Local Painting Service Company Uses Eco-Friendly Paint

Volatile organic compounds are the last things Pedro Kasperek wanted inside his daughter's nursery.

And yet, just as he went to start painting her walls, he realized that these V.O.C.s (as they're printed on labels) could be the first thing he'd unintentionally placed inside her room, before the crib, carpeting or toys.

Spurred on by his wife, Alisha Michael, the pair started an eco-friendly painting company called Green Homes last fall.

"We figured that people know there's alternatives but might not be educated about it," Kasperek, 26, said.

Consumer Reports identifies V.O.C.s as solvents that get released into the air as paint dries, potentially causing symptoms like headaches and dizziness. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that some V.O.C.s are suspected carcinogens (cancer causing agents).

The problem, Kasperek said, is that V.O.C. levels can be high because of certain pigments added to a paint's base, particularly the various oxides added to create color pigments like reds, yellows, or oranges.

Aside from offering no V.O.C. paint for indoor/outdoor areas that's non-toxic and low-odor, Kasperek and Michael offer an eco-conscious service. Large, washable canvas tarps are laid as opposed to throwing away wads of clear plastic covering along with reusable tools all made from recycled material.

(The industrious Kasperek also writes, records and performs with Ferndale rock sextet Macramé Tiger.)

But painting is Kasperek's labor of love and he speaks of it, mid-stroke, very Zen-like: "The brush, now, is like an extension of myself."

He continues: "My dad told me long ago: 'You have a couple options, be a man, or work for the man.' So I started this and I'll see where it takes me," he said. "I love the Ferndale community and this is my way of helping my neighbors."

Kasperek, aided by employee Scottie Stone (a similar journeyman of trades who also drums in many Ferndale bands like Dutch Pink), recently finished work on the home of Caroline Brohn and Brad Dicks -- a split-level home, built in the 30's, near Ferndale High School. Her and Dicks have lived here for five years.

"I went with Pedro because he uses good quality paint and I like the all-green theme he's going for," Brohn said.

Standing knee-deep in an extensive garden, Brohn said, "I try to be very green myself."

Brohn and Dicks' house makes it a solid dozen for Green Homes, so far. But, in a town like Ferndale, according to Brohn, there shouldn't be much trouble finding work.

"We're definitely in a town that can appreciate going greener," Brohn added.

For more information -- including examples of their work, such as murals for kid's rooms -- look for them on Facebook.