Making the Invisible Visible: Indoor Air as Inclusion
How a global campaign is putting numbers behind the unseen impact of indoor air quality
“Imagine a health crisis that affects virtually everyone in the country, yet remains invisible.”
And so begins a piece in The Mandarin, an Australian government news and policy analysis site, coauthored by Jack Noonan, IWBI’s Senior Vice President and Head of Asia-Pacific, and Plum Stone, CEO and Founder of the Safer Air Project and Co-chair of the Global Commission on Healthy Indoor Air, highlighting healthy indoor air as a form of inclusive, preventative healthcare that drives returns.
“For millions of Australians, breathing in shared indoor spaces has become a barrier to accessibility and inclusion. For people living with chronic health conditions – like heart disease, cancer, asthma or diabetes – a day at work, a visit to the doctor, or a holiday celebration with friends can pose an invisible health risk.”
The column highlights the humanity behind something that impacts us all, but can be impossible to see. “For millions of Australians, breathing in shared indoor spaces has become a barrier to accessibility and inclusion. For people living with chronic health conditions – like heart disease, cancer, asthma or diabetes – a day at work, a visit to the doctor, or a holiday celebration with friends can pose an invisible health risk,” an excerpt reads.
This is the heart behind the Safer Air Project, an organization dedicated to establishing indoor air quality (IAQ) as a critical accessibility and inclusion issue. Through Stone’s leadership, the Safer Air Project advocates for better air standards to protect high-risk populations, including those with chronic illnesses, from airborne threats.
Chief among those efforts is the organization’s cornerstone campaign, Making the invisible visible, wherein organizations around the world commit to monitor IAQ, and publicly display that data so that everyone can see it, increasing accessibility and promoting inclusivity.
“'We spend around 90% of our lives indoors, where airborne pathogens and pollutants can significantly affect health, with disproportionate impacts on people with chronic conditions or disability,” said Stone, Safer Air Project. “Visibly displaying indoor air quality turns an invisible risk into something actionable, leading to safer, healthier and more inclusive spaces for everyone.”
In its pilot year in 2025, more than 20 organizations across eight countries and scores of sectors–banking, science, technology, arts, local government, health, manufacturing–participated. The campaign had strong visibility, reaching more than 2 million people globally.
Coinciding with the end of Indoor Air Quality Awareness Month, October 26-November 1, 2026, the Making the invisible visible is a galvanizing moment for organizations to come together for change.
IWBI is a proud participant for the second-year running. “We know clean indoor air is essential to our well-being. It’s time we treat it like the human right it is, one that protects and enhances individual health and strengthens resilience across our communities,” said our own President and CEO Rachel Hodgdon in 2025.
Join us, and join the campaign.
