Don't Slather Toxins on your Wall !

How to avoid slathering toxins on your walls
LOW & ZERO –VOC FINISHES


Paints and finishes may be one of the leading causes of indoor air pollution.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, VOC’s are one of the top five hazards to human health.

Low levels of toxic substances can release in the air for months/years after application. The source of these toxic substances is a variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which, until recently, were essential to the performance of the paint.

New environmental regulations and consumer demand have led to the development of low-VOC and zero-VOC paints and finishes. These products are durable, affordable, and less harmful to human and environmental health. They use water instead of petroleum-based solvents as a carrier. Paints with petroleum-based solvents contain a substantial amount of VOC’s.

The actual amount of VOCs can vary from product to product but is listed on the paint can. Low-VOC paints will still emit an odor until dry. Zero-VOC paints pose fewer risks to your health and to the environment than paints containing high levels of VOCS. Many zero-VOC paint formulas still contain toxic ingredients, including acetone, ammonia, formaldehyde, and biocides. These chemicals can have serious adverse effects on indoor air quality.

Natural paints and finishes are formulated with plant-based ingredients, instead of petroleum-based, like plant oils, dyes, and resins. They also may incorporate milk casein, natural latex, and beeswax; and minerals such as clay, chalk, and earthen pigment. Water-based natural paints give off almost no odor. Paint-oil-based natural paints usually have a fresh fragrance of citrus or essential oils.

According to the Green Affordable Housing Coalition, a group of San Francisco Bay area green building design professionals, allergies and sensitivities to these paints are uncommon. The majority of common paint brands now provide these kinds of alternatives, and some manufacturers, such as AFM Safecoat and Bioshield have built their businesses around the greener choices.

All natural is the safest, zero VOC is the next best, and low VOC the third safest.

Two Button Toilets

Do you know why the new toilets have two buttons ?

Old toilets used to flush 3.5 gallons of water each flush!

New toilets – required by law in most states – can only flush 1.6 gallons.

Two button toilets give you a choice - # 1 flushes 0.8 and # 2 flushes 1.6 gallons

Guess what #1 is for ... and #2 ...

Saves a huge amount of fresh water.


Water Facts: Did You Know...

Presently, 1.1 billion people lack access to improved water supply and 2.4 billion to improved sanitation. Unless action is stepped up, the number of people who lack access to improved water supply could increase to 2.3 billion by 2025. World population is approximately 6 billion.

Of all water on earth, 97.5% is salt water, and of the remaining 2.5% fresh water.

Some 70% is frozen in the polar icecaps.

The other 30% is mostly present as soil moisture or lies in underground aquifers. In the end, less than 1% of the world's fresh water (or about 0.007% of all water on earth) is readily accessible for direct human uses. It is found in lakes, rivers, reservoirs and in underground sources shallow enough to be tapped at affordable cost (2).

If all the earth's water fit in a gallon jug, available fresh water would equal just over a tablespoon.

A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water (3).

A person needs 4 to 5 gallons of water per day to survive (4, 5).

The average American individual uses 100 to 176 gallons of water at home each day (6, 7).

The average African family uses about 5 gallons of water each day (7).






Toto







Aquia™ Dual Flush Toilet, 1.6 GPF / 0.9 GPFCST414M



Features:
Elongated skirted design, two piece toilet.Dual-Max™ Flushing System.Push button style flush option.Upgrade with an Oval SoftClose seat. Large, 2-1/8" fully glazed trapway.Five Year Limited Warranty Decorative, high profile two piece toilet. Dual flush (1.6 GPF / 0.9 GPF) performance option to allow apporiate water usage. Tank cover, fittings, chrome plated push button, less seat.





Caravelle 270 Washdown

A modern concept close coupled 1.6/0.8 gpf (6/3 l) dual flush toilet featuring unique two button activation providing substantial water saving compared to standard toilets and adjustable rough in and smooth rounded contours for easy cleaning. The closet bowl has been designed with rough in of 10" (255mm) to 12" (305mm) provided by plastic offset outlet connector option. The overall length from the finished wall is 293/4" (756mm). The tank incorporates the Duo-Flo mechanism which has been specially developed with the Caravelle 270 toilet to ensure optimum reliable flushing performance. Due to the substantial water saving benefits achieved by the 1.6/0.8 gpf (6/3 l) dual flush system the toilet is suitable for multi purpose applications where water conservation is important. The fully enclosed bowl is both cosmetically pleasing and also great for cleaning.