The most important deterrent to poor air quality is to have your facility’s HVAC system checked annually and keep your air filters changed regularly.

“Most people have kept their homes closed against the cold all winter, which means their indoor air has likely become stale and may even contain toxins that could make them sick,” said Cassie Pound, Quality Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric vice president and co-owner. “If you or your family are suffering from allergies or have noticed that you are having respiratory issues, the culprit may not be the pollen outside, but the contaminants inside.”

Pound said events, such as Earth Day, correctly point to smog and outdoor air pollution as serious issues, but we are also impacted by the quality of the air indoors.

“If you haven’t scheduled your air conditioning tune-up, spring is the perfect time to do that,” Pound said. “Preventative maintenance not only improves your home’s air quality, it also keeps your A/C unit working more efficiently throughout the summer.”

Indoor air quality is also a concern in commercial and public facilities. Pound offers the following advice for homeowners and facility managers:

• Consider a whole-facility air filtration system. Attached through the HVAC system, whole-facility air purifiers help alleviate respiratory illness by reducing allergens and contaminants throughout the building.
• Dust and vacuum regularly. Using dusters that trap the debris and vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters can help cleaning crews trap and contain contaminants rather than merely move them around.
• Control humidity. Excessive or insufficient humidity can promote mold growth or increase dust levels. Ideal humidity levels should be between 30% to 60%. Facility managers can purchase tests to determine their building’s relative humidity and can purchase humidifiers and dehumidifiers to remedy the issue.
• Install radon and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms. These gases are odorless and colorless and can be deadly. Facility managers who suspect they have a CO leak in their HVAC system should call their provider as soon as possible.
• Have the ductwork professionally cleaned. If a facility is more than 15 years old, having the ductwork cleaned of debris and mold build-up will improve its indoor air quality.

On the 55th Anniversary of Earth Day, polls confirm that the vast majority of Americans support increasing investment in and the immediate deployment of renewable energy.   

EARTHDAY.ORG’s (EDO) two-year renewable energy-focused theme, Our Power, Our Planet, has inspired over 10,000 events in the U.S, backing calls for the tripling of electricity generation via renewable energy sources by 2030, eliminating fossil fuels subsidies, and securing inexhaustible sources of clean energy.  

“Millions of people are taking peaceful action this Earth Day to demonstrate their support for renewable energy,” said Kathleen Rogers, EDO president. “Investment in this industry will increase innovation in all sectors of manufacturing, transportation, and agriculture, spurring yet more technological advancements and creating millions of new jobs.” 

In 2024, U.S. wind and solar together generated more power than coal for the first time, as coal hit a record low and solar saw its biggest-ever growth. Solar power capacity in the U.S. is expected to more than double from 91 gigawatt (GW) in 2023 to 182 GW by the end of 2026, alongside a 70% jump in battery storage in 2025. 

Additionally, on April 14 a federal judge ruled against the Trump administration in the case that alleged fraud in a Biden-era clean energy program, unfreezing roughly US$20 billion in funding meant to support projects like new solar energy arrays and efficiency upgrades for small businesses, CNN reported. 

Despite government setbacks of renewable energy federal funding, hundreds of cities across the United States are moving aggressively toward employing renewable energy, recognizing that it will not only create millions of new jobs, but also attract new businesses to their cities, reduce their energy costs, and improve the health of their constituents. 

On Earth Day, city leaders representing over 15 million U.S citizens will announce plans to develop new renewable energy projects in their communities. Additionally, over one million students in U.S. schools will learn about and discuss the impacts of the renewable energy sector and the jobs it will create, this Earth Day.  

View and join official Earth Action Day events on EDO Earth Action Day Map, here.