Executive Voice
How Respira is Enhancing Our Homes

Environmental sustainability is a popular topic of discussion these days, with many individuals looking for more sustainable solutions to the problems they face in their day-to-day lives. By simply performing our daily activities, there are many ways in which we, as humans, pollute the air around us. These can be apparent tasks like driving to work, but can also be something as simple as buying new furniture or using hairspray. The pollution in our air gives rise to many illnesses such as heart disease and respiratory diseases.
There is, therefore, a dire need for an air purification solution in our homes. One that not only improves the air around us using natural processes but also enhances our environment through nature-inspired design.
Understanding Respira
Respira is an air-purifying garden that takes care of itself, all thanks to its unique advanced technology. The product is aesthetic in its design but is packed with tons of technology to offer several functional benefits such as self-sufficient lighting and watering schedules for the garden. The system is fitted with various sensors that monitor the conditions of the plants as well as provide feedback and information regarding the surrounding indoor air quality.
Mitchell Cowburn and Dylan Robertson launched Respira just over a year ago, but the partnership goes back much further. The two founders met back in their university days while in a Real Estate and Housing program when they bonded over their shared interest in sustainable real estate solutions. They gained their initial experience in sales but had always discussed the potential to go into business together and disrupt the real estate industry through innovation and sustainable design.
Passionate about this life course, they launched their first company together in 2018, called New Earth Solutions. The company’s mission: to advance the world towards more sustainable solutions that improve our lives and connect us with nature.
Through this company, the pair was able to build commercial living walls successfully for three years. During this time, the most common question they would get asked was “how can I get one of these in my home?” When Covid hit, they took the opportunity to pivot and launched Respira into the residential market.
Designing Respira
Dylan and Mitchell came to revolutionize not only the standard air-purification design but the indoor gardening experience as well. They used the knowledge they had gained in the commercial living wall industry to design a product that provided the same benefits but required much less maintenance and was a fraction of the cost. While the design of Respira is at a much smaller scale, the idea is the same – to provide an intimate experience between the consumer and nature.
The design of the system is timeless. It’s sleek and minimal, lending itself to the nature within. The idea was to have the product represent a symbiotic relationship between technology and nature, where the two functions work together to improve the overall ecosystem that is your home or office space.
Since they launched Respira, they have received a lot of great feedback on the design and support in bringing this project to market. This became overwhelmingly evident to them when they launched their Kickstarter on January 26th, 2021, and they raised a quarter-million dollars in crowd-funding sales in only 30 days.
Benefits of Respira
One of the best features Respira brings to the table is sustainability. With traditional air purification systems, you are required to change your filters every few months, and the filters you are no longer using end up getting tossed in the garbage. This human activity leads to over twelve thousand tons of disposable filters ending up in landfills every single year. Respira uses a reusable pre-filter, meaning fewer filters end up in our landfills.
Plus, the system removes toxins from the air in your home using a natural process known as biofiltration, which occurs in the root zone of the garden’s plants. Not only is this an organic and natural process, but the air purification abilities with this process get better over time and become specialized for your space. It’s clear that Respira is on the path to improving sustainability and healthy living in our homes, and the Respira Air smart garden is only just the beginning.
Conclusion
So, is it worth getting yourself a Respira system for your home? Definitely. Whether you’re looking to add more greenery to your space, improve the quality of the air you breathe, or believe in sustainable solutions, the benefits Respira can provide are irreplaceable.
