ActiveWest Builders is proud to be in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Indoor airPLUS Program. Through this voluntary partnership, AWB has committed to promoting Indoor airPLUS qualified homes that provide homeowners with improved indoor air quality. Clean air is good for everyone’s health, but it can be especially important to those with chronic respiratory conditions.

Indoor airPLUS builds on the foundation of EPA’s ENERGY STAR requirements for new homes and provides additional construction specifications to provide comprehensive indoor air quality protections in new homes. To earn the Indoor airPLUS label, a home must meet strict guidelines set by the EPA for reducing poor indoor air quality. AWB was one of the first builders in the region to earn this label on a series of homes.

Construction specifications include the careful selection and installation of:

• moisture control systems
• heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems
• combustion-venting systems
• radon resistant construction
• low-emitting building materials

To learn more about the Indoor airPLUS Program, check out this YouTube video:

For more information about indoor air quality, or IAQ, visit the EPA’s website here.

Dennis traveled to India on March 15th as part of his ongoing commitment to volunteer work. We will feature more about this in a later post, but he is also taking the opportunity to spend some time in Nepal. Starting from Kathmandu, he hiked Annapurna Mountain from March 25th through April 1st with his guides Kumar and Harka. Along the way, they stayed at “tea houses” where they were fed by the families who lived there. While they were hiking through a valley with a 2,500-year-old Tibetan monastery, the lama invited him to attend the meditation and the tea ceremony that followed.

The beauty of the Himalayas, the compassion of the lamas, and the welcoming spirit of the people of Nepal have made this an experience he will cherish for many years to come.

Dennis with Trek guides Kumar (seated, second from right) and Harka (far right)

Dennis with a “tea house” family

Dennis with a lama at a 2,500-year-old Tibetan monastery