Brighten up those walls, reduce health issues!

Recently, I had an interview with Natasha, owner of Originate Natural Building Materials here in town. She was helping me out with information on bamboo and its uses for a story I'm working on for the Cat Scan.

After talking "bamboo this" and "bamboo that", I wanted, needed to hear of another product.

So, I walked around and noticed in the middle of her showroom, a curved, free-standing bookcase filled with different sized paint jars. My attention was caught and she proceeded to talk all about the non-VOC paints in which she sells. Volatile organic compounds, or VOC's, are gases emitted from a variety of products, including, but not limited to, paints, copy paper and cleaning supplies. Also, these gases can cause an array of health problems, such as cancer, skin reactions and nausea. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers a great explanation on VOC's and their effects on the environment and on personal health.

But back to paint! One company that Natasha distributes for, where the paints carry no VOC's, is Green Planet Paints.



Green Planet Paints carries clay paints (interior), color glazes (interior), milk paints (interior) and pigments, which are "green by design, have a small environmental footprint, and are much more than simply zero-VOC," according to one of their pamphlets.



And instead of using regular resins, found in most paint today, additives, or synthesized molecules that don't break down easily in the environment, and synthetic dyes, Green Planet Paints use "soy resin, mineral pigments and simple, low impact additives," Natasha said.

Another company that Natasha distributes for is BioShield. Recently, BioShield began a new line of paint called Kinder. Kinder paints, used indoors, don't contain VOC's just as Green Planet Paints. They've also created a new site, Healthy Living Paints, with tips on how to go green in your home, along with articles and interviews from BioShield staff.



So, don't be afraid to splash some color on bare walls. More importantly, while doing so, help out the environment and your health by painting the non-VOC way!

Until next week, let's paint!