Interesting to see them covering the earth... with their TOXIC paint.
In 2009 Shewin-Williams introduced a line of paints that “were designed and manufactured taking steps to reduce environmental impact.” Sherwin-Williams even went so far to make sure that the paints adhered to the “GreenSure” criteria – a list of various criteria that paints must meet to be green friendly. However, the “GreenSure” criteria wasn’t created by a third party of concerned environmental scientist, but Sherwin Williams themselves (likely their crafty marketing department). This is pretty odd considering that there are independent third party groups such as “GreenGaurd” and “GreenSeal” that have a set of criteria that is recognized as being truly green. One problem with Sherwin Williams’ “GreenSure” criteria, as Treeehugger noted, is that it allows high levels of dangerous VOCs – hundreds of times higher than those of “GreenGuard” or “GreenSeal,” While it’s great that Sherwin-Williams has decided to create a line of paints that is only slightly less likely to ruin the environment and slightly less likely to make the consumer sick, there is no justification for them to advertise their products that are filled with toxic chemicals as being “green.” This is a lame and transparent attempt to get health and Eco-conscious consumers to buy their product – to put it simply, they’re Greenwashing.
Their “GreenSure” label isn’t the only area where Sherwin-Williams is greenwashing, they are also doing it on their website and in their Corporate Social Responsibility Report. If one were to read the report – which in addition to talking about their “green” paints also discusses their green business practices and community involvement – one would believe that Sherwin-Williams is a company that is fully committed to the green movement and to making our world a healthier place. However, Sherwin-Williams fails to mention that they still sell and promote paints with high-levels of VOCs. As a business that is promoting itself as being green, they should make sure that ALL of their products are low and no VOC, not just a few. Additionally, the other coatings, stains, and supplies that they sell are not environmentally friendly. Furthermore, Sherwin Williams refuses to give out a list of all the chemicals used in their products, making it difficult for the consumer to check the safety of the product themselves. I poked around for some MSDS’s on their websites, and it was not as user friendly as others.
Although Shewin-Williams is doing a few things to make themselves greener – they are changing some of their companies policies and their “GreenSure” line of paints is sold in recycled containers – they are not as green as they claim to be and they are actively greenwashing. Rather than really caring about the environment, Sheriwn-Williams has designed a “green” program only to attract Eco-conscious consumers. While their pocketbook may be in the right place with this type of marketing, their heart certainly isn’t. Consumers that care about the environment owe it to themselves to ignore companies like Sherwin-Williams and make sure to do business with companies that are truly green and that really do care about the environment and the health of their customers.
Maintaining a healthy home is about more than just you and your family, it’s also about the people who work in your home as well. Both housekeepers and house-painters are affected by the chemicals in the products used on our homes – and they usually suffer the worst of it. While we may never have to smell the strong toxic chemicals or suffer from the dizziness and headaches associated with conventional paints and cleaning products, the people who work on our homes certainly do, and it’s affecting their health and their livelihood. Joseph Avelar, owner of Avelar Quality Painting who uses New Living’s NO VOC paints for his jobs, says that “Just because we are painters and we’re around paint all day doesn’t mean we like the smell or the health hazards that come with it.”
Since 1989 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has found that for painters there is “sufficient evidence for the carcinogenicity of occupational exposure…” The occupation of painter is one of the few jobs that is listed by the IARC as having an occupational risk for cancer. Painters are also at a high risk for skin irritations, headaches, and can develop problems with their nervous system. The chemicals in paint can cause respiratory illnesses that lead to a build up of fluid in the lungs and chronic bronchitis. Further, VOCs in paints (and related paint products such as thinners) can cause liver and stomach damage to painters. The effect that doing their job and making money to support themselves and their families has on their health is a travesty, particularly because it doesn’t have to be that way.
