image description — Beyond Guardian Air is a smart solution for any business, purifying air and reducing viruses and bacteria 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Air Purifying System Helps Business Owners Keep Customers, Employees Safe

08:15AM / Sunday, August 23, 2020Print Story | Email Story

Business owners have an important tool to help keep their customers and employees safe during this COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Beyond Guardian Air is a smart solution for any business, purifying air and reducing viruses and bacteria 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is proven to reduce airborne and surface contaminants, enhances health and quality of life, purifies the air and surfaces and reduces odor, removes harmful gasses, protects from recontamination as people enter and move around the area, and delivers measurable and proven results.

The system uses a revolutionary technology called "photocatalytic oxidation" (PCO), which uses a combination of UV light and titanium dioxide to remove contaminants, in conjunction with Aerus's proprietary ActivePure Technology, which is university-tested and proven effective against bacteria, viruses, mold and fungi in the air and on surfaces. In addition, a carbon pre-filter removes odors from the air, including cigar and cigarette smoke.

Beyond Guardian Air is Energy Star-certified, costs as little as 6 cents a day to operate and is protected with a five-year limited warranty. It has a silent operation, with all-steel construction eliminating vibrations and rattling, its filter media is waterproof to resist contamination from mold and it purifies 2,000 square feet in one hour on high setting, thus carrying an exceptional Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) rating. Among other places, ActivePure been used by NASA and is a 2017 Space Technology Hall of Fame Inductee. And most Major League Baseball teams now have ActivePure technology in their facilities.

This system is perfect for business owners who want ultimate indoor air quality protection for their offices, where has been shown to reduce viral and bacterial loads. In restaurants, where there are large numbers of people moving in and out throughout the day, it can help keep staff and patrons healthy and reassured they are eating and working in a healthy space. In athletic facilities, where staph infections can mean season-ending illnesses - and worse - it is shown to eradicate problematic pathogens. In schools, which are among the top places illnesses can spread, the system has been shown to significantly reduce viruses and sick days. In health care facilities, where waiting rooms can be a petri dish of viruses, it can eliminate odors and contaminants that cause illnesses. And the system is used worldwide in hotels, where it has been shown to reduce levels contaminants immediately and persistently.

It is effective anywhere a crowd gathers where there is a risk of the spread of pathogens among the people in that space - and in your home to help protect you and your loved ones and bring a clean balance to air and surfaces.

Contact your local Aerus Dealer, located at 383 North St. in Pittsfield, Mass., at 413-442-1544 for more information.

Toys for Tots Bringing Presents to Thousands of Kids This Year

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
12:21PM / Friday, December 05, 2025

Volunteers organize toys by age and gender in the House of Corrections storage facility.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Plenty of toys are on their way to children this holiday season thanks to Toys for Tots.

Christopher Keegan has coordinated the local toy drive for the Berkshire Chapter of the Marine Corps Reserve since 2015 and said he has seen the need rise every year, last year helping more than 6,000 kids.

"This is 11 years I've been doing it, and the need has gone up every year. It's gone up every year, and I anticipate it going up even more this year," Keegan said.

On Thursday, the Berkshire County House of Corrections storage facility was overflowing with toys making it the county's very own Santa's workshop.

Keegan said Berkshire County always shows up with toys or donations.

"This county is outstanding when it comes to charity. They rally around stuff. They're very giving, they're very generous, and they've been tremendous in this effort, the toys for pride effort, since I've been doing it, our goal is to honor every request, and we've always reached that goal," he said.

Keegan's team is about 20 to 25 volunteers who sort out toys based on age and gender. This week, the crew started collecting from the 230 or so boxes set out around the county on Oct. 1.

"The two age groups that are probably more difficult — there's a newborn to 2s, boys and girls, and 11 to 14, boys and girls. Those are the two challenging ages where we need to focus our attention on a little bit more," he said.

Toys For Tots has about 30 participating schools and agencies that sign up families and individuals who need help putting gifts under the tree. Keegan takes requests right up until the last minute on Christmas.

"We can go out shopping for Christmas. I had sent my daughter out Christmas Eve morning. Hey, we need X amount of toys and stuff, but the requests are still rolling in from individuals, and I don't say no, we'll make it work however we can," he said.

Community members help to raise money or bring in unopened and unused toys. Capeless Elementary student Thomas St. John recently raised $1,000 selling hot chocolate and used the money to buy toys for the drive.

"It's amazing how much it's grown and how broad it is, how many people who were involved," Keegan said.

On Saturday, Live 95.9 personalities Bryan Slater and Marjo Catalano of "Slater and Marjo in the Morning" will host a Toys for Tots challenge at The Hot Dog Ranch and Proprietor's Lodge. Keegan said they have been very supportive of the drive and that they were able to collect more than 3,000 toys for the drive last year.

Volunteer Debbie Melle has been volunteering with Toys for Tots in the county for about five years and said people really showed up to give this year.

"I absolutely love it. It's what we always say. It's organized chaos, but it's rewarding. And what I actually this year, I'm so surprised, because the amount that the community has given us, and you can see that when you see these pictures, that you've taken, this is probably the most toys we've ever gotten," she said. "So I don't know if people just feel like this is a time to give and they're just going above and beyond, but I'm blown away. This year we can barely walk down the aisles for how much, how many toys are here. It's wonderful."

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