Environmentally friendly paint products are everywhere now and its not just about being fashionable or targeting the consumers social conscience. it’s a necessity, we need to take better care of the planet and this applies to building and renovation materials too. You can read about the lattest in environmentally friendly paint options at the bottom of this article. You can also take a look at this article on selecting color for you next project
Building materials are sometimes considered to be harsh on our environment. We see ecofriendly products around us every day. Clothes made form recycled fabrics, patio furniture made from recycled plastics, steel water bottles, recycled paper coffee mugs to recycled aluminum foil.
When you choose building and renovation materials for your home there are lots of ecofriendly options to choose from too. For example, there are many building materials that make the cut as green and ecofriendly alternatives. Materials like Bamboo, sheep wool attic insulation, and even precast concrete are considered green products. Environmental impact is a wide topic that more people and sectors of the economy are paying attention to when making daily living and business decisions.
Embodied energy examines both obvious and hidden factors that contribute to a material's sustainability or lack thereof. It’s the total sum of the energy required to produce the material. This includes anything a material requires for growth, production and transportation, including the water and other resources needed to grow natural items as well as the gas consumed during product transportation. Make sure you understand Embodied Engergy when evaluating Environmentally Friendly Paint and other building materials.
Sustainable construction considers the appropriateness of the material for that area and the climate. There is no “one size fits all” solution because a material for southern climates could be unsuitable to use in the north. Find out more about this topic in this related article.
Some of the most common environmentally friendly building materials are things like: Bamboo, recycled steel products, sheep’s wool attic insulation, plant based polyurethane ridged foam and precast concrete to mention a few.
Let's talk environmentally Friendly Paint!
Beyond a new construction project, there are great choices we can make everyday when we are completing our home renovation projects. For example, the next time you need to paint the fence, the trim on the eves or a child’s playroom, try out Environmentally Friendly Paints.
When it comes to choosing paint, you should try to find products with low or no VOC’s. These are volatile organic compounds or VOC’s. They are called volatile because they evaporate at room temperature and enter the air we breathe. These VOC’s can be produced naturally by plant and animal processes or manufactured by humans.
The main VOC’s found in many products are solvents to aid in the blending and driers that allow the paint to dry properly. There is no doubt that these solvents are toxic, but it varies by type. Paint is not the only place you find VOC’s in your home. They are present in cleaning products, pesticides, furniture and some building materials.
What choices do i have?
Since low VOC’s can mean different things depending on what they are. Some VOC’s are considered exempt compounds, so they are not labelled as VOC’s. So, it’s fair to say labeling standards are inconsistent depending on what’s included in the measurement.
When it comes to paint and other coatings, latex based products and anything labelled low VOC’s are good choices. Eco friendly coating technologies continue to evolve and are quite common now. Some of these are not new, rather, rediscovered. One example of this is Milk Paint – a historic paint formulation that uses casein (milk protein) as a binder. This product is both organic and biodegradable. This formula was rediscovered in 1974 and there is more detail on the history here.
Another ecological paint choice is a product called Graphenstone. Its 100% natural and cradle to cradle certified. This product is quite unique because it actually absorbs CO2. The original basis for this product was from lime-based paint. That wasn’t new but the inventor developed a polymer from Graphene fibers to improve the products stability and durability. Its is naturally antibacterial and repels insects. These products have no VOC’s and cleans the air rather than polluting it like traditional available alternatives.
The company claims that you can turn your home into a living tree and I think we would all want that. They tell us the with three 15-liter containers used on a structure you will remove over 14kg’s of CO2. This is the same amount as an adult tree! You can learn all about this innovative technology and their lineup of products here.
As always, don’t forget to add these product details to your quinju account. This will allow you to easily retrieve the information you need when you begin your spring project list.
