Anca Novacovici
Washington, DC
My name is Anca Novacovici. I am originally from Romania, but have lived in the United States for the last 20+ years of my life. I have always been passionate about the environment and been involved tangentially with it by volunteering and participating in education outreach. For the last seven years, however, my career has been in management consulting, the last three years working independently. Within the last couple of years, my interest and passion for the environment led me to start redirecting my career focus in that direction, and I plan to continue doing work related to the environment in the future. Aside from my passion for the environment, I have many varied interests, such as dance, climbing and snowboarding, to name a few.
Though it had been in the back of my mind for a while, the moment that made me realize that I should be doing something instead of just talking about it was when I was helping a good friend of mine move. She, her husband and her little girl were moving out of the country and getting rid of household cleaners, among other things. I was amazed at the number of items that she had, and how toxic they were, even though she is a relatively ‘aware’ consumer. I realized how insidious a problem this is, and that most of us are unaware of the number of toxic items we use daily, from cleaning liquids to bath and beauty products to furniture and carpeting.
This year, I started a company, Eco-Coach, which aims to educate individuals and corporations about indoor air quality, and provide them with alternatives for better living and health. Few people realize that the products and furniture they use in their homes can be toxic to them and to the environment; likewise, most are not aware of the adverse impacts of certain office equipment on health and productivity in the work place. To address this, I began giving workshops and consultations on indoor air quality in the home, and plan to begin working with corporations within the next six months to do the same for the workplace. I have found that behavioral change is more likely to occur by educating people and giving them tools to start making that change while they are being educated, so they can use the tools as soon as they step out of the learning environment. To do this, I am showing them how to use products and ideas that already exist and are easily accessible to them, and how to apply these to their specific lifestyle.
Indoor air quality is three to five times as polluted as outdoor air, according to the EPA, but most are not aware of this fact. My goal is to educate people and change behaviors by increasing their awareness of the environmental and health hazards that are close-by every day, and providing them with simple, customized alternatives. I plan to do this one household at a time, and shortly, one company at a time. The philosophy behind Eco-Coach is to reinforce the saying, ‘it’s the little things that count’, and reiterate the link between people’s habits and the resulting impact on their health and the environment.
For more information, email Anca at anca@eco-coach.com.