Welcome to the 6th annual Sustainable Flooring section. When asked, “Which environmentally considerate or green products do you specify, recommend or purchase,” 68 percent of ED+C readers responded “Carpeting” and 67 percent chose “Flooring other than carpet.”
The State of Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Laboratory performs thousands of analyses each month on air, water and land samples to protect and enhance Oregon’s environmental quality.
While the debate about forest certification programs and green building continues to rage, one important fact remains true — use of reclaimed or salvaged wood from deconstructed buildings or sunken logs provides a valuable source of usable timber.
Because it’s on natural resources, recyclable and free of air-damaging chemicals, laminate flooring may be a natural choice for environmentally friendly building and remodeling without sacrificing durability or design.
Management at Reasor’s, a full-service independent supermarket chain in northeastern Oklahoma, faced an interesting challenge when constructing a new upscale 77,000-square-foot store: How to create a colorful and attention-grabbing high-performance finished floor that could stand up well over time yet carry minimal long-term maintenance costs?
One notable green “cleaning” system does not involve cleaning at all. According to Scot Case, vice president of TerraChoice Environmental Marketing and EcoLogo, any steps taken that can reduce the use of cleaning chemicals and products, green or conventional, is a component of green cleaning.
