Paint It White!

I read two articles today about painting exterior, high temperature prone areas white in order to cool things down.

The first article takes place in the Andes mountains of Peru.  A man named Eduardo Gold had the idea that if you whitewashed the Peruvian mountain range, it could deflect heat from the already melting glaciers. Gold won the World Bank’s “100 Ideas to Save the Planet” competition and was awarded  $200,000 to make his plan a reality.  Four Peruvian men have already begun painting and they plan to cover 2.5 acres a week with a total of 170 acres.

Coincidentally, the next article I came across was written about Bill Clinton’s ideas to jump start the economy.  One of his ideas is already a reality in New York.  Mayor Bloomberg has created a program that puts young people to work painting New York’s roofs white.  The results?   Painting the roofs white would not only cool things down but also reduce utility cost, freeing up money for more spending and a large number of the program’s participants were able to move into “higher-skilled training programs or energy-related retrofit jobs”.

While I don’t know what type of paint is being used on the New York rooftops, I do know the Peruvians are using a paint made with lime, egg and water.  A simple Limewash.  We do not make Limewash with eggs, but rather slaked lime, an ancient technology that provides decades of durability.  The idea is that there is a natural product that will substitute acrylic paint, last longer, and is 100% Eco-Sustainable.  ROMA’s BioCalce is organic which means that at least 90% of the ingredients in our limewash are completely natural and any of the remaining differences are inert and non toxic. All of our architectural coverings, paints, plasters, and other finishes, are free of APEOs, PEGs, PG’s and contain no asthmatic triggers or solvents. They are noble paints for a noble realization to help our environment, our workplaces, our homes, and our families.

Over the last couple of years the Alys Beach and Rosemary Beach communities have been applying ROMA’s BioCalce lime paints on exterior stuccos as a more historical and environmental alternative to acrylic paint.  Lime paints allow stucco to breathe and assist in healthy building environments, which a  “low” or “0” VOC acrylic paint cannot do.  BioCalce Classico and BioCalce A are excellent exterior paint products that can also be used for interior surfaces. ROMA’s products include all of the same types of paints and sheens that acrylics provide but are based on natural products that have superb durability, washability, and can typically cost 30 – 40% less than comparable acrylic counterparts.

 

At Alys Beach, in Florida, the tile roofs are now painted with ROMA’s TerraMare Quarzit white paint because these products can provide the longest warranty for endurance against extreme environmental conditions and at the same time provide excellent waterproofing and yet still permit trapped moisture to evaporate and provide healthy building conditions.

Silossanic paints are based on silicone rubber technology invented in 1942 by the Germans as an alternative to rubber from trees which were not accessible to them during WWII.  Silicone rubber is made from silica or sand, and up until the late 1980’s was only available for use in a solvent base formula.  Engineering breakthroughs occurred that resulted in allowing silicone rubber to be formulated in a water base.  Silicone rubber is an inorganic product with wonderful features such as being hydro-repellent and very permeable.  It was introduced in Europe as an architectural covering for walls and roofs because it looks similar to a potassium silicate paint.  With the same historical quality aesthetic as an historical paint, silossanic paint can be used on stuccos, cements, and brick because it does not hold moisture in the walls, yet is miraculously hydro-repellent.  The result of this technology 25 years after it was introduced in Europe, is that the original buildings painted 25 years ago with Silossanic paints are still in perfect condition.  Projections are that Silossanic paints can endure for up to 40 – 50 years.  They can be used to paint over any material, including acrylic painted walls, increasing durability and aesthetics for almost the same cost of acrylic paint.  This is another success for the environment as silossanic paints are Eco-Sustainable; made from natural ingredients and better products for our homes and work places.  ROMA’s TerraMare Silossanic paint line is free of APEOs, PEGs, PG’s and contain no asthmatic triggers or solvents. There are also economic advantages because of the durability of these products, as opposed to acrylic paints, which need to be repainted every 2 – 4 years on average.

We suggest that New York City consider a long term solution to reduce energy by investing in an eco-sustainable paint product.  Silossanic paints are engineered for the most extreme environmental conditions, provide years of durability and environmental compatibility.  The city in addition would benefit from enormous savings in labor costs because they would not have to repaint as often as they would using acrylic paints.

We at ROMA have as our mission statement that prosperity can be achieved without doing damage to our environment.  We ask you to join us in our mission to help us provide toxic free home and business environments for our homes and work places, as well as our environment.