We are excited to share the news that Bellingham Professional Finishes was recently awarded the NWCAA Platinum Membership Award! They have worked diligently to lower their overall environmental impact while improving work environments for their crew. They have done this largely by eliminating their use of solvent-based products, opting instead to use waterborne, low VOC paints and finishes.
Bellingham Professional Finishes co-owners, Miranda Teel and Nick Haas, said that in addition to the environmental, health and safety concerns, thatmany solvent-based products, especially those made from petroleum products and paraffin waxes, do not hold up over time. Making the switch to environmentally safe, waterborne products made sense on so many levels!
Besides changing the types of products they use in their work, they also made major efficiency improvements to their shop space. They upgraded lighting fixtures, installed a high-efficiency furnace and switched to infrared heaters. Trade contractors do a lot of driving – it’s a necessary part of the job, but Nick and Miranda have also established a no-idle policy for vehicles, worked to reduce vehicle trips, and have a plan to improve the efficiency of their fleet of work vehicles.
We’ve been working with Bellingham Professional Finishes for years and we’re excited to see them get the recognition that they deserve for their focus on both the environmental impact of their work as well as the health and well-being of their crew. Congrats!
Photo courtesy of Bellingham Professional Finishes.
by Intellitonic