For my entire life, I’ve missed the boat on New Year’s resolutions. The closest I’ve come to setting an annual goal was when I resolved to get up at 5:30 a.m. every morning and walk 3–5 miles down the bike trails near my house — in March! So far, I’ve more or less stuck to it. I don’t always go 3 full miles through The Woodlands, but I do get up and move, which is better than I managed before.

This year though, I’m going to redeem myself on my New Year’s resolution record. I’m actually setting a goal: Double-down on my continuing education. I know this isn’t a SMART goal (aka a resolution that’s specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound), but it’s a good place to start.

As you know, one of my biggest frustrations with the pandemic is that it fouled up my plans to meet with and learn from my peers in the indoor air quality field. Conferences were postponed, meetings were canceled, and presentations were moved to Zoom. That left me feeling behind on my IAQ knowledge — even though everyone else was “behind” as well.

This year, I plan to make up for lost time. I’ll double-down on my continuing education and get up to speed on everything that’s changing for building managers and owners since 2020. That includes the latest in building operations, tenant numbers, and methods of use. All three of those things have changed dramatically, and property management firms have shifted their core methods of doing business to keep up. It’s time for me to change my own reactions and investigations to match.

My work will begin this month when I fly to Hawaii for the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ) Healthy Buildings America conference. There, I’ll meet up with the brainiacs who do the scientific investigations that move my industry forward. Next, I have my eye on an Indoor Air Quality Association meeting in February and two other continuing education programs in July and August. I can’t wait to compare notes with peers from Florida, Colorado, the Carolinas, Massachusetts, and New York and prepare for the IAQ issues that will be coming in 2022 and beyond.

Working toward this goal will help me serve my clients better. I’ll share what I learn at these conferences and use it to improve the health of your buildings. With that in mind, I have an important question for you: What are your indoor environmental concerns? If you have burning questions or even idle curiosities, I’d love to hear them. If I don’t know the answers already, I’ll ask my peers in the industry and grill conference presenters for more information. You can email me with your environmental questions and concerns at TWest@BAQ1.com. We might both learn something!

I hope that if you set goals this year you’re able to achieve them, and if you don’t, more power to you regardless. Have a happy New Year, and I’ll see you in person one day soon!