Wood flooring is, after all, the only
flooring material that is 100 percent
sustainable. Also, thanks to new
guidelines promoting responsible forest
management, wood flooring has become the
top choice for a growing number of
eco-friendly builders, architects,
designers and consumers.
A major force behind
the trend toward environmentally conscious building has been
the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
program, which was introduced in 2000 by the US Green
Building Council. This voluntary program is designed to
encourage builders to plan and implement environmentally
friendly projects. Under the LEED guidelines, construction
and remodeling projects are awarded points for using
materials that comply with strict environmental standards.
Wood flooring is considered both renewable and sustainable,
and therefore earns points under the LEED program as a
“green” building product. The National Association of Home
Builders (NAHB) adopted its own program, the NAHB Model
Green Home Building Guidelines, at its convention earlier
this year.
Of course this was not
always the case. There was a time when environmental groups
opposed the use of wood because they feared the demand would
decimate our forests and other green space. Now, one of the
environmental movement’s strongest proponents, Dr. Patrick
Moore, a founding member of Greenpeace, defends wood as an
environmentally conscious building product.
Dr. Moore, who now
serves as Chair of the Sustainable Forestry Committee of the
Forest Alliance of British Columbia, argues that wood is the
most environmentally friendly and abundantly renewable
flooring material available. He points out that every other
alternative is nonrenewable and requires far more resources
and much more energy to produce. He notes that the only
factory needed to make wood is a forest and the only energy
needed is sun light. In contrast, steel, cement, and plastic
are made in factories using fossil fuel. This inevitably
results in more carbon dioxide emissions, which are far more
damaging to the environment than the harvesting of wood.
Perhaps most important, sustainable forest management makes
it possible to harvest wood without any serious
environmental harm. In short, when forests are managed
properly, trees are a renewable resource that can be
replaced time and time again.
Kelly McCloskey, a
founder of the Wood Promotion Network (WPN) concurs. At the
National Wood Flooring Association’s 20th Anniversary
Convention in Hawaii last month, McCloskey presented two
sessions on wood’s environmental impact: “How Certified
Forests Will Affect the Manufacturer in the Future,” and
“Environmental Issues Facing the Wood Flooring Industry.”
Through his work with the WPN, McCloskey has helped build a
coalition of more than 320 forest and allied companies.
Together they account for two-thirds of North American wood
production. They have joined to promote the benefits of wood
to the professional building community, as well as
consumers.
For further evidence
that wood flooring is an environmentally friendly and
sustainable flooring alternative, look no further than the
forests themselves. Visitors to the web site
www.forestinformation.com, are reminded that forests in
North America are abundant and growing, thanks in large part
to steady regeneration and sustainable forest management.
The site notes that North American forests have increased in
size by 20% since 1970, and are about the same size today as
they were 100 years ago.
Of course, as anyone
who has an authentic hardwood floor will tell you,
environmental concerns are certainly not the only benefit.
The floors themselves can be renewed time and time again.
Think about it: Wood floors have been a part of our lives
for centuries, and many that were installed more than a
hundred years ago are still beautiful today. What other
flooring option can that be said of? Other materials are
discarded and languish for years in landfills. Replacing
them requires more resources and further harm to the
environment. When wood floors start to lose their luster,
restoring them to their original beauty is easy and
affordable with a pad-and-recoat job. Afterward, the floor
may look like as good as new, but it is a process that
leaves the original floor intact, thereby saving resources
and reducing environmental impact.
Another environment
plus for wood can be seen in popularity and growing demand
for floors made with reclaimed wood products. These can come
from a variety of sources, including old barns, abandoned
warehouses, wood found on river bottoms, and even outdated
military base housing. Wood culled from these sources is
sanded down and re-finished to create rustic, one-of-a-kind
flooring that adds unique charm and personality to the
casual décor preferred by many of today’s homeowners and
businesses. Needless to say, keeping this once-discarded
wood out of our landfills and refurbishing it to give it a
second life has a tremendously positive impact on our
environment.
No matter how you look
at it, wood floors are an environmentally friendly,
sustainable flooring option that will continue to grow in
demand. Our industry can grow along with it through our
continued support of responsible forest management and
continued promotion of sustainable building materials such
as wood flooring.
