Monthly Archives: March 2020

Reduced Activity Caused by COVID-19 Leads to Drop in GHG and Other Air Emissions

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have fallen sharply since the growth and spread of COVID-19 as activity from business and travel has slowed, according to experts. For example, according to a BBC report, traffic levels are down by about 35% and carbon monoxide levels are down by nearly 50% in New York City compared to the same time last year.

Closures of factories in China during the outbreak caused a significant drop in smog levels. Air pollution levels in Italy have dropped, too. In both nations, millions of people were kept under lockdown or quarantine to slow the virus, reducing business and other activities. The decline in emissions has been confirmed by NASA and European Space Agency satellites. In the US, where 50% of car trips take people to or from work or school, where so many have been closed, similar declines are expected.
According to https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51944780, by May, scientists predict that GHG emissions may be at their lowest levels recorded in a decade, since the Great Recession.

One area where the business slump will significantly reduce GHG emissions is the airline industry as some studies believe CO2 emissions from air travel may have a disproportionate effect on heat trapping. The severe slump that the airlines are facing would mean significant reductions in their contribution. Therefore, airlines are expected to push back against proposed European climate change taxes meant to address the industry’s outsized effects.

There is concern by many in the environmental field that this downward spikes in GHG and other emissions are temporary and will result in a bounce back when economic conditions return to close to normal. In fact, there may be a major increase in emissions as people “catch up” on lost travel and other manufacturing opportunities. This has been observed after financial crises and terrorist attacks as those reductions in economic activity, such as certain manufacturing, driving, and air travel were temporary and then bounce back. On the other hand, some are predicting that social distancing practices that many are implementing, such as more home cooking, remote meetings and working and learning from home, may gain traction and become the norm even after activity approaches normal again, cutting back on manufacturing, transportation, and agricultural GHG and other emissions in the long-term.

CCES has the experts to help you assess your greenhouse gas and other air toxic emissions from your operations and project future emissions in a recovery or for other changes. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

COVID-19 and Its Spread in a Multi-Family Building

The coronavirus (COVID-19) is the event of our times. This pandemic is expected to kill millions of people worldwide. While not the most deadly virus known, it is very highly communicable, leading potentially to high concentrations of afflicted people in localized areas, overwhelming the health care infrastructure of the areas. Afflicted people could easily face a shortage of hospital beds in their area, as well as shortages of necessary respiratory equipment and overburdened doctors and staff, itself leading to death. Therefore, it is important to take potentially drastic steps to slow down the spread of the virus. For the building owner/manager – and particularly, of a multi-family building – one does not want the building to be the center of many coming down with COVID-19.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) maintains that the spread of the COVID-19 virus can be slowed with frequent, thorough disinfectant washing of surfaces that people touch, such as door knobs, bannisters, and elevator buttons. Many communities have instituted a partial or substantial lockdown forbidding people to leave their homes, with few exceptions, such as food shopping or a pharmacy visit. There is particular concern about these sub-populations who may be especially vulnerable to COVID-19 exposure:
• Healthcare workers caring for patients with COVID-19;
• Those who have had close contact with persons with COVID-19; and
• Travelers returning from areas where COVID-19 cases are common.

Therefore, building owners and managers should develop and implement reasonable protocols to reduce the spread and keep building staff and residents safe until a state of emergency is lifted. This should be done to mitigate risks and potential claims.

The protocol should require building staff to keep all items, furniture, and equipment that people may make contact with sanitized with the use of an EPA-approved disinfectant (containing at least 70% alcohol). This would include all such surfaces in lobbies, elevators, mail rooms, laundry rooms, bathrooms, or other areas that residents and staff may have access to. Door handles, light switches, elevator buttons, and other commonly touched surfaces should be disinfected often and thoroughly.

The protocol should require or strongly recommend all outsiders, such as contractors, visitors, vendors, and delivery people who enter to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer. Dispensers should be placed in the lobby accessible to all. Building staff should ensure there is always soap and paper towels in bathrooms and to post reminders for 20-second hand washing. Delivery personnel should be told to leave the item they are delivering by the unit’s front door, ring the door bell, and then leave.

Signage for COVID-19 is important. They should encourage all persons exhibiting symptoms of infection to seek medical care, follow their doctor’s orders, and report themselves to the local health department, encourage all persons who have come in close contact with an infected person to self-quarantine in their unit for at least 14 days, and encourage all persons to use tissues to contain coughs and sneezes, wash their hands regularly and to keep a 6-foot distance from others.

Building staff should be required to wear and use appropriate personal protective equipment, such as gloves and masks, according to the job they are doing, as well as to follow written directions for using cleaning products. Appropriate quantities of protective equipment and cleaning products should be available.

Staff should be encouraged to ask residents they see, particularly the elderly, how they are feeling and if they are exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19 infection. If a resident’s answer may indicate possible infection, then he/she should be encouraged to seek assistance from local authorities. Staff need not enter that person’s unit, should promptly wash their hands thoroughly, and report the incident to Management.

