The Responsible Homeowner: Going for Green Building Materials and Flooring Products

What To Look for When Buying Green Flooring Products
While there is still no product in the market that has zero impact on the environment, choosing to use green building materials in your home will help lower the impact that our activities have on the environment.

Separating the Green from the Not-Green
Labeling building materials as green simply means that its production and harvest makes use of techniques that would have the lowest possible impact on the environment. Unfortunately, due to the popularity of green building materials, some have jumped on the green bandwagon and started labeling certain materials and flooring products are green even though they are not.

There are certain attributes that a flooring product or building material must meet for it to be considered green. Among them are:

• The manufacturer must be socially responsible and makes use of processes that are not detrimental to the environment. Certain criteria apply to the manufacturer of the building material. In this case, it pertains to the methods and processes the manufacturer uses to make their product and the way it treats its customers and workers. The manufacturer must also embrace environmentally friendly practices in order for their product to be named green.

• The distribution methods and transport, including the packaging, must meet standards for environmental friendliness. The manufacturer must ensure that they employ distribution methods that do not have a harmful impact to the environment. They must also make sure that the packaging they use with their products do not contribute negatively to the environment.

• For a building material or flooring product to be truly green, its source must be renewable, the material itself must be recyclable, and must not contain toxic materials. It must also meet air quality standards, and can be installed and maintained in an environmentally friendly manner, without emitting toxic fumes and chemicals. A low water consumption is also important. The material must also be designed with an extended life cycle in mind to reduce costs and additional impact to the environment.

Reputable manufactures and retailers make sure that their products are indeed green, and have the proper certifications to back it up. Ask if a particular material or flooring product has been FSC-certified or have been harvested from renewable sources in an environmentally friendly manner. You shouldn't be afraid to ask questions and voice out concerns, as these reputable people are more than happy to help you with them.