NOVO supported community murals in the Ballard neighborhood (left photo, partnership with Ballard Alliance + artist Glynn Roseberg) and Hilo, HI (right photo, partnership with Temple Children + artist Brandy Serikaku)

COMMUNITY

We partner with other organizations on reuse strategies, including murals, paint drives, and donating extra product to community-based programs. We are excited to expand our focus by sharing how we use the power of business to help create social and environmental solutions for our industry. If you have graffiti in your neighborhood, are interested in partnering, or would simply like to learn more, please contact us!

PAINT SHARE

We re-purpose usable interior latex paints from our clients and friends and make them available to the community. We often receive brand new gallons of paint as well. Priority is given to community organizations, non-profits, public art, urban beautification projects, neighborhood spring cleaning events, and any other cause that promotes positive relationships throughout our communities. Homeowners are also encouraged to submit their request.

  • Paint is 100% recycled, usable latex house paint.
  • All paint is strained, batched and mixed.
  • New color palettes released 2-3 times per month.

We currently do not have any paint available. Please contact us to be notified when new color palettes are released. Previous Donees:

  • City of Seattle, Oxbow Park
  • Georgetown Arts & Cultural Center
  • Miller School of Art
  • Neat Streets
  • United Artists of Georgetown
  • Urban Artworks
  • Way Back Inn
  • White Center Community Development Association

STRIPE IT OUT

Stripe it Out is a simple way for us to support our team’s creativity while giving back to the community. Using leftover paint from past projects, our crew members place colorful stripes over graffiti to brighten these areas and deter further vandalism. Although we try to reduce the amount of waste on our job sites, we often have leftover paint that can be put toward this good use.

SUSTAINABILITY

THE FUTURE OF PAINT

Environmental sustainability is both a necessity and an opportunity for business success. Increasingly, companies are understanding that ecological degradation and disruption pose significant risks to their bottom line and are taking steps to mitigate these risks. Additionally, focusing on sustainability as a core business strategy opens up new opportunities for innovation, efficiency and enhanced customer value.

For us at NOVO, sustainability is not only about ethical responsibility—it is also a way for us to provide added value for our clients and community.

WHAT WE DO

Water-based paints that include zero or low levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are better both for human health and the environment. Many VOCs can cause negative health effects such as eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, nausea, asthma, and more seriously, cancer and damage to the liver, kidney and central nervous system.

Additionally, water-based paints (also known as latex paints) do not have the same disposal issues that oil-based paints do. While oil-based paints are legally required to be treated as hazardous waste, water-based paints can safely be recycled (if still wet) or included in regular solid waste streams (if dried.)

Finally, sourcing zero-VOC paints also enables us to meet the needs of our clients who are seeking green building certifications such as LEED.

As a contractor, we are the bridge between paint manufacturers and the building owners who ultimately use their products. By educating our clients about the benefits of environmentally preferable paints, we have the opportunity to build demand for healthier, more sustainable options in the marketplace.

NOVO closely monitors the amount of paint being used during each project and employs a just-in-time strategy to purchase any final supplies needed. This practice enables us to avoid over-ordering materials and keep excess paint to a minimum.

On several occasions, NOVO has also worked with our clients to standardize and reduce the number of paints they use in their facilities. Standardizing which colors and types of paint a company uses not only eliminates aesthetic inconsistencies, but also drastically reduces leftover paint that would otherwise pose storage and disposal problems.

Although NOVO takes steps to avoid accumulating excess paint, we often have a gallon or two left over after completing a project. Additionally, it is not unusual for us to encounter dozens of old paint cans in our clients’ storage areas left over by previous companies. Rather than send it to landfill, NOVO facilitates opportunities for the leftover paint to be repurposed, such as donating it to community organizations and local artists and using it ourselves for our Stripe It Out program, an urban beautification project along the Burke-Gilman trail.

Since 2013, NOVO has also organized a number of neighborhood paint drives, in partnership with SecondUse, to collect reusable latex paint from local residents. Through our Paint Share program, we have diverted 2,490 gallons of paint from landfill, 90% of which was reused by members of the community for residential and home repair projects.

In recent years, there have been efforts in Washington State to offer statewide collection and recycling services for architectural latex paint, which are currently not available to most residents. In 2015, House Representative Strom Peterson introduced legislation to establish an industry-operated paint stewardship program in Washington. The bill, HB 1571, would have required manufacturers of architectural paint to manage the collection, reuse and disposal of leftover paint, services that the paint industry already offers in California, Oregon and several other states through PaintCare, a non-profit organization affiliated with the American Coatings Association.

At NOVO, we are strongly in favor of efforts, both large and small, that encourage paint stewardship, and we see the value in the use of policy to accomplish this goal. We supported HB 1571 and worked to raise awareness and educate our community about the benefits it would bring. During our residential paint collection drives, we distributed informational materials about the bill, as well as sample letters that community members could use to write their governmental representatives expressing their support. We also sent out information to our followers through e-mail and social media. While HB 1571 did not progress out of the State Senate during the 2016 legislative session, we are hopeful that the bill will pass in the future.

At our core, NOVO’s mission is to develop and maintain positive relationships with our team, clients, and community. One powerful way that we do this is by collaborating with others on sustainability projects.

Our Paint Share program is the result of our partnership with SecondUse to organize community paint drives, which to date has diverted 2,490 gallons of latex paint from landfill and provided the community with a free source of secondhand paint. More recently, NOVO invited representatives from the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Department of Labor & Industries to be involved in planning a project for the Seattle Aquarium. By proactively building collaborative relationships with these agencies, not only do we ensure that NOVO is in compliance with environmental and labor regulations, but we also foster opportunities for mutual learning. The NOVO team receives training on best practices for protecting our employees’ health and safety and the environment, and Ecology and L&I staff gain an on-the-ground understanding of businesses operating in this field. If you are interesting in partnering with NOVO on a sustainability project, please contact us to learn more. We would love to work with you!

Sustainability is a rapidly evolving field, and we at NOVO know that there is much more to be learned about what it means to be a sustainable company. Being based in Seattle, we are fortunate to have access to a strong community of sustainability-minded professionals, and we strive to take advantage of the expertise and resources of our peers. Our founder, Cole Palea, has completed sustainability leadership training through local workshops and courses, such as the EMERGE Leadership program and the Sustainable Building Advisor certification course, offered by O’Brien and Company.

As we move forward on NOVO’s sustainability journey, we are excited to continue learning, growing, and partnering with others to leave a positive legacy for our children.