Again, signage is important as a way to communicate these items to residents, staff, and outsiders. Having a written protocol communicated to and understood by staff puts the building owner/manager in a better position to ensure no further or limited exposure to COVID-19 virus, which is better for the health of residents and staff, reduces expenses, protects the owner from legal actions, and enhances the building’s value.

CCES has the experts to help building owners manage their property more efficiently and effectively. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Traits of Resiliency To Help in A Crisis

The ongoing events of the past few weeks about the COVID-19 pandemic made me think about a concept I had written about when it comes to Climate Change but had not in awhile. Resiliency is the ability to address and recover from a crisis or some difficulty.

A word that comes to mind for resiliency is change. Think about what likely all of us has begun to do over these past few weeks. We’re much more cognizant of the need to wash hands, no longer shake hands or kiss or hug, use hand sanitizers, clean your phones, keyboards, bannisters, etc. Even the most antiseptic person among us has probably stepped up their routine about cleanliness. For everyone, this represents a sudden, major change in your lifestyle. And as we see in the news, some people are going against the health experts and not making the necessary changes. Another example is work. So many people will have to change the way they do business, who they serve or sell to, how they make a living and, of course, where they work (such as suddenly having to work from home). How will people show resiliency and change?

Another important aspect of resiliency is perspective, realizing that a crisis that one is in is, although painful, something that will subside in time and allow normalcy to return. When it comes to COVID-19, we are seeing of stories of people panicking, hoarding supplies they don’t need, not doing things that need to be done on the assumption that they will catch the virus and die. Part of being resilient is to realize that the difficulties you face are temporary, something you have to adjust to, but preparing to go back to life as it was before and not panic. Those that put matters in perspective, look at the medium- and long-term future and make rational decisions for themselves and loved ones to survive the crisis and come out better for it will more likely survive and thrive.

Finally, another important aspect of resiliency is listening, listening to information. When one is in a crisis, one does not know who or what to listen to. Well-meaning advice may come from many sources but may not be right for you. The resilient person is one that listens to the different pieces of advice of different people during a crisis, sorts out which ones make the most sense, disregards quickly the foolish ones, and then picks one and re-assesses and re-calibrates and potentially changes the strategy based on results and the future of the crisis. The resilient one keeps calm, listens to many voices, and chooses the one he/she thinks is best, but with an open mind to change if need be.

Change. Perspective. Listening.  All important traits to resiliency, which is the way we can survive the current COVID-19 crisis and future Climate Change calamities in both our personal/family lives and society. Be strong and resilient!

CCES can be contacted at karell@CCESworld.com or at 914-584-6720. We are there for you.

Air-conditioned Indoor Spaces Increase Risk of Viral Exposure

A majority of the coronavirus COVID-19 exposure human clusters reported globally are in air-conditioned indoor environments, such as nursing homes, cruise ships, places of worship, hospitals, etc. Why? There are two potential explanations. Clearly, people prefer comfortable air-conditioned indoor environments. Being more comfortable makes occupants spend more time in the space and be more social than if they were less comfortable. At the same time, keeping the air temperature and relative humidity in these comfortable ranges also prolongs the viability of viruses. Such an environment allows COVID-19 and other viruses to live for several days on indoor surfaces and in the air, increasing the likelihood of transfer by human to human contact.

Activities such as touching, coughing, sneezing, and talking generate large quantities of viruses to pass through the air and deposit, not only on other people, but also on indoor surfaces which others can touch and be exposed to. One study showed that viral particles expelled from people are small enough, 0.3 µm or less, to linger in room air for several days. Research shows that both indoor air temperatures and a low relative humidity that people favor also lead to long periods of their viability on surfaces and indoor air. This, therefore, increases the risk of infection with a virus like COVID-19.

This corresponds to “well” air-conditioned spaces, such as the typical, comfortable temperature range of 71⁰F to 75⁰F and a relative humidity range of 60-70%. Research suggests that infectious viruses would lose much of their viability if the temperature of a space is raised to 90⁰F or more and a relative humidity of 90% or more. However, such conditions would lead to the growth of other biologicals, such as mold, and would volatilize chemicals, such as VOCs, in indoor areas, which have their own health impacts, not to mention such conditions are not safe for humans, particularly the elderly.

Of course, the most pragmatic solution, as public health experts have told us, is behavioral. Thorough hand washing water and soap and regular face washing are effective in reducing the risk of getting infected with a virus, social distancing, and staying home if one has any infectious symptoms.

If a building is shut down because of the possibility of COVID-19 presence, a thorough cleaning with disinfectant is useful, but may not be the complete answer. While major areas which people contact (door knobs, bannisters, chairs, etc.) should be thoroughly cleaned, missing one spot could still lead to spreading exposure given COVID-19 can survive for days. Building management may wish to consider, in addition to a thorough cleaning, the temporary raising of the temperature and relative humidity to the levels listed above to aid in reducing the viability of viruses. This may not be the complete solution either, as it depends how effective the HVAC is and whether that temperature and relative humidity can be reached in every affected area of the building where people may be occupying. However, this is something to consider.

CCES has the experts to help you in designing and operating a good, effective, safe HVAC system and can work with public health experts to assess COVID-19 or other potential health impacts. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or karell@CCESworld.com. Please act and be safe these days!