FloorMall Has Gone Green!

Environmentally Friendly Flooring from FloorMall.com

Going Green With Your Flooring

More and more of our customers ask us every day what options that they have for "green" flooring products and obviously the need has arisen for a more proactive approach to our environment. With more information about harsh and harmful additives, by-products, and hazardous components present in various building materials and the impact that these substances have on Mother Earth and our health, "green" products are in very high demand these days. Not only is health consciousness an issue, but also the sustainability of the forests worldwide. We are all aware of the greenhouse effect warnings that appear in the news almost daily, so taking a few extra steps to do what we can every day to ensure that our planet and our homes are safe and habitable places becomes not only a prudent choice, but a social obligation.

We at Floormall.com wish to offer our customers the opportunity to be responsible and take advantage of some of our excellent "green Friendly" products. All of the products that you are about to see are VOCs compliant (meaning that they contain little or no volatile organic compounds), come from manufacturers that practice responsible harvesting practices, and/ or come from quick and easily renewable sources (like Bamboo and Cork).

Did you know that Bamboo is a grass product that grows incredibly fast and is generally harvested in 3-7 years? What about Cork, which comes from the Cork Oak tree that is never actually cut down- they just peel the bark off every 8-14 years! These are just two of the products listed below that would be excellent environmentally safe choices for your upcoming project. Remember: It is the choices that we make today that will impact the world that we live in tomorrow!

Green Flooring Choices:

Bamboo: Bamboo is a grass product harvested in China and Southeast Asia. It grows extremely fast- regenerating without need for replanting or fertilizers!

Cork: Harvested predominantly in the Mediterranean region of the world, cork flooring is made from the compressed bark of the cork tree. No trees are cut down at all!

Lyptus: a flooring product that is a hybrid of two species of eucalyptus trees. The trees grow to full size in less than 25 years and are being used extensively in replanting the rain forests of South America.

The FSC:

The Forest Stewardship Council was created to change the dialogue about and the practice of sustainable forestry worldwide. FSC sets forth principles, criteria, and standards that span economic, social, and environmental concerns. The FSC is the leading agency in our industry that determines what is considered environmentally responsible. They are recognized by the World Wildlife Fund as the benchmark for forest management standards that have now been applied in over 57 countries around the world. The manufacturers that you see listed in this area of our website are all certified members of the FSC, practicing responsible harvesting, production, and distribution of wood products worldwide.

The TFF:

The Tropical Forest Foundation is a non-profit, educational institution dedicated to the conservation of tropical forests through sustainable forestry. TFF has become widely recognized for establishing demonstration models and training schools to show the advantages and teach the principles of sustainable forest management/Reduced-impact Logging.

The Foundation's Board of Directors includes representatives from industry, government, science, academia, and conservation. Each member has an interest in seeing tropical forests renewed and sustained.

Green Articles :: What is Green Flooring Anyway?

Green Flooring Section Launched at FloorMall.com
FloorMall.com, a leader in the flooring industry, has launched a new section that certainly educates consumers about the environmentally friendly flooring products that are available today. The new section titled Green Flooring! gives environmentally conscientious consumers a place to launch their product search. This is extremely helpful in an industry where the end user really has no idea of the manufacturing process for the product in question.
Armstrong - The Unlikely Environmentalist
Collectively, Armstrong has decided to focus on four keys areas of its business in combination with the environmental implications of the decisions it makes regarding these segments. Energy, greenhouse gasses, water, and responsible forest management compose the four key pillars that Armstrong has chosen to make its priorities. Of particular interest to the flooring industry is the implementation and certification of Responsible Forest Management. This is more than simply ensuring that forests are harvested in a sustainable manner. Armstrong has taken this a step further and is attempting to develop ways to produce high quality wood flooring using fewer raw materials.
Cork Flooring - More Than Meets The Eye
No industry has been granted exemption from adhering to the new trend of promoting Earth stewardship. For example, a young couple, also new homeowners, begins looking for something to replace the lime-green shag carpeting in the residence they just acquired, and finds themselves entering the world of sustainable flooring options. Here they encounter a surprisingly attractive cork. Most likely though, our unsuspecting consumers have no idea just how sustainable cork really is, because if they did, they would resurface the whole house at once - and their neighbors' floor too!
Flooring Websites - (Not) All Created Equal
Every flooring purchase comes down to doing your homework and thoroughly evaluating your flooring options. Remember that you are making a purchase on an item that you will be living with each day, and hopefully you will be living with it for quite some time. Make sure you receive the service and satisfaction that you deserve by doing business with FloorMall.com where you will be personally taken care of.
The Flooring Industry Changes with the Times
Perhaps recent media reports and movies regarding climate change played a part, perhaps it was the unmatched strength of Hurricane Katrina, or perhaps it was any number of small events; nevertheless, the tides have changed, and in this case, most likely for the better. With this newfound recognition have come changes in nearly all industries. The flooring industry is just one of many places where consumers are looking to reduce their environmental footprint.
Making Hardwood Flooring Manufacturing a Green Process
A handful of non-profit organizations have been established with the purpose of promoting sustainable forest management. These independent groups of dedicated personnel have found the best way to unite consumers’ wants while preserving the resources on hand. In an effort to protect the forests, while not stifling the timber industry, certain parcels of land have been certified as meeting sustainable forest qualifications.
Is Carpeting Green?
Due to the continued discussion about environmental hazards, carpeting has been the focus of some negative press. The premise of such discussions is to determine the factors of our immediate environment, be it in the home or in the office, that may be contributing to the increasing number of health problems that Americans are facing today. Carpeting has been, most notably, blamed for off-gassing hazardous VOCs.
Floor Covering Industry News Sources
One such organization is the Resilient Flooring Covering Institute, which is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. They are most markedly known for suing New York State concerning the labeling of vinyl flooring as a green product. The Institute lists four primary reasons or purposes for their existence.
Bamboo Flooring - Sustainable Floor Covering made from Bamboo
In terms of bamboo, the champion of sustainable elegant flooring, there is much to be learned about its past, present and future. Many people are unaware of the remarkable properties of this plant, and in fact, most have a hard time seeing bamboo as anything other than a strange piece of foliage often found being sold in disfigured shapes. Even further, consumer awareness about this splendid species is lacking such that most people could not even name the plant family to which bamboo belongs.
Cork Flooring is Green Flooring
The most noteworthy advancement of cork has been its use as an up-and-coming flooring alternative. As making ecologically sound purchases has become more important to the consumers of today, cork has surfaced as a viable and sustainable option in the building industry. Now one may wonder what in particular makes cork any more sustainable than hardwood given they are both timber products. The answer to this is only understandable by evaluating the source of cork, which is the bark of the tree.
FlooringNow.com is Green Flooring
Flooring Trends and Flooring News Blog. Come and learn what flooring is truly about.

