Your walls can be green, even if they're painted red;
Hirshfield's "How-To" on decorating Green.

What color is your aura? You might imagine yourself blue; you might imagine yourself red. Or even purple. But wherever you are positioned on that color wheel, there is no avoiding the influence of green on our lives.

Being responsible to ourselves through choices that promote a healthy and sustainable environment are challenges we all face. As our impact on the world we live in grows more apparent, the availability of eco-friendly product options increases: from hybrid automobiles to organically grown vegetables.

Green is here to stay. But that's not to suggest it should limit your choices in home decorating.

When it comes to going green in your home Hirshfield's Decorating Centers offer a number of environmentally safe alternatives for the do-it-yourself decorator and for the professional contractor: From high-performance paints, waterborne stains and clear finishes to industrial floor finishes and Greenguard-certified ML Campbell lacquers and stains.

So what makes a paint product green? Checking the VOC (volatile organic compound) content is the first place to start. (VOCs are carbon-containing chemical compounds that readily evaporate into the atmosphere. Common examples of things that emit VOCs into the atmosphere include gasoline, mineral spirits, alcohol, nail polish, and paint.)

Water-based and bio-based paints and stains with very low measurable VOC levels are considered green. These products also tend to have very low or no appreciable odor. Technological advances have resulted in green paints that perform every bit as well or better than their cousins.

Hirshfield's now offers a bio-based, high-performance exterior deck stain and sealer. (Bio-based means it is made from renewable resources.) SoyGuard® Premium Stain and Sealer is a safe, deep penetrating finish that provides superior protection for exterior wood against weathering and water damage. It has a non-toxic, ultra-low VOC, clean-air formula that is safe for your family, pets and plants.  It is the perfect alternative product to use for sensitive environments like playground equipment, in and around the garden and for outdoor living spaces and decks. SoyGuard® is made from naturally derived raw materials, soybeans. Many other exterior products use solvents and petroleum distillates made from fossil fuels. SoyGuard® leaves no harmful residue in soil or water.

Aura® is the newest eco-friendly interior paint from Benjamin Moore utilizing a unique technology that makes it different than any other paint available. Waterborne pigments are microscopically bonded to the dry paint film. The color is permanently locked in resulting in richer hues and a new standard in durability. Whereas color pigment in paints has previously added to the overall VOC content, even the deepest and most pigment rich colors in Aura remain green. The Affinity color palette offers 144 sophisticated colors that work harmoniously together and Aura® can be tinted in the more that 3,000 colors from Benjamin Moore.

Aura® paint covers like no other paint (covers in no more than two coat even in the deepest shades) and dries faster. There is minimal odor so you can enjoy your painted rooms sooner. One Hirshfield's Edina customer painted her dining room with two coats of Aura in the morning and had a formal dinner party that same evening.

Benjamin Moore's Natura is uses the same waterborne colorant technology as Aura, but contains no VOCs and is virtually odorless.

Benjamin Moore also offers EcoSpec® environmentally friendly interior finishes which are available in a wide range of pastel colors and a variety of sheens.

Hirshfield's Paint Manufacturing produces Contractor Select® interior paints in a low-VOC green formula that is available in hundreds of colors for commercial and residential applications. Contractor Select is certified by the United States Green Building Council and carries Hirshfield's GREEN CHOICE stamp.

Preserve LOW VOC INTERIOR LATEX flat and eggshell with Microban® antimicrobial product protection offer advanced protection during application and throughout the life of the paint finish. Preserve is ideal for use in occupied areas (including health care and schools) or new construction. Hirshfield’s Preserve meets or exceeds the standards set in places by the USGBC (United States Green Building Council) LEED-NC Version 2.2. All results have been demonstrated by Hirshfield’s independent coating laboratory. Use with Preserve LOW VOC Drywall Primer for total green applications.

Hirshfield's Paint Manufacturing is committed to delivering quality products that have been formulated with a selection of raw materials that are safe for the environment, safe for its customers, and safe for its employees. Being mindful of the environment guide the manufacturing principles at Hirshfield's paint factory. The facility operates a closed loop reprocessed water system.  All wash water used in the clean-up process and in the purging of the manufacturing equipment is re-used. Ethylene glycols and crystalline silicate, a known carcinogen and common ingredient in many paints, are not used and its products have always been free of lead.

Paint removers whose performance once depended on strong solvents are going green. Smart Strip by Peel Away is a revolutionary paint remover that is safe for the user, the substrate and the environment. This 100% biodegradable, water-based stripper is extremely effective for removing multiple layers of architectural and industrial coatings from virtually all interior/exterior surfaces - wood, brick, metal, concrete, stone, plaster, fiberglass, etc. Smart Strip does not contain methylene chloride, caustic, or toxic chemicals. It is odor free.

Don't let the color green deter your next decorating project. Visit your neighborhood Hirshfield's Decorating Center. You might just be surprised how many colors of green are available.