must- have” in the modern home, the reality is that every home does not have A/C. This is especially true throughout the lower mainland and as you travel farther north. You may consider purchasing an A/C unit if your home does not currently have one installed. But you may be unsure if it’s really worth the investment. If you’re on the fence about A/C, here are three questions to ask yourself. How comfortable am I in my home during the warmer months? Some homeowners opt for a fan (ceiling or floor) to cool their home or bedroom during the summer. They may even set up a series of fans throughout their home. The problem is that a fan simply circulates air. It may feel cooler at first, and be effective in the spring and early summer, but as temperatures rise, you end up blowing around a lot of hot air. If you are uncomfortable, an A/C unit can help. What kind of air-cooling system should I get? Every home is different, and every homeowner has different needs. You may live in an area where the heat is manageable. Perhaps you may only need a smaller unit, such as for a bedroom with not much space. A smaller A/C unit will keep you cool while you sleep. Alternatively, you may want to keep your whole home cool, especially for family and guests. In that case, you’ll likely need a dedicated unit that can deliver cool air to every room. Is my home ready for an air conditioner? Not every home was built with an A/C unit in mind. When a unit is installed, whether it is a single- room unit or a whole-home option, windows need to be properly sealed, and any necessary duct work may need to be completed. It’s important to talk with a specialist to find a unit that will work in your home within your budget. There are a lot of options on the market today, so it’s worth it to ask questions and research what will or won’t work in your home.

New Delhi is no stranger to poor air quality. Sometimes pollution gets so bad it warrants a city-wide warning for kids to stay inside. Meattle, who studied engineering at MIT, turned to research by NASA and other organizations to address the issue. During his research, Meattle found that there are three common house plants that excel at removing dangerous chemical compounds, like formaldehyde and carbon monoxide, from the air: the areca palm, the snake plant (or mother-in-law’s tongue), and the money plant. Using these plants, Meattle created an indoor plant-based air filtering system that allows his building, the Paharpur Business Center (PBC), to cultivate all the fresh air it needs. Air entering the building is cleaned by a scrubber, then is filtered through the building’s extensive greenhouse to remove chemicals and bacteria. The greenhouse, and the rest of the building, is filled with areca palms, snake plants, and money plants. Today, the PBC is the healthiest building in New Delhi. 20 years after Meattle rolled out his plant-based filter system, the results speak for themselves. Employee productivity has gone up 20 percent. Respiratory problems have gone down by 34 percent, headaches by 24 percent, and lung impairment by 12 percent, among other health benefits. Just stepping into Paharpur boosts your health: Blood oxygen levels go up by 1 percent after 10 hours in the PBC. Meattle has remained in New Delhi and is set on helping other Indian businesses replicate his plant-based system so they can grow their own fresh air. As he says of his decision to stay, “Either you are overwhelmed by the fact that there are so many problems and so many people, or you find solutions to help in any way you can.”

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