Thanks for your interest in ROCIS
(Reducing Outdoor Contaminants in Indoor Spaces)
Now is the perfect time to learn about your indoor air quality, the effect on you and your family, and most importantly, opportunities for improvement.

Participate in the webinar 7 PM Monday, August 24 and repeated 10:30 AM Tuesday, August 25 to learn more about the Low Cost Monitoring Project (LCMP) our upcoming virtual monitoring Cohort (Sept. 3 - Oct. 2). NOTE: Folks outside of southwest PA can participate in our virtual cohort.
Reply here to request more info for the webinar.
Join a ROCIS Low Cost Monitoring Project Virtual Cohort!

Kits will be delivered to participants via a no contact exchange - either to your door [porch/driveway] or via mail. The kit includes monitors for particles, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and radon. During the one-month-long cohort, participants monitor their indoor and outdoor air, and receive weekly feedback on their results. During the monitoring period, ROCIS participants can test the effectiveness of ROCIS-loaned equipment, including portable air cleaners and DIY filter fans. The virtual format has increased the convenience of participating through:

  • No travel requirements (All meetings are online!)
  • Flexible meeting times (There are two weekly online ROCIS meetings, each with the option of attending in the morning or evening.)
  • Shorter meetings (Each meeting is 75 minutes)
  • More frequent meetings (There are 10 meetings!)
  • Opportunity for more household members to participate (Kids are welcome!)

Another bonus for participants: virtual cohort meetings allow ROCIS team members Don Fugler (based in Ottawa) and Rob Busher (based in Portland, ME) to participate in meetings. “What I found really useful in the virtual cohort was that people interacted more with us all.”, Don noted. 

Over the course of the virtual cohort, the ROCIS team covers a wide range of topics including:
  • Air quality in Pittsburgh
  • Accessing and interpreting air quality monitoring results
  • Technical interventions to improve indoor air quality
  • Behavioral interventions to improve indoor air quality
  • Resources to learn about local outdoor air quality
  • Health impacts of air quality

This monitoring cohort will be from Thursday, September 3 to Friday, October 2. 

Interested?
 
The first step is to participate in our introductory webinar which explains the FREE Low Cost Monitoring Project (LCMP). It is being offered Monday, Aug 24 7 PM or Tuesday, Aug 25 10:30 AM. Sign up below. After the webinar, participants will be contacted to confirm their interest in continuing and their commitment to meet the LCMP expectations for the upcoming cohort. 

Questions? Contact Emily Dale ROCIS LCMP Coordinator, 724 833 8223, ke_dale@hotmail.com.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Please forward this email to friends and colleagues who may want to learn about monitoring and improving their home's air quality.
Our History & Purpose

We launched the ROCIS Low Cost Monitoring Project (LCMP) four years ago with funding from The Heinz Endowments.

The purpose of this project is to explore and clarify the value and applications for low cost monitoring devices to address indoor air quality. Our focus is on dwellings and their residents, however, we can accommodate several workplaces each cohort, as long as there is a suitable place to located monitors outside. Monitoring kits are loaned for a period of 3+ weeks. The kit includes nine devices to measure particles, CO (carbon monoxide), CO2 (carbon dioxide), radon, temperature, and humidity.

We conducted our first virtual cohort this past April. It was great to have people from a larger geographic area, and to include those whose schedules previously limited their attendance in face-to-face meetings in Pittsburgh. 
What's possible for your air?
The following two graphs show the impact of an intervention, in this case the addition of portable air cleaners, on July 15. The particles are being tracked with a Dylos 1700 particle monitor.
We hope you can participate!
 
Linda, for the ROCIS Team
 
Linda Wigington
Team Leader | Reducing Outdoor Contaminants in Indoor Spaces (ROCIS) 
724-852-3085 (office), 724-986-0793 (mobile)
Thanks to The Heinz Endowments for support of the ROCIS initiative. 
(Reducing Outdoor Contaminants in Indoor Spaces)