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Sharper Impressions Painting Goes Green
Columbus, Ohio, June 2, 2009 – Sharper Impressions Painting has set the standard for environmental awareness within the residential painting industry. “We hope our Green initiatives will educate and motivate other businesses to do the same,” says owner Geoff Sharp.
By meeting carbon offset guidelines issued by Carbonfund.org, Sharper Impressions Painting has erased the carbon footprint for its office staff, servers and physical offices. “Our donation to Carbonfund.org is invested in third-party certified offset projects like tree-planting and wind turbines,” says Sharp. “This organization makes it easy for us to do our part. We’re proud to join the over 1,000 U.S. businesses like us who are committed to meeting carbon reduction goals.”
Since opening in 1992, Sharper Impressions Painting has used paint products manufactured by Pittsburgh, Porter and Sherwin Williams Paints that feature low volatile organic compounds (VOCs). High-VOC paints release toxins and hazardous fumes that irritate homeowners, especially children and people with allergies and chemical sensitivities. “Nearly all our paints are low-VOC (50 or below) and made of waterborne latex,” Sharp explains, “which once dried and disposed of properly, reduces groundwater contaminants. Low-VOC paints cost only a few dollars more per gallon.”
Along with using the right kind of paint, Sharper Impressions Painting has mastered the art of using the right amount of paint thanks to their custom-built, precision quoting software that accurately measures surface area. Developed in-house, the software calculates the exact amount of paint needed, providing clients with more accurate quotes and leaving little or no wasted paint. Sharper customers also receive free removal and safe disposal of all old paint cans from their home.
In addition to carbon offset and efficiency initiatives, Sharper Impressions Painting has reduced its energy and material usage. “We’ve purchased skylights for our warehouse to replace halogen lighting,” says Sharp. “This was a relatively big investment at $8,000 but will save on monthly electric bills for a lifetime.”
Sharper Impressions Painting received a modest tax credit for newly installed insulation which has drastically decreased heating and cooling costs. A nearly paperless business due to their custom Intranet database, Sharper Impressions Painting uses only recycled material for all mailings and sales literature and has contracted for free commercial recycling removal at all facilities.
Sensitive to recent reports on the negative effects of Colony Collapse Disorder within the global honey bee population, a team of employees installed and painted bee boxes at the Sharper Impressions Painting home office. The disorder, caused by a combination of disease and shrinking habitats, has scientists concerned over maintaining worldwide pollination rates. Simple bee boxes costing a few hundred dollars attract bees, enabling the critical work of pollinating seeds.
In spite of recent economic challenges, Sharper Impressions Painting has enjoyed continued growth in their residential painting services throughout the past year. “We wanted to take our profits and give back to the environment,” Sharp says. “That’s important to us.”
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Sharper Impressions Painting is a full-service residential painting company specializing in both interior and exterior painting. Founded by Geoff Sharp, the company is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio with offices in Denver, Dallas, Indianapolis, Nashville, Chicago, Atlanta, Kansas City, and Boca Raton, Florida. For more information about Sharper Impressions Painting, go to http://www.sharperimpressionspainting.com.
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