We’re excited to share with you that Richmond now has its first green retail home-improvement store, EcoLogic!

EcoLogic is located at 1606 W. Main Street in the Uptown district of Richmond, and carries a variety of beautiful products available for making your home a better and healthier place. Among the products carried at EcoLogic are natural linoleum, salvaged hardwood flooring, cork flooring, soapstone and slate countertops, PaperStone countertops (yes, they’re made from paper), recycled glass tile, eco-friendly paints and earth plasters (our favorite, American Clay), and LED lighting.

At Dramatic Changes, we use AFM Safecoat products and American Clay, and we are thrilled that Fred and Stephanie have chosen to carry them in their store. These great products deserve all the attention they can get! For more information on EcoLogic, feel free to stop in their store for a tour, or you can visit their website here.

I was recently introduced to an organization that brings issues related to sustainability and eco-friendly living called Back Porch Initiatives. As you’ll see on their site, Back Porch is a non-profit organization working with communities to cultivate local responses to the national and global issue of energy consumption. The Back Porch team is committed to collaborating with communities on existing resources, leveraging new ideas, and developing practical, economical and environmental solutions.

Back Porch has extended an invitation for us to present during one of their weekly community conversations on Monday, July 21st, 2008. We’ll be speaking about healthy paint options available here in Richmond, and will also likely discuss the local green-building resources. We will be at Globehopper Coffeehouse at 2100 E. Main Street in Richmond’s historic Church Hill. This event is free and open to the public.

If you aren’t free to attend this coming Monday’s conversation, please know that Back Porch holds these talks every Monday evening from 7-8 pm at Globehopper.

In our business, We find ourselves addressing this topic all the time. We go to someone’s house, listen to them describe their needs, and we provide them an estimate based on what painting needs to be done in their home. Homeowners often ask, “What kind of paint do you use”? Here are a couple of important things to consider…

Whether you’re having your home painted professionally or doing it yourself, we encourage you to choose paint that meets the following criteria:

- eco-friendly

- excellent quality (I know, it sounds like a no-brainer)

- can be purchased from a local business

Consider shopping at Eco Supply, Power of Color, EcoLogic, or Virginia Paint Company. Their healthy paint options perform as well if not better than their traditional competitors. They’re reasonably priced, often costing the same as a reputable brand. Best of all, by buying from these local businesses, you’re supporting our local economy. It’s a win-win situation.