Another problem with synthetic paints is post-application wastage and disposal.  It has been estimated that water soluble gloss paints require 40m-1 to render their entry into the sewerage system harmless.

There is in existence an organized effort called PPSI-Paint Product Stewardship Initiative developed to address and manage post-consumer paint disposal.  The organization estimates that the cost to manage post-consumer paint on a national level could be as much as $500 million per year-they are resolving to education and waste minimization to reduce the management effort and developed several types of collection programs.  An EPA study suggests that about 10% of the 637 million gallons of paint sold annually becomes leftover paint, equal to about 64 million gallons per year.  Many of the left overs become a part of the garage décor until they too are thrown out in the garbage to enter into our landfills.

Now consider this:  LOTUS WALL CLAY tm  -all non-toxic, all natural, sustainable, minimal water usage for clean-up and left over material can be dried stored and reconstituted with water for later use (and repair such as nail hole patching, etc.)-pigment can be added to alter color as desired.  You do not have to spend extra time and gallons of water to clean brushes and paint trays loaded with latex to clean them.  Mixing container-reusable, leftover product-reusable.

So why Lotus Wall Clay? No fumes, 0 VOC’s, inert... Lowering the VOC levels of the new paint products today has been a tremendous effort and is a good start in creating more healthful environments. The VOC content of paint and the CO2 emitted during manufacture are key contributors to environmental impact - primarily in the form of air pollution (petrochemical smog) and to a lesser degree greenhouse gases. Paints are a major source of indoor air pollution. The US Environmental Protection Agency puts paint on its top-five list of environmental hazards. Conventional paints can make indoor air a chemical cocktail, even long after they have dried, as they continue to release petroleum based solvents, called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) as they cure. VOCs are unstable, carbon-containing compounds that readily vaporize into the air. When they enter the air, they react with other elements to produce ozone, which causes air pollution and a host of health issues including breathing problems, headache, burning, watery eyes and nausea. Some VOCs also have been linked to cancer, as well as kidney and liver damage [source:  Chadderdon]. As paint dries, these harmful VOCs are released into the air at high levels. Indoor VOC levels are routinely 10 times higher than outdoor levels, and up to 1,000 times higher immediately after painting [source: Pennock]. Although VOC levels are highest during and soon after painting, they continue seeping out for several years. In fact, only 50 percent of the VOCs may be released in the first year [source: Green Seal]. So perhaps it's not so hard to believe that paint-related products are one of the worst environmental offenders. They're the second largest source of VOC emissions into the atmosphere after automobiles, responsible for roughly 11 billion pounds every year [source:Pennock, , Grafman]. Painters regularly exposed to paint vapors have an increased incidence of several types of cancers, impaired brain function, renal dysfunction and other health problems [source: International Programme on Chemical Safety]. According to the Masters Painters Association, ozone from paint emissions irritates eyes, nose, throat and lungs; reduces breathing capacity even in healthy adults and children; increases susceptibility to infection, hospital visits and admissions; and causes damage estimated to cost millions of dollars per year to crops and buildings. Emission profiles from the EPA in California show that surface coatings are responsible for 9% of all VOC emissions On second thought, maybe selling it isn't such a good idea. Typical oil-based paint averages 350g/L VOCs, or between 35-50% of the paints volume. Even water-based acrylics, which are much less toxic, still contain 3-7% solvent content.