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) –Floormall

What is the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)?

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) "is an international organization that brings people together to find solutions which promote responsible stewardship of the world's forests."

What exactly does the FSC do?

The FSC exists to:

Set international standards for "responsible forest management."
Accredit independent third party organizations "who can certify forest managers and forest product producers to FSC standards."
Recognize and promote those manufacturers who deal with and serve as examples of conscientious forestry product stewardship.
Provide consumers of flooring goods with a system of verification and labeling to ensure that people who want to know their wood has not damaged the environment or society which it has come from.
Be part of the global movement for fostering positive environmentally-conscious acquisition and selling of wood and lumber products.

Who runs the FSC?

Governed by a multi-pronged democratically-structured body, the FSC integrates people from non-profit, non-governmental organizations, indigenous peoples associations, unions as well as research, academic, technical institutions and individuals that have a demonstrated commitment to socially, environmentally, and economically beneficial forestry.

The power of the organization is structured so as to give each branch equal voting influence. Therefore, the interests of all parties willful involved with lumber and forestry stewardship at FSC is legitimately represented. This prevents special interests that might undermine the effectiveness and integrity of the Council from having enough weight to push generally undesirable positions and agendas.

How credible are the FSC standards?

The FSC's Principles and Criteria are the only internationally recognized standards for responsible forest management.

The World Wildlife Fund, the world's largest independent conservation organization, reports that "The only certification scheme currently recognized as credible by industry, NGOs and indigenous peoples groups alike is the scheme operated by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)." WWF Press Release, 2006[53]

In addition, the credibility of the company can be assessed in terms of their popularity. The continually-increasing membership body is impressive.

The FSC reports on their website that "Over the past 13 years, over 90 million hectares in more than 70 countries have been certified according to FSC standards while several thousand products are produced using FSC-certified wood and carrying the FSC trademark. FSC operates through its network of National Initiatives in 45 countries."

FloorMall & the FSC

In an age where environmentally-conscientious practices are becoming the norm, not the exception, FloorMall is making sure they provide what it is consumers desire.

We greatly respected the customer who wants a beautiful new wood floor without sacrificing our planet's forests and indigenous peoples who reside in the areas lumber often comes from.

This is why FloorMall continues to search out manufacturers with the FSC accreditation.

A Few Words to the True Green Peoples

The effectiveness of the Forest Stewardship Council has received the ultimate compliment from logging companies opposed to it: they have set up their own competing certification organizations with weaker standards.

These include the Sustainable Forestry Initiative in the U.S., set up by the American Forest and Paper Association; the Canadian Standards Association; and the Pan-European Forest Council

If one is expecting legitimate socially and environmentally sustainable forestry practices – beware of buying forestry products from vendors who are themselves the only administrators of these practices.

Unfortunately, there is likely to be some manufactures that are FSC certified and may not always have the best interests of the local society and environment in mind.

This is why FloorMall encourages those who possess a real environmental zeal to look into bamboo and cork flooring.

Noting that bamboo is the fastest growing plant on Earth, that cork trees do not need to be felled for their cork, and that cork trees can live for as long as two centuries, these flooring goods are the most rapidly replenishable and environmentally sustainable on the market and on the planet!.

In addition, most of the cork in our flooring is made from recycled cork products, limiting waste. This gives our ever-expanding landfills and dumps, which pollute our soil, water and air a much needed reduction in waste.

To find out more about bamboo and cork flooring click here.

In sum, we at FloorMall feel that by providing the best bamboo and cork flooring, manufacturers like us are able to produce a quality product for the consumer – without compromising our glorious green Earth in the process – now what could be better than that?