Environmentally Friendly Flooring
Whether you are looking for carpet, wood flooring or even linoleum, you have a great many choices that are environmentally friendly. You do not have to give up quality or appearance to have a "green" floor.
There is now an organization, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) that certifies landowners and timber companies that sell wood. Some of their criteria include protection of wildlife and minimal use of pesticides. If wood you buy has the FSC stamp you are assured that the timber has met their 57 criteria.
Many people have heard about buying bamboo flooring as bamboo is a fast growing grass that is highly renewable, but you can also buy such hardwoods as cherry and oak that have been harvested in an environmentally safe manner such as individual selection of trees for cutting as opposed to clearcutting. You don't have to give up beauty and durability to be environmentally conscious. For example, four-inch wide, medium-grade American cherry that has been certified by the FSC costs $5 a square foot, the same as standard cherry.
Carpeting can also be an evronmentally friendly choice. Oriental hand-woven rugs are about as green as you can get. They are made with wool and cotton that are plentiful and renewable and are woven by hand so there is no machinery involved. Wool carpets are also a good "green" choice as wool is a plentiful renewable reource. Wool is also a natural air conditioner, absorbing and releasing heat and moisture to balance a room's conditions. You can also find nylon carpets that are totally recycled materials.
Linoleum is made almost entirley from renewable resources, linseed oil being the main ingredient mixedwith wood flour (cork dust) and backed with jute, burlap, or canvas. Linoleum is also bio-degradable.
|
