Connect with us
Anglostratits

Business

How to improve indoor air quality and breathe easier

Published

3 years ago

on

air-conditioning

By filtering out dust, allergens, and other impurities, aircons can help create a healthier indoor environment

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, April 24, 2024/APO Group/ — 

Indoor air can be way more polluted than outdoor air. Luckily, air-conditioning systems can help safeguard your health.

As we go about our daily lives, we often overlook a critical aspect of our well-being: the quality of the air we breathe. When we do think about the air we’re breathing, we often focus on outdoor pollution from vehicles and factories. What many people don’t realise is that the air inside our homes can be up to five times more polluted than outdoor air. [1] While we’re aware of the health risks of outdoor air pollution, we often overlook the similar health dangers [2] of poor indoor air quality.

“Many factors can contribute to poor air quality indoors, including inadequate ventilation, pollutants from cleaning products, pet dander, and volatile organic compounds emitted by furniture and building materials,” says Magrietha Coetzee, Air Solutions Head of Sales at LG Electronics South Africa. “Prolonged exposure to these pollutants can lead to a range of health issues, including respiratory problems, allergies, and even more severe conditions such as asthma.”

Recognising the risks of poor indoor air quality

Identifying the signs of poor indoor air quality [3] is crucial for safeguarding our health. “Common indicators of bad indoor air quality include noticing a musty or stale odour, experiencing frequent headaches or dizziness, feeling congested or having respiratory issues, or observing an excessive buildup of dust or mould,” says Coetzee. “If you or others in the space experience more frequent allergies or asthma symptoms while indoors, it could indicate poor air quality. Keeping an eye out for these signs can help identify potential issues with the air in your home or workplace.”

How an aircon helps clean the air

“While air conditioning systems are known for keeping us cool in summer and warm in winter, what many people don’t realise is that they can play a crucial role [4] in purifying the air inside our homes,” Coetzee adds. By filtering out dust, allergens, and other impurities, aircons can help create a healthier indoor environment. These systems also control temperature and humidity, which helps prevent mould growth. However, air conditioning systems vary in their ability to purify air.

“LG’s ArtCool range of air conditioners are designed to enhance indoor air quality, providing a fresh and pure environment for your home. Whether you need to cool down or heat up your space, the ArtCool range offers the ability to keep you comfortable during both hot and cold months,” adds Coetzee. “The Multi-stage Filtration System effectively captures and filters dust, allergens, and pollutants, significantly enhancing indoor air quality,” Coetzee explains. This is especially beneficial for individuals with respiratory conditions and allergies, as it promotes a healthier living environment by reducing harmful particles and contaminants.

“The Plasmaster Ionizer++ technology goes even further by generating sterilising ions to destroy bacteria and viruses, as well as eliminating unpleasant odours and neutralising harmful substances, such as volatile organic compounds and formaldehyde,” Coetzee adds. “With these features, LG’s ArtCool range of air conditioners provide more than just temperature control—they actively contribute to overall well-being, allowing you to breathe easier and enjoy a healthier, fresher indoor atmosphere.”

The ArtCool range, equipped with LG’s Dual Inverter Compressor and backed by a ten-year warranty, cools faster, lasts longer, and runs quieter

In addition to these air filtering capabilities, the ArtCool air conditioner is designed to be harmonised with the interior of your home with a minimal and basic style. The mirror glass on the front of the product reflects the surrounding environment to emphasise the interior and integrity, delivering timeless beauty through the solidity of the glass material. “You can also access and control your air conditioner from anywhere with LG’s exclusive mobile app, ThinQ,” Coetzee explains. “The ArtCool range, equipped with LG’s Dual Inverter Compressor and backed by a ten-year warranty, cools faster, lasts longer, and runs quieter by addressing problems related to inefficiency and noise.”

Prioritising indoor air quality is paramount for our health and well-being, especially considering the substantial time we spend indoors. “By understanding the risks associated with poor indoor air quality and acknowledging the pivotal role of air conditioning systems in maintaining cleaner and healthier indoor environments, we can take proactive steps towards creating spaces that promote overall well-being and vitality for ourselves and our loved ones,” Coetzee concludes.

Sources:

[1] Wallace, L. A., Pellizzari, E. D., Hartwell, T., Whitmore, R., Sparacino, C., & Zelon, H. (1986, January 1). Total exposure assessment methodology (team) study: Personal exposures, indoor-outdoor relationships, and breath levels of volatile organic compounds in New Jersey. Environment International. (https://apo-opa.co/4deUiE8)

[2] Indoor Air Quality. (n.d.). National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. (https://apo-opa.co/3UsClux)

[3] Signs of Unhealthy Indoor Air. (n.d.). (https://apo-opa.co/3JwNIeI)

[4] Air Cleaners and Air Filters in the Home | US EPA. (2023, October 31). US EPA. (https://apo-opa.co/3Uxfo9K)

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of LG Electronics.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Events

The 27th China International Education Annual Conference held a cloud dialogue, where Yin Yuzhen and Saikaos discussed the exchange of folk ecological education

Published

13 hours ago

on

November 11, 2026

By

China

BEIJING, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 November 2026 – The 27th China Annual Conference & Expo for International Education (CACIE) hosted a “CACIE Talk” session in Beijing on October 30, where Yin Yuzhen, a Chinese anti-desertification pioneer, Bai Fan, head of the Luoyang No. 2 Foreign Language School Education Group, and their American friend Sakolsky, whose full name is Ronald Sakolsky, reconnected via video link. The brief conversation added a new footnote to a cross-border green story now spanning 26 years.
 