For housekeepers, house cleaners, and maids, there are high rates of illness among them and their children. House cleaners typically suffer from high rates of asthma and other respiratory problems because of the toxic chemicals in the cleaning products they use. Cleaning workers suffer from more heart attacks and early death due to motor neuron diseases than any other profession. They’re also at risk for cancer and frequently experience chemical burns and skin irritations associated with cleaning products. The chemicals involved in the work housekeeper’s do also affects the health of their children. Woman cleaning workers are twice as likely as other female workers to suffer from pre-term delivery and stillbirths while male workers have an increased risk of children who are born with birth defects and down syndrome. Although we may not have to smell or deal with the chemicals that are used to clean our homes directly, those who do face imposing and irreversible problems when it comes to their health.
We should always strive to provide a safe environment for everyone in our lives, including those who work for us. For our painters, we can always make sure we buy paints that have no VOCs – they’re non-toxic, have a low odor, and don’t contain harmful chemicals. For those who clean our homes and spend their days directly inhaling toxic chemical fumes, we should purchase green cleaning products made from natural ingredients and that either have a natural scent or no scent at all. All of these products are provisions we can take now – allowing us to be healthy and caring employers that provide a safe and ultimately happy environment for those who help us out so much in our daily lives.
Wondering what New Living is all about? Want to know exactly what the terms “non-toxic” and “natural” mean? Then check out this video where customers and our owner, Jeff Kaplan, explains exactly why we sell healthy, non-toxic, and green products. I would write about it here but it’s probably just easier to watch the video:
Anyone who has ever painted a room with conventional paint knows that the smell of paint is terrible. Typically, you have to wear a mask, can’t stay in the room for a few days, and may even feel dizzy or get a headache. This is because conventional paints are filled with harmful chemicals known as VOCs (volatile organic compounds) which emit toxic chemicals into your home (even after the paint dries) and can be detrimental to your health. One of the worst chemicals in conventional paints is also one that is used by morticians to preserve the dead: formaldehyde.
Although safe to use on the recently deceased, formaldehyde can effect the health of adults and children in a variety of negative ways. Multiple studies have found links between the use of paint and childhood cancers. A University of California study found a significant association between rooms painted and an increase in leukemia by 65 percent. Furthermore, mothers who used paint during pregnancy were three-times as likely to have a child with acute lymphobalstic leukemia. There have been several other studies that have uncovered links and associations between formaldehyde and cancers among adults. Studies of paint workers have revealed that they are at a higher risk for cancer of the bladder, lungs, pancreas, liver, and stomach because of their exposure to formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals in paint.
The formaldehyde in paints has also been linked to skin irritations, eye irritations, bronchitis, and can cause problems in the central nervous system. The U.S. National Cancer Instituted found in a 2009 study that the longer funeral workers spent embalming bodies with formaldehyde the more likely they were to to develop certain types of cancer – particularly those who were involved in embalming for more than 20 years. Formaldehyde can also trigger asthma – a condition which has increased nearly 600% since 1980.
To keep yourself and your home from smelling like the dead and causing health problems that could put you six feet under, it’s important you look at the label of all the paints that you buy to see how much formaldehyde it contains. While formaldehyde is federally regulated, many paint companies still carry it at “safe” levels – even though medical evidence suggest the safest level of formaldehyde is none. Read the labels of the paints you purchase, buy paints that don’t contain any VOCs (typically called No VOCs or Zero VOCs), and make sure that the colorants put into the paint don’t contain any VOC. No VOC paints not only are absent of formaldehyde, but they don’t have any other Volatile Organic Compounds making them safe to use! Most who use them say there is very little smell and never feel dizzy or develop the headaches that they once did with conventional paints. Using non-toxic No VOC paints will help you stay away from formaldehyde in your home and in your body for a very long time.
