Corsi-Rosenthal Foundation deliver 1,150 air filters to Los Angeles
When wildfires began tormenting Los Angeles, a board member of the the nonprofit Corsi-Rosenthal Foundation recognised that there was a pressing need for air filters in the city and leapt into action.
Liesl McConchie lives in San Diego, 120 miles from LA (and which is itself now suffering from wildfires). Along with some colleagues she quickly began building and distributing DIY Corsi-Rosenthal air filters
Working alongside around 60 local volunteers in her backyard, Liesl oversaw the assembly of 650 air filters from a collection of fans and filters. In the video below she talks us through the assembly process.
Liesl, who is also a co-founder of The California Alliance for Clean Air in Schools, said: ‘The last two weeks have been a total whirlwind. My house became a small factory, my kids helped me pack a 20-foot box truck to the brim, and I drove a truck around LA dropping off supplies to amazing people protecting their community. Working with these selfless volunteers and the wonderful community groups from hard-hit LA neighborhoods has been an exhausting but so rewarding experience; it’s been truly inspiring seeing so many people come together to help in this emergency.’
In addition to the 650 assembled in Liesl’s backyard the Foundation also provided Joaquín Beltrán from the LA-based Action, Care, Equity Coalition, with materials to build another 500 air filters. Beltrán’s own assembly line was in based a car dealership that provided space.
The Corsi-Rosenthal box is a homemade air filter that was designed in Los Angeles during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jim Rosenthal, the Foundation’s President said: ‘We’re glad that we were able to provide so many air filters to areas heavily impacted by wildfire in Los Angeles. In addition to providing these filters in this moment of crisis, we also want people to understand that cleaning indoor air is important, it has a direct connection to health, and affordable and effective solutions like Corsi-Rosenthal Boxes exist.’