 
In the video link, Sakolsky said he had launched preparations on October 1 to establish the Sakolsky Foundation. He plans to work with the China Education Association for International Exchange to build a platform for exchanges between Chinese and American teachers and students, using people-to-people exchanges to bridge cultural divides. Communication and understanding, he said, are important bridges to a peaceful future for young people in the global village we all share. Bai Fan also noted that face-to-face cross-border educational exchanges can help young people learn tolerance and respect, and see a real, multi-dimensional China. Yin Yuzhen responded with a simple observation that resonated with the audience: planting trees and nurturing people both come down to perseverance.

The friendship had its origins in the Maowusu Sandy Land. In 1999, Sakolsky, then teaching in Luoyang, was moved by Yin Yuzhen’s story of taking root in the desert to control desertification, and raised $5,000 himself to support her afforestation efforts. Yin invested the entire sum in the sandy land, planted some 50,000 saplings, erected a stone marker bearing her friend’s name, and kept one dollar as a memento.

The two then lost touch for more than two decades. Yin kept up her sand-control work day after day while thinking of her friend far away. In May 2026, she posted a video appeal to find him and located Sakolsky within 26 hours. In August that year, the two met in person in Ordos and walked together into the forest that now stands there.

For more than four decades, Yin Yuzhen and her husband have remained committed to the Maowusu, bringing a total of 70,000 mu (about 4,667 hectares) of barren sand under control. The shifting dunes that once rolled with yellow dust have gradually become woodland and pasture. Today, 85 percent of the Maowusu Sandy Land in Uxin Banner has been treated, and the transformation of this sandy expanse is regarded as a model case in reversing land degradation worldwide. Over the years, the area has continued to attract volunteers from many countries to take part in desertification control, and people-to-people cooperation on environmental protection has continued to grow.

The goodwill that began with sand control has long gone beyond a single stretch of sandy land. On October 15 this year, Yin Yuzhen was named one of the inaugural “100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development” at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome. There she joined Sakolsky and FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu in planting a crape myrtle as a symbol of friendship, sharing China’s experience in desertification control on the international stage. Windblown sand respects no borders, and a shared commitment to ecological conservation has carried the story of two ordinary people out of the desert and onto the international multilateral platform.

The thread of people-to-people friendship clearly runs from the saplings in the Maowusu to the crape myrtle as a mark of friendship in Rome, and now to the conversation in Beijing about exchanges among young people. Sakolsky’s plan to establish the foundation is meant to carry forward the goodwill that began in the desert: starting from an ecological commitment, using educational exchange as a bond, and helping more young people build connections and pass on the power of goodness and beauty.
 




 

Continue Reading

Business

Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group–World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) Investment Excellence Awards 2026 Announce Winners

Published

14 hours ago

on

November 11, 2026

By

Islamic Development Bank

Beyond recognizing excellence, the Awards foster peer learning and the exchange of best practices among IsDB Member Countries, helping transform investment opportunities into sustainable, impactful, and investment-ready projects

GENEVA, Switzerland, November 11, 2026/APO Group/ –The IsDB Group–WAIPA Investment Excellence Awards 2026 (https://www.IsDB.org) concluded today during the 30th World Investment Conference (WIC 2026) in Geneva, Switzerland, recognizing outstanding Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) for their contributions to sustainable investment, investment facilitation, and economic development across IsDB Member Countries.

 




  

The General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), Egypt, received the IsDB Group- WAIPA Investment Excellence Awards 2026 for Outstanding Sustainable Investment Project for the Kom Ombo Solar PV Power Project, a landmark initiative that has delivered measurable economic, social, and environmental impact while advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Invest Oman received the IsDB Group-WAIPA Investment Excellence Awards 2026 for Investment-Ready Projects, Partnerships & Facilitation Excellence in recognition of its success in developing investment-ready opportunities through effective partnerships, stakeholder coordination, and investor facilitation.

The National Investment Promotion Agency of Comoros received a Special Recognition Award for Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The agency was recognized for supporting investors at every stage, from preparing projects to aftercare.

The Awards are a joint initiative of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group and World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), established to recognize Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) from IsDB Member Countries that are driving sustainable development, private sector growth, economic diversification, and long-term prosperity through investment.