Even though we didn’t cause the spill, we are all responsible for creating the demand for oil. Mention this post when you shop at our store and we will donate 10% of your sale* to the Gulf Restoration Network until the oil leak stops. The Gulf Restoration network is one of many organizations providing much needed assistance to the region. If you ride your bike or take public transportation to the store, we will donate 15% of your purchase. (*no other discounts apply)
New Living is Houston’s only Green Building and Home Store. We would like to be a resource for you and your clients who want to create healthy, beautiful and sustainable homes. We have many products and resources available for you to use including an extensive materials library that is open to the public. And a wide selection of no and low-voc paints that we can match to any of your favorite brand’s colors. We invite you to come visit our showroom located in Rice Village inside of the old Wagner Hardware Building. We hope to build lasting relationships with designers in the Houston area and we want to be your resource for learning about and using healthy and green products in your projects.
On Thursday, January 28th, we are hosting a Lunch N Learn. Our speaker is Sara Cooney who is a trained Color Specialist and very familiar with the range of no and low-voc paints available. We invite you to attend and hope that we will meet you soon. Read the rest of this entry »
Jeff Kaplan is a man driven by his passions. That’s why the native Houstonian quit his job two years ago as a commercial retail real estate broker to start his own business. It’s called New Living and Kaplan and a small group of employees are determined to make sure the company lives up to its name. The goal is to inspire customers to start a new way of life by making responsible, healthy, eco-friendly decisions when selecting everyday essentials. In other words, Kaplan wants New Living to be the general store for Houstonians who are seeking a greener way of life.
Kaplan felt an authentic neighborhood hardware store would be the best place to see the birth of New Living. In November of 2007, that idea took him to Houston’s legendary Wagner Hardware on Kirby Drive. The owner, Nancy Wagner Abernathy, who was planning to soon close the family business, allowed New Living to start selling its eco-friendly paints and household cleaners on one aisle. A year later, New Living took over the entire store.
“We’re trying to make green living accessible,” says Jennifer Touchet, co-owner of New Living, “and you don’t have to compromise style, we cater to design as well.” Inside the New Living showroom, builders can find countertops made from 100% recycled glass and concrete, and environmentally sound wood and Bamboo flooring. And for folks like you and me, who want to create a safer environment in the homes we already have, there are soybean candles, organic cotton blankets and mattresses, and of course, non-toxic household cleaners. And the labels on those cleaners proudly state, Made by Houstonians. “We wanted to do something to maximize local labor,” says Kaplan, “Part of the green movement is using local resources.” Read the rest of this entry »
If there’s one event you should make an effort to get out and see this year, it’s Gulf Coast Green. The event showcases Green building practices and vendors in Houston and from the entire Gulf Coast. This will be our second year at the show and we plan for it to be even bigger and better than last year. This year, we will be sharing our booth with Green Bank, Waste Management’s Green Squad, and Naturalcare Cleaning Company. We will be showcasing many of our products including a new budget-friendly line of high quality no-voc paint and one of our lines of organic mattresses for you to test out. We will also have samples of our Icestone recycled glass countertops, and eco-flooring such as cork and bamboo. The event is at Reliant Park April 18th and 19th.
Gulf Coast Green 2009 SYMPOSIUM is the leading green building conference targeted to design and construction professionals within the Gulf Coast region, organized by the AIA Houston Committee on the Environment. This year’s symposium explores sustainable principles and practices at a community scale, including Keynote Speakers Alex Steffen, Steve Mouzon, and Doug Farr.
Following the GCG Symposium is the 2-day HOUSTON GREEN EXPO, free and open to the public on April 18 and 19 at Reliant Park. A collaboration of AIA Houston COTE and the City of Houston, it is the largest green product expo in the city, offering the latest in green companies and their products for living a green life. The Expo will also offer educational presentations targeted to homeowners and interactive programs for children and young adults. The Houston Green Expo is free and open to the public, and requires no advance registration.
reprinted from 
“We’re trying to make green living accessible,” says Jennifer Touchet, co-owner of New Living, “and you don’t have to compromise style, we cater to design as well.” Inside the New Living showroom, builders can find countertops made from 100% recycled glass and concrete, and environmentally sound wood and Bamboo flooring. And for folks like you and me, who want to create a safer environment in the homes we already have, there are soybean candles,