Eco Friendly Paints Although paint is available in a rainbow of colours, not all paints are green. As a rule, it's easy to spot the difference between an eco-friendly paint and a conventional paint: just pop open the lid and take a whiff. The familiar fresh paint odour of a conventional paint consists of a variety of greenhouse gases and other environmentally harmful chemicals that are released to the atmosphere as the paint is applied. In contrast, eco-friendly paints emit little or no environmentally unsafe materials into the air. Eco friendly paint, often referred to as zero VOC paint or low VOC paint , can play a significant role in improving the air quality inside a home. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) are found in a wide variety of products found in a typical house, including paints, stains and cleaning products. VOCs come from solvents used in the manufacturing of paint (and other household products). As paint cures and dries, the solvents are released into the atmosphere through evaporation creating an unhealthy environment. Paints and stains are one of the leading causes of unhealthy indoor environments. VOCs from paint can negatively impact the air quality inside a home for many years. If you have ever experienced the fumes of a freshly painted house then you have experienced the negative impact VOCs have.