March Inspirational Woman
Qae-Dah Muhammad is a native of Chicago and the recipient of many awards for community service and environmental stewardship. As an enthusiastic advocate for healthy indoor air quality (IAQ), Qae-dah is deeply concerned about safeguarding human health alongside our environment, and frequently speaks at community events about dangerous hidden chemicals that are found in consumer products.
Qae-Dah became part of WVE in 2008 when a neighbor sent her a New York Times article on green cleaning parties. Since then, Qae-Dah has become a WVE Actionista, spoken at the Chicago Green Festival on green cleaning practices, hosted several community green cleaning events, and been interviewed on Chicago radio stations for her work to spread the word on the links between toxic chemicals and our health. Qae-Dah is also part of the Chicago Conservation Corps (C3), to whom she is particularly grateful. C3 recruits and provides training and education to a network of Chicago residents so that together, they can improve quality of life in communities and schools through environmental service projects.
“I welcome unpredictable challenges. I’m a novice, but part of my mission is to inform people and help them to understand the nuances of making their own safe cleaning products. At the same time, I’m love learning more from people who are more astute than me about this. The more I learn and can focus on information and practices that are compelling, the more equipped I am to go to public audiences armed with the scientific information provided by WVE, paired with the hands on training, materials, and tools provided by C3. These two driving forces get me into alignment for motivating others, whether it’s addressing an audience at the Chicago Green Festival or hosting my own green cleaning workshop at community centers, libraries, or at home. I’m looking forward to delivering an encore presentation at the Green Festival this year. I want people to know that there is a solution to indoor pollution.
“I recently watched the movie The Bucket List. Morgan Freeman asked Jack Nicholson, ‘has your life brought joy to others?’ That’s a legacy we can strive for before ‘kicking the bucket.’”
Listen to Qae-Dah’s recent interview on the Mike Nowak show.
