Situation: It’s spring. The weather’s getting nicer, and the sun is finally starting to bounce off the walls in your home. While you couldn’t be happier with the light, you could be happier about the color of your walls. It’s time for a change. You head to the hardware store and buy the first bucket of paint that matches the color sample you like.
Wait! Rewind. Instead of buying the first pretty bucket of paint that you see, consider the fact that there are many paint options that are much m0re environmentally-friendly than typical paints. Just how bad is the environmental impact of regular paint? The EPA discovered that VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) levels were 1,000 times larger than the standard outdoors amount in a room that was painted recently. They also were able to conclude that the VOCs (including benzene, formaldehyde, kerosene, ammonia, and other carcinogens and neurotoxins) are released at a higher rate from regular paint that is being applied than from any other indoor product. Furthermore, in that aforementioned sunlight that we love, many paints react with nitrous oxides in the atmosphere, a process which contributes to the formation of smog.
Not surprisingly, several companies have come up with paints that have no or a low level of VOCs. The Green Guide offers a comparison of the different brands that are available. You’ll find the type of paint (water-based acrylic, latex, milk paint, clay paint, natural paint, or recycled paint), level of VOC, area of use (interior or exterior or both), and the typical price per gallon. According to the Green Guide, the paint that is the best value is the Innovative Formulations Company Ecological Paint, which is a water-based acrylic, with no VOCs, for interior and exterior use, and just $20 per gallon. The greenest product is the BioShield Casein Milk Paint, while the Green Guide overall recommendation is the Bioshield Clay Paint, though its cost is $34 per gallon.
So, if you have that urge to repaint the walls, consider making the switch to eco-friendlier paint. Green paints come in a variety of different colors!
