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Environmental awareness is here to
stay. Whether you’re building, remodeling, or decorating, there is
a group-consensus that we need to do so in the most
"Green" or environmentally-friendly way that budgets
will allow. When it
comes to most architectural paints & coatings, the discussion about environmentally
responsible paints, stains and coverings narrows to low-odor & low
VOC paint products.
What is
VOC? Volatile Organic Compounds.
VOC’s are the liquid portion of paint products that
evaporate into our atmosphere and damage the ozone layer.
When we talk about the VOC’s contained in everyday,
good-old latex (water-based) paint, for the most part, we are
talking about the presence of ammonia
in addition to water in the product.
While many people think that water-based paint is just fine
as-is, a growing number of people feel that there needs to be a
healthier alternative - both for themselves and for the environment.
Low-odor
Paint Products
These products emit low
odor and are perfect for these uses.
- Hospitals
– people trying to get better don’t need to be subjected to
potentially harmful fumes.
- Workplaces
– Whether it’s an office, retail store, restaurant or
whatever, there’s never a good time to close up and send
workers home to accommodate a paint project.
- At Home –
Some people live with respiratory conditions or have a newborn
baby in the house. Either
way, fumes of any kind are not only unwelcome, but unhealthy to
those who live there.
LEED
was established in 1998 and stands for Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design. The
LEED organization outlines the Green Building Rating System, which
was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) &
defines a set of standards for environmentally sustainable
construction. www.usgbc.org/LEED
LEED addresses
much more than low-odor, interior latex wall paint.
Large commercial and industrial projects call for a multitude
of paint products and various coatings to be used.
For this reason, paint and coatings manufacturer’s have
their product lines reviewed by the USGBC to “make the list”
& obtain LEED certification on a variety of products for certain
applications. This
means Alkyds, Epoxies and Urethanes, typically deemed
environmentally unfriendly acquire LEED certification for certain applications
because it remains the right
product to use in that situation.
What follows is Pittsburgh Paints & Dulux/Akzo-Nobel’s
product listing of LEED compliant paint products.
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