What makes a floor “green”? There are many factors to consider when choosing the best flooring for your home.
For many, the most obvious answer is that the material used to make the flooring was sustainably sourced. That would include hardwood flooring sourced from FSC certified forests, or wool carpet from ethically raised sheep, or cork which can be recycled or harvested from trees without harming them, or tile made using recycled materials.
For the health of your family, you will want to choose a flooring which was not manufactured using harmful chemicals such as volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). You can find information on low chemical choices in trustworthy green databases. Be sure that you also look at how it is installed with underlayment and adhesives.
To be sustainable, flooring needs to be durable. You don’t want to have a long useful life. High quality sustainable flooring will ensure that you enjoy your selection for many years to come. Be sure to look for products which can be easily and safely cleaned and refinished.
Because there is so much volume in the flooring in your house, you will want flooring which is manufactured in a way which makes conscientious use of energy and water. Think about transportation costs to get it to your site as well. Your floors are also a good opportunity to look at opportunities to sequester carbon in your home. For instance, cork which is harvested and minimally processed holds carbon and then the tree pulls more carbon out of the air to make the next generation.
You need to consider the entire lifecycle of your flooring. In a ideal case, your flooring would be cradle to cradle certified and be up-cycled into another product? If not, is it recyclable? biodegradable?
When choosing your flooring, be sure to purchase from a reputable dealer who understands the health benefits of green flooring. If you don’t feel that you are getting a straight answer, look elsewhere. A room full of toxicity will cost you more that short term savings.
Setting up your own sustainable home gym lets you keep fit while staying environmentally friendly. Focus on where your equipment and furnishings came from; what’s in them; and flexibility and efficiency in how they’re used. You’ll be surprised at how great you can feel about feeling great.
Are you planning to renovate your home? The product choices you make can have a huge impact on your health and the planet. Elemental Green’s Founder and CEO Sheridan Foster gives us some such examples as she walks us through our first branded renovation in Chicago’s Hyde Park.
Step inside a 1960s historical gem in Chicago, originally designed by I.M. Pei and Araldo Cossutta, as Elemental Green sustainably renovates a penthouse unit.
Mindful materials, eco-friendly manufacturing processes, and responsible business practices ruled our selections for #EcoRenovate as a sustainable living room took shape.
Fireclay Tile’s handmade tile serves as the design inspiration inside a 1960s kitchen whose sustainable renovation pays homage to its modernist roots.
Handmade tiles and nontoxic paint marry to give the main and guest bathrooms inside a 1960s penthouse a green makeover, pulling color cues from the surrounding Chicago scenery.
Built on a foundation of innovative technology and forward-thinking manufacturing, surface giant Cosentino has been considering the planet since its inception.
“Eco-friendly” is getting a chic makeover. From innovation in materials to major curb appeal to biophilia and bringing the outdoors in, these sustainable trends are leading the charge when home buyers are hunting for their next home.
Fireclay is unique from anyone else in that they hand-make every tile to order using recycled materials and sustainable manufacturing practices. They come in tons of shapes and colors using a natural VOC-free pigmenting process.
As a discerning green homeowner, every choice you make involves a variety of factors. And floors are no exception. You have to love how it looks, like how it feels on your feet, trust that it cleans up without too much effort and lasts a long time – and since you care about the planet that we live on….it needs to be healthy and eco-friendly, too.
Nature’s Carpet’s line of carpets has been tailored to the consumer who wishes to make a flooring purchase decision with consideration to its environmental impact, but does not wish to sacrifice quality and style in doing so.
Reclaimed wood is really on trend now. But is it right for your home? Learn the Pros and Cons of reclaimed flooring and how to select what is best for you.
Tesoro Woods is a certified advocate of sourcing sustainable materials and using eco-friendly, low- VOC finishes and glues to minimize the impact on indoor air quality and health.
Teragren bamboo products reduce dependence on dwindling timber resources. They’re sustainably sourced, promote green building, and are LEED compatible.
Daltile specializes in wall & floor tiling for any style and any room. Ninety-eight percent of the products contain post-consumer recycled materials, and many of their products can help you earn LEED credits.
Fine and sustainable architectural finish materials Habitus Finishes LLC is proud to offer this curated collection of fine architectural finish materials. Their products and services are offered to both the trade and private customers. Habitus' team of experienced...
APC Cork is one of the top North American distributors of cork flooring, offering a variety of floating floors, residential and commercial glue down tiles, cork underlayments and flooring accessories.
Since 2003 Kirei has been dedicated to providing beautiful, sustainable, functional design materials to help innovative interior designers and architects design elegant, creative interiors. Kirei’s goal is continual introduction of new materials for you to design with, while improving business practices to be as sustainable as possible.
It wasn’t nature that created straight floorboards, it was the limitations of technology. Bolefloor allows a return to a natural state — floors as nature intended.
For over three decades, Mountain Lumber has traveled the globe searching for rare and beautiful woods within structures that are no longer in use. Every piece of reclaimed wood they mill is hand-selected for its richness in history, character, and beauty before it’s turned over to their experienced craftsmen who de-nail, saw, and kiln dry every board.
As early as 1900, Milliken was reusing packaging and textile materials in their operations and documented their first recycling policy. By the late 1900’s Milliken developed a comprehensive plan to eliminate waste, increase product performance and preserve resources. This stewardship still guides Milliken’s daily choices and influences innovations in product design, manufacturing, and more.
Timeless, quality, and Sustainably-manufactured tiling Florim USA is committed to green and social initiatives, placing a particular attention to a environmentally friendly production process. The company is focused on pursuing sustainable development by ensuring that...
environmentally-responsible wood floors, paneling, and custom projects Pioneer's reclaimed wood products are fully manufactured — from sourcing to milling to you — in the USA from their NY and OR facilities. You won’t find anything like Pioneer reclaimed wood at big...
ECO-FRIENDLY HARDWOOD FLOORING As with master craftspeople, artists, architects and designers through ages, Lauzon has been passionate about revealing the beauty of wood. It is easy to understand why. Every species of tree has its own character. Within species, every...
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