The small Michigan town of Durand once served as a key transportation hub for multiple Midwestern railway lines.

After wildfire smoke from Canada shrouded Michigan’s skies in 2023, Michael Nazarian, community leader and owner of Dabble Enrichment Center, stepped up to take a greater hand in elevating air quality awareness in Durand through air quality monitoring.

Thanks in part to Mike’s efforts, this quiet bedroom community is now taking a keen and proactive interest in building a sustainable, pollution-free lifestyle.

Engineering environmental activism

A professional engineer, Mike began to gravitate towards sustainability and improving environmental health outcomes while working towards his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan. Reflecting on his education, he recalled “transferring directly out of mechanical engineering into energy and sustainable systems.”

Dabble Community Enrichment Center, Durand, Michigan.

After moving to Durand, Mike channeled his interests into benefitting his community. He and his wife Jamison purchased an abandoned downtown bank and converted it into a community enrichment center, Dabble (1). The center keeps the lights on with rental space and provides free community support through back-to-school clothing, holiday costume, and holiday décor drives, and by providing resources for new mothers and local families.

After becoming the Durand Planning Commission’s Sustainability Expert, he was a co-founder of an “edible landscape” initiative. Each year, the community plants fruit and vegetables around the town free for anyone to enjoy (2).

With his in-depth knowledge of Durand’s environmental challenges, Mike looked for ways to do more and found his answer in air quality monitoring.

Wildfire smoke sparks air quality interest

The 2023 Canadian wildfires brought air pollution directly to the forefront of public awareness in Mike’s community. “Wildfire smoke was the first thing that really got people paying attention to air quality,” he noted.

Moderate air quality in Durand, Michigan on July 17, 2024. Source: IQAir.

However, there are hidden sources of air pollution that residents may overlook on less smoky days.

For example, while the public may perceive farmland and country as naturally less polluted than neighboring bigger cities like Flint or Lansing, Mike knew better. “People assume air quality is okay in the country, but that is not always the case.” Durand experiences varying air quality issues during different seasons, whether during planting or harvesting times.

Durand is surrounded by farms, which can be sources for particle pollutants like nitrogen oxide and PM2.5, particulate matter measuring less than 2.5 microns in diameter, through agricultural practices. Mike said, “Some pollution can be due to chemical applications, some due to increased particles stirred up during harvest.”

To educate the community on localized air quality issues and foster a culture of sustainability, Mike set up an air quality monitoring station, installing an AirVisual Outdoor at Dabble. He now has accurate, real-time information to help communicate with the community. Mike said, “The AirVisual was simple to set up and it was a no-brainer to get its data up on the platform so people can access it.”

Mike Nazarian and AirVisual Outdoor.

Mike appreciates that IQAir’s free air quality app empowers users to make informed decisions based on real-time data. “When we go talk at a school and educate the public, we can talk about the pollution,” he said. “We can help people understand that these are harmful contaminants.”

Mike is motivated to inform his community about the importance of clean air. “If you're tracking that and see that there's poor air quality, you can act accordingly to keep yourself safe,” he said. “And with the app, it’s super easy for people to understand what’s going on.”

Durand’s future sustainability plans

Mike hopes to increase the air quality monitoring station’s following by publicizing it through Dabble’s videos and social media presence. His local initiative mirrors IQAir’s commitment to providing accessible, real-time air quality data globally, encouraging communities everywhere to take proactive steps for better health.

Mike knows that increased air quality knowledge will lead to greater overall environmental health awareness and community engagement in Durand. "With all these different data points available, it makes it a lot easier for people to make good decisions. The more often they make good decisions, the more they’ll appreciate it," he said.

One such data point published together on Dabble’s air quality monitoring station – Durand’s pollen count.

High pollen count in Durand, Michigan on July 9, 2024. Source: IQAir.

On high pollen count days – as on poor air quality days in general – people in Durand can choose to close their doors and windows, run an air purifier, and avoid outdoor activity should they be sensitive to pollen.

The takeaway

Michael Nazarian's project is a vital part of a global effort to spread air quality awareness, and similar air quality initiatives can be replicated in any community. Access to free, local real-time air quality information can help raise awareness about sources of poor air quality and show how they impact people’s quality of life.

Michael’s project embodies IQAir’s broader goal: ensuring that every community, regardless of size, can access the information needed to protect both health and environment—and proving that with the right tools and determination, anyone can make a meaningful difference.