The Growth of Green Building

Green buildings and homes are designed to reduce the overall impact on the environment as well as the impact on human health. By utilizing the natural environment, we are able to reduce these harmful effects tremendously, even with the smallest changes. The floors we walk on may not seem disastrous, but they may do more harm than you may think. See how our building materials impact our environment.

Benefits of Using Green Flooring Materials and other Eco-Friendly Building Practices

• Fewer Emissions and Consumption
• Greater Value for Building Orders

Why Natural Flooring Materials are Good:

• Solid wood floors instantly add to the value of a property
• Not as many chemicals as synthetic
• Eco-friendly materials are a selling point for property
• Lesser chance of material allergies
• Can last longer than synthetic

Green Flooring - What's it Made of?

• Natural Materials
• Recycled Materials
• Old Stone

Green flooring falls into at least one of these categories:

• Sustainable - wood flooring
• Eco-friendly - bamboo area rugs
• Recyclable - vinyl flooring
• Made from recycled content - carpet or rubber flooring
• Leaves a small carbon footprint - wool carpeting
• Low VOC - stone

Lifespan of Green Building Materials

Green flooring and other building materials have differing lifespans.

• Cultured marble countertops have a life expectancy of about 20 years
• Linoleum lasts about 25 years
• Laminate flooring lasts 25 years or more
• Vinyl floors last up to 50 years
• Natural stone countertops are expected to last a lifetime
• Brick walls have an average life expectancy of more than 100 years.
• All natural wood flooring has a life expectancy of 100 years or more.

Green Building Legislation

In the U.S., 34 states and 14 federal agencies have enacted green legislation designed to create energy savings, improved indoor environmental quality, CO2 emissions reduction and water efficiency. It is our responsibility to be stewards of our natural resources and be sensitive to the impact of those resources on our environment.