Unless you’ve been living in the remotest regions of Iceland, you’re probably aware that being “green” has become a very big deal. And it should be. So let’s talk about green flooring. If you even briefly thought of grass at the mention of green flooring, I’d rather not be invited over for cocktails any time soon. Recently, Conklin Brothers, a local flooring distributor held an open house for us designers so that we could pick the brain of flooring representatives for companies such as Armstrong and Karastan to name a few.

The overall theme that night were the “green” features that the manufacturers had to offer and to a much lesser extent, the hope that all the food got eaten. (I did my part with the Lemon Bars.) For example, there are now some carpets being made from corn-based polymers which is a renewably-sourced polymer. It’s being called an earth friendly carpet fiber because it reduces CO2 emissions over the production of equal amounts of nylon. Not only that but since it’s made from corn, it reduces our dependence on oil and is more degradable in the recycling process. Rest assured that these carpets look perfectly “normal”, are very soft, long lasting, fade resistant and you won’t be tempted to want to chew on them to see if they taste like corn.

Wanna to kick “green flooring” up a notch? Wool carpets and rugs are back in a big way!! If you want to talk renewable and totally biodegradable, there’s nothing more natural than sheep wool. New Zealand sheep wool is the preferred wool used by carpet manufacturers because their farming techniques preserve the land and the absence of any internationally banned pesticides. Plus isn’t it nice to know that nothing was yanked up or was chopped down but was…. just shaved.

This is news……heads up when shopping for Bamboo flooring. While bamboo almost comes jumping out of the ground faster than bunnies…well, you know….be sure to ask about the adhesive that’s used to glue the strips together. Some manufacturers use lesser quality or non-recyclable glue which defeats the “totally green flooring” allure. It’s encouraging to know that so many flooring manufacturers are putting some serious muscle into making their products environmentally friendly while not sacrificing quality and appearance.

To learn more about green flooring options and how to read the labels, check out the Carpet and Rug Institute. Just resist the urge to munch on the corn carpet.

Written by Karen Negrete, Owner Transform Your Home.