Bamboo, is it Green?

Sunday, June 15th, 2008

While I’m satisfied with the cheap wood laminate flooring that I inherited when I bought my home, I’ve been waiting for the time when I’ve got the extra change needed to get some real hardwood floors installed. And being, a tree-hugging liberal, the first thing that came to mind was, of course, bamboo.

Sure, bamboo, unlike trees, can be harvested like any other crop, and grows back remarkably fast, but how “green” is it, really? Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one thinking about this. In short, since bamboo is a renewable resource, it’s definitely better than your average hardwood flooring… but the industry behind it isn’t. Apparently, bamboo is so hot right now that forests are being razed to make room for more bamboo crops.

Much of it comes from China, which kind of sours the deal for Fair Trade fans and folks into locally sourced materials. Oh, and those chemicals used in other materials? They’re used with bamboo as well. Fortunately, as with any product, there are good and bad companies out there. Apparently, Teragen is one of the good companies. And there are no less than thirteen dealers in my area, so I’ll have to get a quote.