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In Search of 'Green' Flooring
Plenty of Options Exist: We desperately need to replace the carpet in our basement and we want to put down some kind of environmentally-friendly flooring. This week I took the first step by visiting a local store, Amicus Green Building Center in Kensington, Md.
I knew that linoleum and bamboo were two good options. Amicus' president, Jason Holstine, also showed me cork flooring, EcoTimber wood, reclaimed wood and Flor carpet. We're going to go with linoleum which is made from rapidly renewable resources such as linseed oil and pine resin. Linoleum is preferable to vinyl because it is made from natural ingredients, is biodegradeable and lasts longer. We like it for its natural aspects and because spills -- and cat hairballs -- will be easy to clean up. The brand we are choosing, Marmoleum, comes in tiles you can click together. (See a linoleum fact sheet from Build It Green.)
There are many "green" home improvement products available, from paints and stains to counters and cabinets. I asked Holstine why people should use green products when renovating their homes.
"There are several aspects of doing green," he said. "It's high-quality, healthy, good for the environment, fights climate change and helps protect forests. By doing green right, it does all of that, gives you a comfortable, healthy home and saves you money. Green is not necessarily more expensive."
Right on. When he says healthy, one thing he's talking about is using products that either have zero volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) or are low-VOC. These include the chemicals that cause the new-carpet smell or the new-paint smell -- and they can lead to many bad health effects. Some cause cancer in animals; some are suspected human carcinogens (like formaldehyde).
To learn more about green flooring options, check out this Flooring Buying Guide from GreenerChoices.org, a Consumer Reports site.
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If anyone knows of a clearinghouse Web site where you can find green builders and building supplies listed by state or locality, please let me know! I'll post it here.
thx
dan -
The folks at Amicus really impressed me -- they seem to have really done their research! I ran into an Environmental Defense colleague when I was there, and she had the same impression.
I am probably going to go for the cork flooring in my shiny new kitchen. :)
7/8/07 10:02 AM