How so? You may ask. Well the three main pullutants are: Carbon emissions, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and Non bio degradable compounds (mainly by-products of petroleum).
Carbon found in car and aircaft exhaust, industry effluent and soot from coal power plants & charcoal burning is by far the worst culprit of environmental pollution. Excess carbon depletes the ozone layer and increases atmospheric temperatures which in turn adversly affects weather patterns. Okay, okay, okay… where am going with all the spouting of environmental speech! Well, modern lifestyles contribute significantly to this problem. The fuel gazzling cars that we are so fond of leave a trail of carbon pollutant in their wake. This being a décor blog, I’ll leave the exhaust concerns to automotive stakeholders; instead let’s look at our homes:
- VOC found in many paint products pose a health hazard to painters and home occupants as well. Organic solvent from freshly painted walls evaporate into the indoor air and if inhalled can cause irritation of nose and chest or worse still, cause some cancers.
- Polythene “paper bags” and wrappers are non bio degradable and generally end up on our roads and fields leaving them as deplorable eyesores.
- Plastic used in untensils, furniture, accessories and general home furnishing are rarely recyled and when eventually disposed end up littering the environment
Eco Friendly Décor Choices
- Insist on using low VOC or non VOC paint – Next Generation products from Crown UK
- Use natural fabrics in your, drapes and rags. Replace nylon carpeting with 100 percent natural fibers like wool, sisal or cotton or carpeting made from recycled items. Purchase (or make) drapes from hemp or lineninstead of man-made fabrics.
Sea Grass - Floor Mats
- Choose Enviroment Friendly Flooring. Use recycled wood flooring or renewable woods like bamboo for surfacing your floors. They are not only eco-friendly but aesthetically appealing too. When it comes to carpet cleaning, try to avoid chemical dyes and stain-resisting treatments. Opt instead for natural rugs and carpets made from items such as sisal, jute, and seagrass.
- Replace polythene shopping bags with real paper bags. Alternatively, get a designated cloth shopping bag to carry your shopping in.
- Reduce, Recycle and Reuseis ultimately the name of the game. When it comes to home decorating, think about reupholstering, repurposing, and rearranging. Think about recovering old chairs instead of buying new; rearrange the living room furniture for a fresh take on old items; turn an old stool into a side table. If you have items you can’t use, either donate them or restore them for new use.
Natural Fiber Pillows
Whether you’re building a new home or redecorating an old one, keep the potential impact on the earth at the back of your mind. With the number of eco-friendly and responsible products and materials on the market it’s easy to decorate a home that is stylish, beautiful, and friendly to the earth.
Posted by Pambo Maridadi @ Crown Paints Kenya Ltd Email: info@crownpaints.co.ke
