Zero VOC, Non Toxic, Healthier Painting

For several years my home office has been the color of sea foam green. This particular room is always cold, even in summer, and needs an extra heater to bring it to a comfortable temperature.

A few weeks ago as the weather began to turn chilly, in a moment of do-it-yourself enthusiasm I decided I was done with the sea foam green, a shade that can in fact make the room feel colder than it is. I wanted a color that would make the room warmer.

Have you tried to decide on a paint color lately? It’s daunting. Standing in the middle of an enormous home improvement warehouse, I actually began to consult the names of the colors, as a way to help me decide. Who has the job of thinking up these names? I selected “Moroccan Sky,” an earth tone resembling terra cotta. Perfect.

I wanted my Moroccan Sky to be zero-VOC to limit my toxic exposure. VOCs are Volatile Organic Compounds found in a variety of products such as furniture, carpeting, adhesives, and paints. The compounds release into the air and can cause ailments from allergies to cancer to ozone layer depletion.

Nowadays you can take in a swatch of color that can be matched in almost any brand of paint. But getting my exotically named orange-brown paint without VOCs apparently meant complications for the paint department employee, who seemed more interested in stocking shelves than mixing paint. So he said, “It’s a lot more expensive and really doesn’t matter. Today’s paints are all very low in VOCs. It’s not like the old days. These are all incredibly low, so just get what you want in any brand and you’ll be fine.”

I doubted this, truly, but I was on a DIY enthusiasm roll which doesn’t come around often. I went ahead with Moroccan Sky and its “low” VOCs. Once back home in full paint mode, it was clear there were plenty of toxins coming out of the can, into the air, and onto my wall. The smell was so strong I took frequent breaks even though a good breeze blew through the windows. I began to wonder about cancer. I painted one wall, got out quickly, and let the room air out overnight with an air filter running on turbo.

The next day I went to my small local hardware store and inquired about a paint color that is a few notches down the scale. It was a bit too ambitious after all, to have four “Moroccan” walls. I wanted warmth, not a cave. This paint department employee was very agreeable that zero-VOC, non-toxic paint is the way to go. He gave me literature supporting the reasons why it’s better for our health, which I knew but had lost sight of in my eagerness to get started. I settled on “Spiced Cider” and even the employee said it sounded wonderful.

Let me spare you the further details of my painting adventures and get to the point, which is to say, if you are up for a change and would like to paint your home or office, spend the extra $10 per gallon to get paint that is safe for you, your pets, and the environment. Here are more reasons why:

•    There are little or no noxious fumes.
•    There isn’t toxic off gassing, which can occur for years with ordinary paint.
•    You can use the room right away without having to wait for the smell to dissipate.
•    You’ll be exposed to zero carcinogens. Be sure to verify this in the brand you purchase.
•    There will be no risk of toxicity to your kidneys, liver, and nervous system.
•    You’ll avoid sinus inflammation and allergies.
•    You won’t harm the ozone layer.
•    A zero-VOC, non-toxic paint won’t add more caustic chemicals to landfills.
•    You’ll protect your pets from breathing toxic indoor air, which in many cases is much more polluted than outdoor air. Ordinary paint fumes can kill birds, and you'll not have to worry about this at all.

Once I brought home my new gallon of Spiced Cider, I opened the lid and swiped a bit of it on the walls. Breathing easy, it felt like the best extra $10 ever spent.

Eliminate Grain-Filled Commercial Foods for Your Pet's Best Health

Holistic care is as important for your animals as it is for you. Dogs and cats are unwitting victims of the fast-food industry, ingesting biologically imbalanced processed foods. These foods contain grains such as wheat, rice, and corn, by-products and other additives such as soy, preservatives, colorings, and flavorings.

When humans eat like this, they become obese and eventually diseased, with symptoms ranging from diabetes and arthritis to cancer and heart disease. It is the same with our animals. Obesity and joint conditions are common. Many animals have poor teeth and gums, and emit a foul odor. They suffer with internal and external parasites and inflammation resulting in skin rashes, itching, and joint pain.

People are convinced that processed kibble from the grocery store is healthy for their pets because commercials and labels tell them so. Words such as “all natural” help persuade buyers toward brands filled with grains and other unnecessary additives. As a result, most dogs and cats are eating substandard food.

In the last 70 years or so convenience foods came into vogue. In this time, we have lost what it means to eat close to nature. The whole family, companion animals included, dines on processed food. We know it’s time to turn that corner and come back to basics, not just for ourselves. No dog or cat should be eating foods with added grains. They wouldn’t eat them in the wild, and they don’t have a need for the extra carbohydrates.

Grains in dog and cat food are filler. They can lead to arthritis, skin conditions, lethargy, flatulence, and other preventable symptoms. Further, animals should not smell, have bad breath, poor teeth and gums, or be itching and scratching. If they do, this is a sign the body is not functioning well. Just like with your own health, the first step is to clean up the diet.

