| The latest trend in home improvements is to use | | | | be better off moving on to another flooring |
| green building materials whenever it is possible. | | | | company. |
| Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between | | | | Another concern when choosing green materials also |
| which products are eco-friendly and which aren't. | | | | related to people who have chemical sensitivities. |
| Bamboo flooring is one of the more popular choices | | | | Most bamboo flooring is created with some type of |
| when it comes to green building at home. Bamboo | | | | adhesive that contains urea-formaldehyde. With the |
| can be eco-friendly depending on the manufacturer, | | | | majority of manufacturers located in China, it is not |
| although sometimes it can also be mass produced | | | | always easy to determine whether or not the |
| poorly leading to less eco-diversity of the region in | | | | flooring materials meet stricter US and European air |
| which it is farmed. | | | | quality standards. The majority of bamboo flooring is |
| Most bamboo used in the flooring industry comes out | | | | advertised as using low-VOC adhesives which are in |
| of China. There are a few other Asian countries that | | | | compliance. For the chemically sensitive person, |
| grow the grass commercially as well as some | | | | however, low-VOC may not be good enough. If that |
| countries in South and Central America. Bamboo has | | | | is the case, you will need to search for a |
| been used as a traditional building material in Asia for | | | | manufacturer that uses only water based adhesives. |
| centuries. Because it is a grass, the plant is quickly | | | | You can always ask to see the MSDS sheets for the |
| able to replenish itself and grow back again - unlike | | | | product you are looking to purchase to verify the |
| lumber products which destroy the tree in the | | | | information. Flooring manufacturers who don't have |
| process. Moso bamboo, the most popular variety for | | | | these or won't produce them for you should be |
| building because of its strength, typically takes about | | | | avoided. It is likely that their materials don't meet air |
| five to seven years to mature. The harvesting | | | | quality standards. |
| process does not destroy the bamboo plant so | | | | Because of where bamboo is grown, it does leave a |
| uprooting top soil and replanting are not an issue. | | | | significant carbon footprint for those in the West |
| What is of concern to green builders is the fact that | | | | looking to install this type of flooring. If factories are |
| some bamboo growers clear cut large areas of land | | | | located overseas, it can be difficult to determine if |
| in order to grow more crops leading to a lack of | | | | the manufacturing process can really be considered |
| bio-diversity and a loss of wild lands. Sustainable | | | | "green." If these are issues that you are passionate |
| bamboo farmers do exist, though. If sustainable | | | | about, you will need to do a considerable amount of |
| farming practices are important to you in choosing | | | | research to find a company that lives up to your |
| green building materials, you will need to do | | | | standards. There are not very many, and the price |
| considerably more research as to where the bamboo | | | | you pay for the bamboo flooring will be more of a |
| is coming from. With some manufacturers this | | | | premium. |
| information is very difficult to come by and you may | | | | |