Rice painters get certified in green

Rice painters usually have a palate of colors to work with, but one day last month they dabbled only in green. In fact, by the end of the day they were “certified green painters.”

The five-member crew completed a Green Painter Certification class, which was presented by instructors from New Living, a green building and home supply store.

New Living hosted the class in Rice’s paint shop, where painters were educated about health risks associated with toxic paints, green and healthy practices, and environmentally friendly product choices.

“Painters are exposed to many chemicals that pose health risks,” said Richard Johnson, director of energy and sustainability at Rice. “There are several steps one can take to reduce this risk. First is to use less toxic or nontoxic paints (and associated supplies like coatings), and second is to train painters about the health risks and about green painting techniques. In other words, the first is about product; the second is about process. The class that our painters just completed covered both.”

Facilities, Engineering and Planning (FE&P) first learned of the class about a year ago, and Johnson contacted New Living about providing training for Rice painters. Hugh Ton-That, FE&P maintenance manager, was enthusiastic about the idea. “They will learn the new ‘green’ way of painting, and they will apply it on their jobs for years to come,” he said.

Johnson said, “With our commitment to green building via the LEED program, our contractors have typically used paints and coatings that meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s criteria for low-emitting paints and coatings. This class represents a deepening of that commitment by training our in-house painters in green painting techniques, and hopefully, in also beginning to select paints for work done in-house that meet the same standards we follow for new construction.”