Earth Day is this Sunday, so let’s talk about green flooring. Wood flooring is not often thought of as an eco-friendly material and bamboo flooring has a lot of misconceptions because it’s made in China. But did you know that wood and bamboo flooring can be grown as sustainable materials that can be used as healthy, green flooring?
Wood Flooring is Green Flooring
A lot of people immediately think “deforestation” when they think about where wood flooring comes from. Deforestation and forest destruction is the second leading cause of carbon pollution, causing 20% of total greenhouse gas emissions. However, harvested wood and logging isn’t always bad for the environment if done properly. Today, there are many ways to manage natural forests to ensure healthy growth and preservation of ecosystems.
The Forest Stewardship Council® is currently the leading forest certification program today. The FSC® discourages illegal logging and promotes sustainable sourcing and milling practices by managing and certifying natural forests. Today, the FSC® has 168,803,427 acres of forest certified in the US and Canada. Tesoro Woods is certified by the FSC® as a supplier of sustainable wood flooring that came from a certified, managed forest. See all of our certified wood flooring collections.
According to the National Report on Forest Resources, the area of productive unreserved forest and timberland has remained stable for the last 50 years, and the reserved timberlands, where cutting is not allowed are actually increasing. The United States now grows more trees than in the last 60 years. Because of managed forestry practices, now every tree is grown for a specific purpose – flooring or other building material, paper, and so on. When controlled correctly, wood flooring can be green flooring.
Bamboo Flooring is Green Flooring
Bamboo is quickly becoming a popular green flooring option. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing, renewable resources in the world. With its properties similar to hardwood, bamboo is a great alternative to some scarce tropical hardwoods.
The giant bamboo species, moso is among the fastest growing plants in the world. It reaches its final height of up to 65 feet within a couple months, growing at a rate of up to 3 feet per day during the growing season. Stems mature in about 4 to 5 years, and are then cut down with the root system remaining fully intact. Hardwoods can take over 50 years to mature with comparable hardness, durability and stability.
One great attribute of bamboo is that it can absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide. Tesoro Woods’ bamboo flooring producer, MOSO Bamboo Products® actually produces less carbon dioxide during their production phase than the bamboo absorbs during its growth phase, making it a CO2 neutral product over its life cycle.
The Super-Strand Bamboo Collection offers some of the most durable and sustainable bamboo flooring products available to homeowners today. It’s super because it’s built to last in any home, has minimal expansion in humid climates and is one of the strongest flooring materials available. Our Super-Strand Bamboo is truly green flooring!