AH Client Partners: Doing Good, The World Over
In 2023, Association Headquarters’ (AH) Association Impact 2.0 campaign focuses on the tremendous contributions our client partners have had on their communities. Guided in part by the Healthy People 2030 initiative, AH celebrates three AH client partners for all they’re doing to help people in the communities they touch feel safer, healthier, and happier.
RIA Shines a Light on Giving Back
Through the very nature of its work, the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) is significantly impacting communities daily. RIA provides education and certification for those professionals responsible for performing disaster mitigation, restoration, and reconstruction services, such as for those who’ve suffered fires, floods and other natural disasters. Yet, beyond that, they also give back to communities through myriad philanthropic initiatives.
This past April, RIA centered their 2023 International Restoration Convention & Industry Expo around the theme “Restoration Beautiful.” The event, which gathered restoration professionals from across the country, highlighted the contributions of members to their respective communities—such as volunteering in disaster areas, providing food baskets for families in need, and raising over $180,000 for charities that included the Boys & Girls Club, Ronald McDonald House, Hearts for Hope, children’s hospitals, local food banks, and more.
“Our objective is not only to highlight the professionalism and qualifications of our members’ ability to restore people’s lives after tragic disaster events, it’s to shine a bright light on the big hearts of our members and the countless ways in which they make their communities better through philanthropy and giving back,” said Kristy Cohen, RIA CEO.
By stressing the importance of community improvement and those who enact it, RIA has invigorated their membership to become more conscious of their capacity for positive change.
NADCA: Committed to Community Betterment
For 34 years the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (or NADCA) has been the standard bearer in the HVAC inspection, cleaning, and restoration industry. NADCA supports members worldwide with standards, education, certification, marketing, and advocacy to promote the highest quality and ethical services regarding indoor air quality (IAQ).
While NADCA’s work has always been critically important, it was amplified in 2020 when the association was called upon to step up for their communities. With the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic came an increased focus IAQ. That concern led to an added demand on NADCA members, who were ultimately certified as essential workers They worked tirelessly through increasingly hazardous conditions to ensure homes, schools, healthcare facilities, and universities were thoroughly sanitized and ready for their occupants’ return.
In addition to its members’ exceptional performance throughout the pandemic, NADCA continued to promote healthy initiatives for the community at large. Recently, NADCA established a committee charged with the goal of creating awareness of air duct cleaning’s role in establishing and maintaining healthy IAQ levels. Currently formalizing a partnership with the American Lung Association (ALA), NADCA will aim to educate consumers about the importance of “out of sight, out of mind” cleaning. Further, NADCA is also participating in the White House’s Task Force for Clean Air Initiative. The hope is NADCA certifications are included in the standards that are developed.
In addition to approaching current needs in the wake of the pandemic, NADCA’s long-term contribution remains fraud prevention. Its Breathing Clean campaign has proven to be a bulwark against consumer exploitation, launched with three distinct goals: 1) Educate homeowners about the benefits of air duct cleaning and the importance of hiring a NADCA member company to perform the services; 2) Serve as a resource for homeowners providing helpful information and tips for hiring a reputable air duct cleaning company; 3) Provide easy to understand instructions to consumers so they can be certain their HVAC cleaning is done right.
“Breathing Clean has been very successful for NADCA. The campaign was developed by the Anti-Fraud Task Force whose mission is to combat scammers and fraudulent companies taking advantage of unsuspecting homeowners with their too good to be true air duct cleaning services,” said Jodi Araujo, NADCA CEO. “The Federal Trade Commission estimates that Americans lost more than $4 billion to fraud and scams during the last five years. NADCA’s Board of Directors knew it was time and decided to take action in educating and protecting its members’ customers.”
Through NADCA’s willingness to respond to the increased needs during unprecedented times, their perpetual advocacy for healthy IAQ levels, and their concentrated efforts to prevent consumer fraud, it is clear NADCA is an association thoroughly devoted to bettering their communities.
Geothermal Rising: Embracing Clean Energy
In the end, we are a global community, and preserving the Earth is paramount. That’s the work Geothermal Rising (GR) has been doing since 1972, by advocating for the adoption and use of geothermal energy—the planet’s most plentiful and sustainable energy source—as the engine to power our renewable future. Devoted to educating lawmakers and the public about the benefits of clean energy, GR’s message of “Using the Earth to Save the Earth” encourages key decision-makers, local communities, and businesses to harness the power of geothermal energy to both create jobs and improve overall quality of life.
While the association serves many functions, perhaps its main driver of change is its policy committee. The Geothermal Rising Policy Committee (GRPC) acts as the voice of the geothermal industry to stakeholders who make and influence policy, promoting Earth’s energy to heat and cool homes and businesses, manufacture goods, produce food, and generate zero-carbon electricity.
2023 marked a banner year for the GRPC as they were invited to present to a delegation of five U.S. senators in Iceland. The three-day trip included visits to functioning geothermal energy facilities like ON Power and Baseload Power. The delegation was also able to study geothermal direct-use applications—e.g., mushroom greenhouses, bread baking, and brewing—among other projects.
By demonstrating the application of geothermal energy to those in positions of power, GR and its policy committee hopes the trip will eventually lead to a more-welcomed embrace of clean energy
