Painting a Healthier Future

Every time I visit home, whether it be for break or just a quick weekend trip, my family finds a way to weave questions about my college experience into our conversation. They ask me how much fun I'm having, how hard I'm studying, and even how often I eat at Chick-Fil-A. My point is, the ends of these conversations always revolve around the same two sentences: "Ahh, enjoy your college years. They're the best years of your life!"

And yes, I've made some of my favorite memories here; however, I find myself constantly imagining what my future will be like. What will my job be? Where will I live? Will I have enough money to shop online without my mom's credit card?

So if you're like me, you understand that you don't have to be an interior designer to imagine what the inside of you're future house will look like. Therefore, today's post will feature a fun and creative object that can reduce your electric bill and your local power plant emissions: light-colored paint.

Though you may not realize it, energy use has a direct impact on the environment. SaveOnEnergy states that increasing energy use in homes results in increasing toxic waste emission from power plants. These power plants are huge burners of coal, oils, and various other fossil fuels, meaning they are some of the main contributors to the greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides are just three examples of the wastes produced by each power plant. 

In addition to this, oil spills from power plants can harm marine life and destroy biodiversity in and near our oceans. The NOAA says the chemicals in that oil are extremely dangerous to animals; the toxins can cause feather/fur depletion, eye irritation, and skin damage. Eventually, the sea birds and otters that are mostly affected will lose the ability to maintain a constant body temperature, resulting in their death.

Therefore, reducing energy use in our homes can help to lower the emissions from power plants and reduce fatal oil spills. According again to SaveOnEnergy, something as simple as trading in one regular, incandescent light bulb for one compact fluorescent or LED bulb could be the equivalent of taking 1.3 million cars off the road. That's an enormous reduction in emitted pollution from just one light bulb, and the results would also benefit marine life.

I am suggesting that we take that idea one step further. Not only should we be making the switch from incandescent lights to LED lights, but we should also turn off all of our lights as often as possible- perhaps even all day long. Mixing low electric usage with energy-efficient light bulbs will maximize pollution reduction from power plants. A primary action that will allow us to go the whole day without turning on a single light is painting the rooms in our houses a lighter color.

Often times during the day, I will walk into my dorm, pull open the curtain to let the rarity of sunshine enter the room, and then turn on the lights, as well. I am sure that I am not the only person in the world who turns on the lights even when its daytime and the sun can suffice as an illuminant. Therefore, by painting each room a bright, light color, the sun can reflect off that pigment and illuminance is intensified. This eliminates the need to use electric lights for half of the day. Basically, the darker the room, the more artificial light you need to brighten it. 

an example of a light-colored room with natural lighting- notice the lamp does not need to be turned on

*photo courtesy of Winwall Design Corners*

On top of this, J. Stevens Painting Company says, in an article about saving energy in homes, that light-colored paint not only accentuates natural light, but also reflects less heat in the summer, lowering your AC energy bills. The company advises the use of gloss paint, as this will increase further the reflectance of the walls. Any color from light blue to pastel pink will do the job just fine.

Of course, we still may need to turn on the lights at nighttime, but most of the night is filled by sleeping anyway (and sleeping is always more fun when the lights are off).

So the next time you decide to redecorate your room, go for a light-colored paint. You'll use less energy and save our wonderful planet. And who knows, maybe the brighter color will brighten up your everyday mood, as well.