Friday
16May
Breathe Easy Paint
May 16, 2008
Diane MacEachern, the founder and president of Big Green Purse and the author of Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World (featured on CSPAN's Book Notes), is passionate about empowering women to use their marketplace clout to protect the environment. A best-selling author, successful entrepreneur, sought-after public speaker, and long-time conservationist, she has launched the 
only company in the U.S. dedicated specifically to transforming women’s environmental concerns into measurable improvements in our quality of life. As the co-founder and president of an award-winning communications company based in Washington, D.C., Diane's clients included the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, the Earth Council, World Wildlife Fund, Earth Day, the National Wildlife Federation, Earth Share, the League of Women Voters, and the Women's Environment Development Organization.
A frequent speaker on women and the environment, Diane serves as the vice-chair of the board of directors for the Alaska Wilderness League. She has been cited for her Distinguished Service as a board member of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Diane played an integral role in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's campaign to educate the public about global warming. In addition, Diane helped develop Earth Quest, a traveling museum exhibit underwritten in part by the Ford Motor Company to educate children about the environment. She also worked with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance to establish the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument during the Clinton Administration.
only company in the U.S. dedicated specifically to transforming women’s environmental concerns into measurable improvements in our quality of life. As the co-founder and president of an award-winning communications company based in Washington, D.C., Diane's clients included the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, the Earth Council, World Wildlife Fund, Earth Day, the National Wildlife Federation, Earth Share, the League of Women Voters, and the Women's Environment Development Organization. A frequent speaker on women and the environment, Diane serves as the vice-chair of the board of directors for the Alaska Wilderness League. She has been cited for her Distinguished Service as a board member of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Diane played an integral role in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's campaign to educate the public about global warming. In addition, Diane helped develop Earth Quest, a traveling museum exhibit underwritten in part by the Ford Motor Company to educate children about the environment. She also worked with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance to establish the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument during the Clinton Administration.
She is also the author of Enough is Enough! The Hellraiser’s Guide to Community Activism: How to Organize a Successful Campaign for Change, and Beat High Gas Prices Now! The Fastest, Easiest Ways to Save $20-$50 Every Month on Gasoline. Big Green Purse has reached #7 on Amazon's ranking of environmental books.
Want to repaint your house but dread the overpowering smell left by most fresh paint? These tips may help, courtesy of Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World: · Choose the low or no VOC option. VOCs are volatile organic chemicals. They evaporate into the air as paint dries, sometimes causing headaches, nausea, achiness, and respiratory problems. Read the label on the can or ask your paint supplier to be sure you're buying "No VOC" paint. · Buy water-based paint. Brushes and pans can be cleaned with water, rather than the volatile paint thinner oil-based paints need. · Ventilate. Open windows and turn on window fans to minimize your exposure to harmful chemicals. Turn off central heating or air-conditioning fans to avoid sending the chemicals throughout the house. · Dispose properly. Use as much paint as possible; donate leftovers to community groups, Craigslist, or Freecycle. Leave what's leftover in the can with the lid ajar so that the liquid will evaporate. Some communities allow residents to toss empty or partially used paint cans in the regular trash; it's better to save them for your local hazardous waste pick-up. · Think ahead. Regardless of the product you use, paint the new baby's nursery well before the baby arrives. People with asthma or other respiratory problems should leave the house until paint dries and no longer smells. Some No VOC Brands to Look For: · Pure Performance, from Pittsburgh Paints - Certified by Green Seal for its exceptional environmental values; available in many hardware stores and retail outlets that sell Pittsburgh Paint. · Olympic Premium Paint - Another no VOC choice that is Green Seal-certified (Celebrities used this paint to make handprints in our Sundance Sustainability Suite recently; in three days of open paint cans, no one experienced any headaches or discomfort whatsoever.) Widely available at Lowe's. · Freshaire Choice - Home Depot's no VOC offering comes in 65 colors and is certified by the Greenguard Environmenal Institute. · AnnaSova - wall finishes contain 99.9 percent food-grade ingredients. Free shipping on all on-line orders. Available online and in "green" retail outlets and home renovation centers. · AFM Safecoat - hundreds of accents, hues, "mid tones" and "shades," all certified by Scientific Certification Systems' Indoor Air Quality Gold Certification system for achieving stringent indoor air quality objectives. Available at dealers located through their on-line directory. · Yolo Colorhouse - The Earth's Color Collection comes in 40 hues. Available online. · Green Planet Paints - Soy-based paint that uses mineral pigments for color and texture. Available online and through specialty dealers. · Mythic Paint - a low-odor, no VOC paint in over 1200 colors. Available online or through specialty dealers. Both Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore Aura offer "low" VOC options. Do a "smell test" in the store before you take either brand home to be sure the paint provides the environmental quality you desire. Widely available at local dealers. PRICE POINTS: Most of these paints will be somewhat more expensive than the conventional option. You'll have to decide if your indoor air quality is worth the extra money upfront, but potentially fewer medical bills down the road. When I repainted my entire house last year (living room, dining room, kitchen, den, office, three bedrooms, two- and-a-half baths, hallway, cathedral ceiling, all wood trim), it cost me an extra $600 in no VOC paint - about $40 more per area. It was worth it. Though I am highly chemically sensitive, I continued to work in my home office while the house was being painted. Even better, I did not need to evacuate my family or pets - other than to get them out of the painters' way. More From Diane MacEachern: | ||||
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