In modern times, many of us have taken a step back and examined the way we've
been living. How much gas do we consume? Are we wasting water? Our health has
risen in our concern lately, too. The impact of poor food choices and living
with too much work and not enough exercise has sapped us of energy and left our
bodies tired.
So, some of us have made a change. We've traded in gas guzzling SUVs for fuel
efficient hybrids. Maybe you've even started carpooling. You water your yard
only every other day to keep from wasting water, especially during the summer
heat. You've left fast foods with the calories and cholesterol problems they
present behind and gone green and gourmet.
Today you're exercising, eating right and feeling proud about all you're
doing to keep yourself and the earth healthier. But do you realize that your
home might be more damaging than your car ever was?
Wasted Resources
There are many areas in a home that cause waste. A dripping faucet or toilet
that runs can waste gallons of water a day - more than you probably use watering
the lawn. Leaving on the lights wastes electricity. This not only impacts your
electric bill, but has an upstream cost as well. However that electricity is
being produced, more of the natural resource involved is consumed.
Another area that many simply don't think of as being damaging is home
improvements. As home owners, there are constantly small things we do around the
house to make the home more appealing and more comfortable. For example, one
extremely popular choice today is to change the flooring in various rooms.
There are many flooring options available, but almost all have more impact
than you might think. Carpets are often created from synthetic materials which
are produced in the same manufacturing units we criticize for pollution. Hardwood
floors are beautiful but causes the destruction of hardwood trees - some of
which take over one hundred years to grow to full maturity. The hardwood
flooring also uses chemicals and adhesives that are damaging to the atmosphere.
Even tile can cause harm. Stone must be harvested from the earth, sometimes
brutally, and the same is true for many tile materials. There is one flooring
option, other than bare dirt, that has the environment in mind. Bamboo flooring
is similar in appearance to hardwoods, but ecofriendly.
Environment Friendly Flooring
Bamboo floors
are created in
planks, much like hardwood, but bamboo is not the same as a large hardwood tree.
Bamboo is actually a weed. Not only that, but it is a fast growing weed. Farmers
in Asia have been battling bamboo for years as it threatens to retake valuable
farmlands, and have been burning the pieces they cut down.
Of course burning bonfires of anything is unhealthy for the atmosphere, so
fortunately there is another use. Bamboo flooring is created using these weeds.
The flooring is beautiful and very durable - perhaps more so than traditional
hardwoods. You're living green, isn't time your home reflected your sense of
pride as well?
About the Author
Get more information on a wide variety of environment friendly floor options at http://www.bambooflooring.biz
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