There are other eco-friendly decorating products besides lights made of recycleable materials.
Strong River, based out of Vancouver and New York City, is one of many companies that create non-toxic paints. The paints produced by Strong River contain natural pigments and have zero VOC’s (volatile organic compounds).
According to the company’s official website, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined that the off-gassing from architectural coatings is estimated to account for about 9 percent of greenhouse emissions over urban centers.
It is important that you know that according to the EPA test for low VOC paint, any paint with 250 gallons or less of VOC’s can be called low-VOC paint and that while the base may be zero-VOC, the colorant may not be.
Sherwin Williams, a more famous paint manufacturer than Strong River, produces a collection of three eco-friendly paints entitled “Green Sure” products. The company uses sustainable raw materials, like soy and sunflower oil, in its paints and according to the company’s website, they have also “streamlined national distribution processes, helping to conserve fuel, energy, and other natural resources.
Here’s a list of the company’s eco-friendly paints:
Duration Home-Interior Latex– According to the Sherwin Williams website, this paint is formulated to be low in odor, resist mildew, and have lower levels of smog-producing pollutants, a type of VOC.
photo of Duration-Home Interior Latex, courtesy of Sherwin Williams
Harmony Interior Latex– This paint is low in odor and contains zero VOC’s.
Harmony Interior Latex- photo courtesy of Sherwin Williams
E-Barrier- This is an energy efficient product that creates a reflective barrier when applied to underside of an attic roof decking.
E-Barrier paint-photo courtesy of Sherwin Williams
Doesn’t this information make you want to paint green?
GreenLife 
Michelle, you’ve done a consistently good job all semester with your blog. Thank you for your effort.