Environment-Friendly Paints and Finishes

There is much ongoing construction on DePaul’s loop campus. After watching the renovations on the 14 E Jackson building over the last few months and talking to a construction personnel about the upgrades, I can’t help but wonder- what type of building materials are they using and is it eco-friendly and health conscious?

EPA has indicated that air quality is one of the top 5 leading health risk issues in the US. One growing concern is volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in paint. VOCs are substances are emitted gases from solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects to humans and the environment. Most conventional products off-gas VOCs have no other benefits besides enhancing the performance or extend shelf life of the product.

The other concern is the production of the paint. I question whether the paint is produced from naturally derived and non-toxic substances or not?

Paints and coatings have their greatest effect on indoor air quality during and immediately after installation. The health hazard is particularly acute for installers. Most conventional products off-gas VOCs, and other chemicals that are added to enhance the performance or extend shelf life of the product and serve no other benefit.

When paints are produced, raw materials are extracted through quarrying and can destroy the natural environment. Using paints that use renewable sources like flax seed can reduce the health effects and the amount of natural resources extracted from the Earth.

A solution to the issue is to buy alternative paint and finishes substitutions. Most of these eco-friendly paints are lower in toxicity or nontoxic, by-products and naturally derived with low VOCs or no VOCs in the products. One might question if the paint is only ideal for indoor or recreational art uses, but many paint manufacturers have designed them for both interior and exterior uses.

Here are a few examples of eco-friendly paints:
Linseed oil based paint is and example of using flax plant by-products that are found in the food industry. The product lifetime is much higher that synthetic based paints that contain no solvents and are all natural. If the color fades overtime, the can be restored with linseed oil. The next dieal environment friendly products is wood and vegetable oil based paint that is made from natural elements such as soy beans, oak bark, and madder root. Again, these are naturally available and renewable materials. The types of VOCs that are released are not toxic which is not harmful to the environment. Other natural based paints are casein, protein, distemper, milk, and clay based paints. The last product group is low-odor, low VOCs or zero VOCs paints include shellac, interior wood finish, natural wax, natural oils, and beeswax. Most of these paints share similar characteristics that make them renewable, sustainable and natural.

Most of these paint products are produced specifically with the environment in mind. Many environment-minded companies take into consideration VOCs, reducing the amount of quarrying of natural goods and finding ways to use renewable products. Using natural and low VOCs paints in DePaul’s construction process will help improve air quality and basic healthy living for the students, faculty and ultimately the environment.

By: Mary Deemer
Photo credits: Show room 411, Environmental protection department

DePaul’s Water Bottle refill stations

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Illinois in their twenty-second annual landfill capacity report of 2008 stated that approximately 50 million gate cubic yards of solid waste was accepted of the State's 47 landfills with only 14% of that being recycled.

There are many factors that contribute to the enormous amount of solid waste and one of them is water bottle production.

Water bottle production has seen a huge increase over the past 10 years. According the Container Recycling Institute, there has been an increase of bottles sales in the US from 3 billion in 1996 to 36 billion in 2006 with about 40 million bottles a day ending up in trash or becoming litter. Food and watch reported that there is about 1.5 millions tons of plastic used per year to produce water bottles with 47 millions gallons of oil used to match the production. They also estimate that 8 out of 10 water bottles will end up in a land fill or as litter. Water bottle production has become a huge environmental concern since it uses up so much of the Earth's resources.

To help tackle the issue of reducing solid waste in Illinois, one of the truly outstanding sustainable development idea at DePaul university has implemented is the water bottle refill stations. It will take large scale recycling initiatives to counter this growing concern, but finding alternative ways like installing the ELKAY ezH2O water bottle stations around the campus will help contribute to reducing the solid waste and fossil fuel issues.

Considering these EPA statistics, implementation of the ELKAY ezH2O stations on the DePaul Lincoln Park and Loop campuses has been beneficial on many scales. Students and faculty can now enjoy cleaner tastier water without worrying about whether germs are can be transmitted during fountain use contact. Reusing water bottles at these stations will help reduce the litter factor caused by the huge cultural need of water bottle production of the past decade. Other advantages of the station are the ELKAY’s unique filter system. It aids in the ability of quick refill capabilities and the ultra modern design that makes the water station more approachable than the outdated fountains from the past. These features will help keep up with the fast pace lifestyle most students are accustomed too.

DePaul has found an effective way to contribute to the growing concern of solid waste management by providing a service that will contribute to the overall well-being of the individual and the environment. the University also serves as an example for neighboring college institutes, companies and other organizations that can follow. In addition to being more environmental conscious, this also promotes a healthy lifestyle for the individual.

Education and awareness are essential tools that are required to inform people of the innovative ideas that help the environment. DePaul's water bottle station is an excellent example of reducing the carbon footprint and using these fountains will encourage people to take a more self-conscious and active approach to recycling and reusing not only at our school but in their own personal homes.

By: Mary Deemer
Photo Credit: Container recyling Insitute, ELKAY company