Green Options in Hardsurface Floors

By Amy Ramirez, ASID Eco Committee Member
ReSource Floors, ASID Industry Partner

Thankfully “Green” is finally becoming a mainstream word. The green options amongst all finishing products are growing. However, many of these products have been “green washed”. Small steps towards being environmentally friendly are aggrandized for marketing purposes. I have actually been told that regular vinyl products are ecologically friendly because they lasts so long. Not quite. There are however some great options in the industry.

Mannington does have a sheet vinyl product, Relay RE, which is made with at least 35% recycled content. This may not seem like much but 20% of that is post consumer. They also have their Premium Tile Flooring collection that is made with content from post consumer drywall. Since the inception of his program in 2006 Mannington has reclaimed and recycled an average of 200 tons of drywall each year. www.mannington.com

Armstrong also has a number of environmentally friendly products. Migrations is a bio based VCT made of corn which of course is rapidly renewable. In addition, their Marmorette, which is their brand of linoleum, has been green before green was in. This material is made of rapidly renewable raw materials, linseed oil and jute, and contains recycled content, wood and cork flour. www.armstrong.com

There are also a variety of rubber floors that include up to 93% recycled post consumer material from truck tires.

These days there are many tiles that offer recycled content as well, however most of these are still pre consumer.

Finally, there are more options than ever if hardwood is what your client is interested in. The products containing the FSC or Forest Stewardship Councils’ certification is higher than ever before. In addition, there are many color and style options now available in the renewable products like cork, bamboo or eucalyptus.

Amy Ramirez is the Design Center Manager at ReSource Floors and has been in the flooring business for ten years. ReSource Floors has provided the premier full service flooring experience since 1989. We promote sustainable business practices throughout our organization by taking a holistic approach to the environment and our goal of sustainability. We are proud to say that we recycle most of the carpet and pad we demo from job sites, we have two LEED accredited professionals on staff to assist our customers in eco projects and we offer a wide array of environmentally friendly products in our showroom.

ReSource Floors Inc.
ReSource Lights
http://www.resourcefloors.com/
"Service with Purpose"

The 2008 Lacey Act Addendum for Hardwood Flooring

by Courtney Karlin
ReSource Floors Inc./ReSource Lights
ASID Industry Partner

In the past 6-8 months you may have noticed an increased trend in discontinued hardwood flooring products. A large reason for this trend is the 2008 addendum to The Lacey Act, which was first enacted in 1900 as a ban against illegal trafficking of fish, wildlife and some plants. The Lacey Act is actually the oldest wildlife protection statute in the United States. The addendum passed in May of 2008 adds additional illegally harvested plants, including timber, to the illegal trafficking list. The addition of timber to the Lacey Act made timber declaration laws much stricter thus inhibiting the hardwood flooring manufacturers from purchasing timber from individuals who steal wood from parks and protected areas, harvest without permission, fail to comply with harvesting regulation, or fail to pay royalties or taxes.

This legislation is incredibly significant for our environment and a number of other reasons. First, it protects our world's quickly depleting forests. It also protects buyers who abide by ethical business practices in importing wood from outside the United States. Additionally, it eliminates the influx of low-cost, low-quality wood flooring produced from illegally harvested wood. This is a huge step in protecting our forests from devastating deforestation and the inevitable extinction of some plant and tree species.

The Lacey Act isn’t the only way to ensure that your hardwood flooring is sustainable. Look for the FSC Certified label on your product and log on to their website, http://www.fsc.org/, to track the chain of custody. FSC ensures that the manufacturers are not only getting their timber legally, but also in a sustainable and managed way.

To learn more about the Lacey Act or to see the eco friendly hardwood options available come visit ReSource Floors at http://www.resourcefloors.com/ or call 858-536-8577. ReSource Floors is committed to our environment and a sustainable future; we can assist you in choosing the most sustainable products for your space.