Ideally, dogs and cats should be given a diet that closely matches the nutritional balance they would have if they ate what nature intended. This means getting quality protein appropriate for their optimum health. They have no need for additives such as by products, soy, and colorings.
The top level food for your animals includes raw food, the majority of which is human-grade animal protein. The next rung down would be a high-quality canned food. The lowest and least desirable would be commercial kibble.

If you must feed only kibble, choose a no-grain variety with no unnecessary additives. These are usually found at feed stores or high-end animal supply stores. Supplement this diet with some fresh food. Dogs love carrots, for example, and you can experiment with other vegetables. Avoid giving them grapes, raisins, chocolate, walnuts, and macadamia nuts. Cats are interested in various vegetables, too. My cats love to eat cooled chicken soup with vegetables. It isn’t raw, but it’s nutrient-dense.

If any of you have animals in pain, with joint inflammation or another type of pain, you can experiment with removing grain and low-quality food and treats from their diet. Many people continue with the same substandard diet while giving anti-inflammatory drugs. These are not necessary nor is the suffering your animal endures.

Speak with a holistic, integrative veterinarian who is knowledgeable about proper diet and holistic approaches. If there isn’t one in your area yet, you can work with one by telephone, which I have done with success for the past 8 years. In fact, I have four animals who rarely if ever go into a veterinary office. Our house-call veterinarian is a specialist in homeopathy, herbs, acupuncture, and chiropractic.

If you can find a gem like this, you’ll not have to pay for regular veterinary visits with their accompanying tests, x-rays, and drug prescriptions. Instead, you’ll be promoting healthy, happy animals in the way we humans must treat ourselves: by enhancing our vitality, encouraging the body to heal itself, and stopping the madness of placing a bandage over every symptom without looking further into the deeper cause.

Meanwhile, you and your animals will thrive when you are deeply nourished, with both food and companionship. Let’s not ignore our trusted companions when it comes to what nourishes them: our presence and care along with top-quality food the way nature intended. Organic raw is best, combined in such a way that it is biologically balanced. To learn more about this, Dr. Richard Pitcairn, who I am not affiliated with in any way, has books and much information on his website: www.drpitcairn.com. There you’ll find detailed explanations of the points I touched on in this article.

Sacred Responsibility

I’m preparing for a long overdue vacation. In the days leading up to leaving, my thoughts are less on the actual journey and more on how my animals will fare while I’m away. I am the caretaker of three cats and a dog who rely on me daily for their safety and wellbeing. To this end, I am committed. It is a responsibility to which I’m devoted. And this is why my mind is on them until I get things arranged for their care while I’m away.

As I work out these details, I received in the mail the newsletter from the Animal Friends Rescue Project. This led me to think about the thousands upon thousands of neglected companion animals, particularly dogs and cats, who don’t get the care and attention my four four-leggeds do.

I am deeply saddened when I hear of animal neglect and abandonment. Once we domesticate an animal, removing it from its natural habitat, it becomes dependent on us. It is our obligation to be stewards of this earth as well as its inhabitants. It is our collective sacred responsibility, but we have shunned it, instead allowing self-serving interests to run amok.

Those of us that participate in the continual damage of our planet and its occupants live detached from one of life’s most profound experiences: the ability to touch one’s own well of compassion, grace, and humanity. This inability, or we could say unwillingness, to feel into our own heart center becomes the ignorance and apathy that leads to the neglect of our environment, fellow humans, and animals.

No matter what your own participation has been in the past around this sacred responsibility, both you and I can improve our roles. There are a few simple ways to help stem the abuse and suffering of companion animals. I offer two suggestions here which you have undoubtedly heard before, yet might or might not have taken seriously.

If you are thinking of getting a companion animal, a dog or a cat, get one from a shelter or from an “oops” litter. “Oops” litters are comprised of unwanted and unexpected animals who can end up in shelters and often do. I adopted two of my own cats as adults. Mimi was homeless and Draven was soon-to-be abandoned by neighbors. Calypso came to me at six weeks old from a family so desperate to get rid of the kittens they had given his mother away before I got there to pick him up. We sometimes joke that if word gets out there will be busloads of homeless felines with little knapsacks unloading in front of the house.

Rami, my Labrador/German Shepherd, was one of eleven solid black puppies. From another “oops” litter, Rami’s mother and father were neighbors. His intact father had a penchant for roaming. Neither of their guardians had gotten around to “fixing” them yet. From just this one litter, there were eleven new unexpected and unwanted puppies needing to find homes.

This leads me to the second suggestion: take the time to neuter your companion animals. I think this might involve, for some, dealing with the desire to have macho intact dogs. Also, we must elevate our consciousness so that the wellbeing of our dependents is ahead of our hankering for a few more dollars (which can come through breeding).

We are the stewards of our neighborhoods and its residents, both human and animal, whether we choose to participate or not. This is our sacred responsibility. Our wisdom is relied upon. From my perspective, right now is a good time to foster and exercise it.