Evironmentally Safe Flooring Choices - Bamboo

As mentioned in a previous post, I am writing a series of floor covering posts in which I will discuss floor coverings that are safer for the environment. In the last post I talked about techniques that manufacturers are using to decrease the environmental footprint of their vinyl flooring and in this post, I will discuss the material Bamboo.

Bamboo is an environmentally friendly floor covering for two primary reasons. Namely regeneration and carbon absorption. Bamboo, after it is established, can grow new shoots every year. Additionally, it can grow at a rate of 1 foot per day! This fast regeneration rate means that more floors can be produced with fewer plants. 

As for carbon absorption, bamboo absorbs more carbon dioxide than trees and it produces more oxygen. These characteristics mean that bamboo contributes less to the greenhouse effect and are more Eco friendly than trees. 

These key aspects, as well as the visual appeal of the material, itself can be a huge factor for many.

Evironmentally Safe Flooring Choices One by One

 Two things seem to be available in abundance. 1) Individuals wanting to protect the environment. 2) Floor covering materials. With so many choices out there for both of these groups, I thought it would make a great topic for a blog post. So, In the next few days I am going to be sharing some tips. These tips will discuss a couple of main concepts.

The first type of information is finding floor coverings that are environmentally friendly. The second is what information you may want to consider when making your decision. Each new post will be for a specific type of floor covering. Here are the listed types of covering materials this series will consider (not necessarily in this order):

• Bamboo
• Carpet
• Cork
• Stone
• Tile
• Vinyl