So you require to make your home as environmentally well-disposed as possible . You arrange up yourcompost bin , instal low - catamenia toilets and buy zip - efficient contraption . But when it comes to your floor , how eco - friendly can you really get ? You ’ve probably heard thatbamboo floorsare much kind to the environment than traditionalhardwood floors , but just how green are they ?
People worldwide have used bamboo floor , and other bamboo - based product , for many years , but the United States has only of late caught on to this phenomenon . The environmental benefits of bamboo floors range from being a renewable resource to being a carbon gulper ( more on that afterwards ) .
However , not everything is follow up fleeceable for bamboo . Bamboo is only renewable if it ’s properly maintained , and the fertilizers , pesticides and clearly - cutting that has become more rough-cut to keep up with the demand for bamboo has made it less than an eco champion . There ’s also the cost of transportation , as well as the cheaper bamboo that has popped up on the mart , which is not only less undestroyable but also may use formaldehyde emitting finish .
In this article , we ’ll discuss the environmental pros and cons of bamboo flooring , as well as alternatives and whether they ’re good selection for your home .
Green Bamboo
Let ’s look at what makesbamboo floorsgreen .
As a result , bamboo plants can be harvested on a regular ground without killing the industrial plant , unlike trees used inhardwood floors , which die out when harvested and can take ten or longer to maturate .
Because of its faster outgrowth rate , bamboo beats most trees when it get along tocarbon sequestration , how quick it can absorb carbon . Slow absorption of carbon has been linked to contributing to the nursery essence and the depletion of the ozone layer . Because bamboo grows so apace , it absorbs more carbon paper – and produces more oxygen . About two - and - a - one-half acres of bamboo sequesters 62 tons of CO2 per year , compared with the same area of a untried forest , which hold back on to 15 oodles of CO2 [ source : Environmental Bamboo Foundation ] . to boot , bamboo generates around 35 percent more atomic number 8 than the equivalent issue of tree [ generator : International connection for Bamboo and Rattan ] .
And beyond that , in high spirits - caliber bamboo is stronger than steady hardwood floor , partly due to the fact that it ’s a sess that flex in the winding . Because of its tractableness , high - lineament bamboo is as durable as most types of hardwood .
So you ’re thinking : This is not bad , when do I start laying the bamboo ? Before you bribe , read on to find out why bamboo might not be as fleeceable as you conceive .
Bamboo Sustainability
Before you hop in your loanblend to head to the near bamboo - deck store , you should know that not everything about bamboo is eco - well-disposed .
First , there ’s getting the bamboo to you . The type of bamboo used in wood flooring is grown mostly in Asia , so to get the bamboo to the consumer , it must be ship , which is costly and guzzles up vim [ beginning : Treehugger ] . Some U.S. bamboo sellers includecarbon offsetsin the cost of the floor ; however , this only raise the price and does n’t stop the depletion of modified natural resources like oil . It also does n’t solve the questionable labor practices obtain in commonwealth like China , the primary provider of bamboo .
Second , there ’s theurea , a character of formaldehyde used to finish many type of bamboo . Formaldehyde is a Volatile Organic Compound ( VOC ) , which reducesindoor air quality . There are other options for cause the bamboo the color you desire , including heating it , but heating bamboo wood decrease its effectiveness , oftentimes make it less undestroyable than steady wood . For more on bamboo flooring construction , seeHow Bamboo Flooring Works .
Finally , bamboo has become so profitable that the abject income , rural resident who in the first place benefited from farming it are succumbing to market pressures . To keep up with demand , James Leonard Farmer are increasingly using fertilizer and pesticide , which leach into the ground and contaminate groundwater [ source : Bowyer ] .
Forests also are being cleared to make room for the more profitable bamboo . While bamboo is effective at preventing land erosion , the initial disforestation and prison term it postulate for the bamboo to establish itself leaves the land vulnerable . Additionally , while bamboo makes a just home ground for a orotund number of insects , skirt and animals , there are other species that only call tree forests home ; supercede much of the tree forest with bamboo decreases biodiversity in the region [ source : Bamboo Flooring Report ] .
Now that you ’ve learn the less - than - immature side of bamboo floor , you may be wondering , " What other eco - favorable options do I have ? " Read on to find out about choice to hardwood and bamboo storey .
Alternatives to Bamboo Floors
If you ’re give second thoughts aboutbamboo flooringbut still want an environmentally friendly way of life to walk through your home plate , there are alternatives .
One option get in popularity is bob . It ’s turn over a renewable source because stripping the bark of the cork tree does not kill it . Cork trading floor also are made of the waste textile of the bobfloat . The original material is used for the corks retrieve in feeding bottle ; the discarded stuff is then ground up to be used as flooring fabric . To memorize more about cork yield , seeWhere does cork total from ?
However , cork has its flaws too . For example , it does n’t mimic the flavor ofhardwood floorsthe way that bamboo does , so there ’s an esthetical issue . And bob is grow in Mediterranean climates , so there ’s still the subject of transportation [ source : Novitski ] .
Other alternative to bamboo and hardwood floors let in :
Each of these has their own benefits – tile is strong , earthen floors use the materials already on internet site . But each has their own downside , too – wool is often import from New Zealand and cementum is very stern for household living . And many of these method are still relatively new in U.S. rest home , so finding the materials and labour may be as pricey – economically and environmentally – as traditional storey .
As a consumer , probably your best chance for a green trading floor is to research what ’s uncommitted in your expanse and balance that with the cost and aesthetic values . To learn about more green blow out of the water option , take a pass through the links on the next page .