A total of 15 applications were submitted for the 2026 edition. Following an eligibility screening process, all eligible submissions were reviewed and assessed by an independent international jury, which selected the winners based on the published evaluation criteria.

The awards were presented by Mr. Ismail Ersahin, Chief Executive Officer of WAIPA; Mr. Sahal Almarwai, Division Manager of Outreach & Events Management at the IsDB Group Business Forum (THIQAH); and Mr. Kadir Basboga, Associate Manager, Regional Integration, Cooperation & Capacity Development at IsDB. The ceremony brought together IPAs leaders, senior government officials, investors, and private sector representatives attending the World Investment Conference (WIC) 2026.

Launched during the IsDB Group Annual Meetings 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Awards reflect the evolving role of IPAs in supporting investors throughout the investment lifecycle, strengthening investment ecosystems, coordinating stakeholders, and developing bankable investment opportunities. Beyond recognizing excellence, the Awards foster peer learning and the exchange of best practices among IsDB Member Countries, helping transform investment opportunities into sustainable, impactful, and investment-ready projects.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB Group).

 

 




 

Continue Reading

Business

Lord Nicholas Stern to headline Africa’s Green Economy Summit as continent looks towards 32nd Conference of the Parties (COP32)

Published

14 hours ago

on

November 11, 2026

By

COP32

AGES 2027 brings global and African leaders together in Cape Town to focus on financing and delivering Africa’s sustainable future

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, November 11, 2026/APO Group/ –Professor Lord Nicholas Stern, one of the world’s leading authorities on the economics of climate change, will deliver a keynote address at Africa’s Green Economy Summit (https://apo-opa.co/4iRv4j7) (AGES), taking place from 23 to 26 February 2027 at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town. His participation comes as Africa looks towards COP32, which Ethiopia will host in 2027.

 




  

Professor Lord Nicholas Stern, IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government and Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science, will address delegates during the opening keynote session: “Ready for the World: Financing and Delivering Africa’s Sustainable Future.”

A foundational figure in shaping the economic case for global climate action, Professor Lord Nicholas Stern led the landmark Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, which demonstrated the profound economic risks of inaction on climate change and made the case for investment in a transition to a low-carbon economy.

His participation comes as Africa enters an important period for climate action. With COP32 placing the global spotlight on the continent, the focus is increasingly shifting from ambition and commitments towards implementation: mobilising capital, building investable projects, strengthening resilience and ensuring the green transition supports economic growth, industrialisation and jobs.

“COP32 is an opportunity for Africa to change the narrative from a continent seeking climate finance to a continent offering some of the world’s most compelling green investment opportunities. AGES 2027 is about making that opportunity tangible by connecting capital with projects, policy with implementation, and ambition with delivery,” says Emmanuelle Nicholls, Group Director: Green Economy at VUKA Group.

That transition from ambition to delivery sits at the heart of the newly released AGES 2027 programme, with “Road to COP32: Africa’s Implementation Agenda” running as a cross-cutting theme throughout the summit. The opening programme also features a dedicated discussion on Africa’s adaptation and resilience agenda on the road to COP32.

New voices shaping Africa’s green economy

AGES 2027 is about making that opportunity tangible by connecting capital with projects, policy with implementation, and ambition with delivery

Professor Lord Nicholas Stern will be joined by a growing line-up of African and international leaders spanning green growth, climate finance, development finance, trade and investment.

Confirmed speakers include:

  • Mallé Fofana, Deputy Executive Director and Head of the Directorate for Green Growth Implementation at the Global Green Growth Institute
  • Satu Kahkonen, World Bank Division Director for South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini
  • Haile Mekonnen, COP32 Climate Finance Representative for the Ethiopian Private Sector and member of UNECA’s COP32 Climate Finance Technical Team
  • Aakif Merchant, Director and Head of Africa at Convergence
  • Dave Chalila, Head of Africa and Middle East Investments at GuarantCo (PIDG)
  • Roslyn Ng’eno, Senior Investment Expert at the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat

 

The programme will examine some of the most immediate opportunities and challenges shaping Africa’s sustainable development, including energy access and green industrialisation, water security, sustainable agriculture, climate and nature finance, critical minerals, sustainable mobility, carbon finance, digital infrastructure and the mobilisation of institutional capital.

From climate ambition to capital

The COP32 conversation at AGES will be grounded in investment and delivery.

AGES 2027 is expected to bring together 700+ delegates, 150+ investors and 40 investment-ready projects representing a US$2 billion pipeline, creating a marketplace connecting African opportunities with the capital, partners and expertise required to take them forward.

New additions for 2027 include a Ministerial & Technical Leadership Roundtable, a closed-door DFI Roundtable and the Green Village, alongside investor roundtables, curated matchmaking and project pitches.

The City of Cape Town returns as host city for AGES 2027.

The full AGES 2027 programme is now available, together with the summit’s new infrastructure and SMME Dealbooks highlighting investment-ready African projects seeking capital and partnerships.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

 




 

Continue Reading

Trending