WHAT'S THE DISH?: GIGI RELOCATES

Hey Green Girls.  Ready for a rant?  All of you Green Girls are my Monday water cooler allies.  So from  my mouth to your ears.  Got a rant or a rave you want to share?  Dish it on up here….

I have an announcement...I'm moving soon...literally and virtually.  This weekend, I finally resigned myself to make that trip to my nearest home building supply store in preparation for the big move (stay tuned).  I meandered to a national chain and it  may or may not have the word “Home” in it.  Usually I don’t mind going to this place.  Not to sound cliché, but it really is the best place to scope the manscape.  Plus, who doesn’t love to cruise on up to the paint section and imagine your pad a different hue – because we all secretly think that a new coat of paint will make our tired, sad and spent furniture look like the glossy cover of ELLE Décor, right? 

I meant business and actually came to buy some paint and paint supplies so I thought this would be no problem…a joy, in fact, despite the fact that this was a weekend chore.  Plus I’ve been meaning to check out the eco-paints we’ve been hearing about  for a while – we told you about AFM Safecoat’s Ayurveda Essence a while back, but I decided to see what was easily available to me.  In a perfect world, I’d go online and source my paint from a reputable green dealer, but sometimes that’s not possible and when you need the goods yesterday, you have to shop what’s around you.      

Ladies, my home building store experience was a skit right out of a Saturday Night Live episode.  Seriously.  I had to laugh in spite of the retail rage I was feeling.  I sourced one eco-paint brand called Freshaire Choice at the local home building store closest to my place.  The only reason I knew the store carried it was only because I found a paint chip discarded on the floor.  When I asked the many orange-aproned associates – who seemed to stand in  groups of five, joking around – “Where this eco-paint is and where could I find more information about it?”  They actually looked at me as though I were interrupting their conversation and pointed (not even bothering to verbalize) towards the Customer Service counter where there was long line of impatient customers and 5-6 people behind the counter chatting.  WHY are they all so friendly in the commercials?  Why?  I’ll tell you why, because the associates are portrayed by actors making union scale, not disgruntled employees.

Customer Service?  “No, no…wait, excuse me, I don’t need customer service, I just need to know where this paint is…you do work in the paint department, right?”  Again, I got the grunt and point to customer service.  I must tell you I was very proud of myself…I kept it together and actually waited in line at Customer Service.  Twice (and no I am not exaggerating for comic relief) the clerk – the only clerk who was actually working – told us she had to go on break and “someone” would be right with us.  Time now spent in the store trying to find info about some damn eco-paint = t-minus 48 minutes and 33 seconds. 

I got to the counter and the clerk told me she had no idea what I was talking about.  I explained, calmly…”You have an entire program called ‘Eco Options’ where you claim to improve the home AND the environment.  There are several signs right over there and there explaining this.  Can you direct me to a sales manager or a store manager who can JUST SHOW ME WHERE THE PAINT IS?”  Sales clerk: “I don’t know where they are.  Go to the paint department and ask them.”  Me:  “They told me to come here…look I just want to buy some paint for your company.”  Clerk: Point.  Grunt.  Jeez!   So I just walked away.  That’s right, Gigi, just walk away.  I was determined to find it…had to be in the store somewhere.  My wild goose chase took me to an isle not even in the paint department – I think it may have been in lumber or something like that.  No special signage, no available brochures or materials and not a sales person in sight who even knew it was there.  So I took a few recycled paint chips, scratched my head and left empty-handed.  I wasted gas driving there. 

So, I get home and have to go to the Freshaire website to find out more about this paint.  Sounds good…claimes to be the first ever and only tinted paint to contain no VOCs.  They have a color system based on natural elements (Atmosphere, Botanical, Waterscape and Earth) with 66 colors and they will send you three free color samples and pay for the shipping, too.  Hmmm…sounds too good to be true.  The can, the label and packaging, all the color chips are all recyclable and made from recycled materials  – I think the ink on the labels is even soy ink.  I wanted to investigate further.  I know there are many myths floating around VO-free v. low VOC.  What does all that really mean?  Aside from VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds)…I really don’t know that much about it.  According to Popular Mechanics, “Paint manufacturers make a point of stressing that their products meet or exceed federal standards for volatile organic compounds (VOCs).” And “most high-quality latex paints meet this requirement. Hence, they are low-odor, or low-VOC, by federal standards. But this does not mean they are solvent-free or as close to it as possible.”  Hmmmmm.  But I’m sure there is a slew of more current info on this…and I’ve got 30 days to find out before I paint my pad a new shade of furniture-disguising fab.  Stay tuned…I’ll be posting some info updates this week….

Lay it on me Green Girls…let me know what water cooler dish is with you this week.  You know what to do.  Email me at askgigi@greengirlguide.com.

If green is the new black, shouldn't you know what you're wearing?

-Mia Wasilevich

Comments

[Stephen]

Products may be described as low-VOC when they off-gas significantly less than other products. VOC levels are expressed in pounds per gallon (lbs/gal) or grams per liter (g/l). Interior paint is given a Green Seal if it has a VOC content less than 50 g/l (for flat sheen) or 150 g/l (non-flat sheen).

For persons who are particularly sensitive, or have strong concerns about air quality, most major manufacturers now offer special no-VOC paints that are odorless and completely "VOC-free."

[Stephen]

Please remember that VOCs decrease with time. If you have respiratory problems, have small children, or elderly in the house, let the paint dry and air the house out for a day. Remember there is something called "dose, response." It takes a certain amount of something, over a period of time, to have an effect. Even then different people respond differently.

VOCs are in more than just paints. New cars pose a risk. Here's a reference: Variations in amounts and potential sources of volatile organic chemicals in new cars By: Chien, Yeh-Chung. Science of the Total Environment, Sep2007, Vol. 382 Issue 2/3, p228-239, 12p; DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2007.04.022; (AN 25490191)

Basic idea:
"Screening tests for VOCs from interior parts revealed that butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), a common anti-oxidant, was the most common chemical. Long-chain aliphatic hydrocarbons, particularly C14–C17, were identified in most grease (lubricant) samples, and toluene and xylenes were ubiquitously present in adhesive samples. Process-related compounds, such as plasticizer, were also identified in interior parts. In-cabin VOC levels varied significantly among makes/models and interior trims. Concerned consumers should purchase older new cars from manufacturers since VOC levels inside car cabins normally declines over time. Concerned consumers should purchase older new cars from manufacturers since VOC levels inside car cabins normally declines over time."