Natural Environment Blog

Now that many designers and manufacturers have gone green, there are more environmentally friendly products for the home than ever before. When it comes to floors, consumers now have many sustainable options for their homes and businesses that are affordable, durable, and attractive. You can achieve a designer look for your floor and still maintain your commitment to work with eco-friendly materials.

Traditional Bamboo

Moso bamboo is most typically used in bamboo flooring materials. Bamboo is a highly sustainable and durable material that has become the darling of the green flooring trend. Because bamboo is easily renewable on bamboo farms, it is one of the most eco-friendly solutions you can choose for your home. Moreover, its similarity to hardwood makes it a favorite choice among designers. Bamboo is also water and insect resistant and, despite being a grass, can be just as durable as many tough woods.

Strandwoven Bamboo

Shredded and compressed, tough strandwoven bamboo is a solid choice of flooring for commercial areas or floors that see a lot of foot traffic. The intense pressure and green adhesives used to manufacture strandwoven bamboo create a material that is twice as hard as oak and more durable than traditional bamboo. Its high performance rating has made it a popular choice for schools, malls, stores, and other commercial locations as well as for residential situations.

Strandwoven Wood

Using strandwoven timber scraps for flooring is a great sustainable option. Made from recycled wood scraps, strandwoven wood flooring is a compelling choice for an authentic wood floor. Strandwoven wood floors are made from discarded wood materials from the furniture-making and pulp industries. Recycling this material to make flooring is a brilliant way to produce a quality product with a unique look.

Eucalyptus

As a fast-growing hard wood, eucalyptus is an environmentally responsible flooring option. Eucalyptus can be harvested at fourteen years; although it isn’t as quickly replaced as bamboo at four years, it is still much quicker than traditional hard woods. Often compared in appearance to tropical mahogany, eucalyptus is extremely durable and affordable.

Tile

Many tiles are now created with recycled materials like glass, stone, and even plastic. Because a tile floor can last for decades—even fifty years—it is regarded as an eco-friendly flooring option. Tile floors are strong and easy to maintain; cleaning with green products will enhance your tile floor and keep it looking attractive for years to come. Modern tiles come in a plethora of styles and designs; from elegant to rustic, you can achieve a top-notch design look and still achieve a green floor that is easy on the environment.

Concrete

Because it can last a lifetime and eliminate the need for other flooring, concrete floors can be a wonderfully durable and earth-friendly choice. Since concrete is made with limestone—one of the most abundant minerals on the planet—it is regarded as a greener option than traditional wood floors. Today’s concrete is often made with waste by-products that are typically available locally. Concrete can also be enhanced with colors and patterns to achieve a great design look for any home.

Cork

Cork flooring is made from the cork oak’s bark; safely removing the bark does not harm the tree. Because it absorbs moisture, cork is not a recommended option for bathrooms, but it is a favorite flooring material for high traffic area because of its ability to “spring” back into shape. Sustainable and comfortable to walk on, cork is a solid choice for an earth-friendly material.

Carpets

When composed entirely of renewable materials like wool or seagrass, carpeting can be a very green choice of flooring for your home. There are also highly innovative carpets made from such items as recycled bicycle inner tubes and even old carpets. Carpeting and rugs made from recycled materials can be just as decorative and comfortable as traditional carpets.

By choosing a green option to fulfill your flooring needs, you can positively impact the earth and set a responsible example for all who come into contact with it. By selecting any of these flooring materials, you can create the look you want at an affordable price. By choosing a green floor, you sacrifice nothing in the looks or durability departments and you gain your own healthy corner of the planet.

Author Bio: Guest post contributed by Kris Rayner, for Empire Today.

Have you made the decision to do your part to be eco friendly and help the environment?

If so, even the smallest details of your life, such as decorating your home, probably have changed. You can no longer go to the store and purchase just any home décor products. The products that you choose must have a positive impact on the environment.

Listed below are 12 eco friendly alternatives to home décor products. Being eco friendly doesn’t mean that your home can’t be beautiful.

• Out with the silk flowers! Instead of buying costly silk flowers that will only collect dust, choose to use what nature has to offer. During the spring, fill you home with the beautiful scent and color of flowers from your garden. Wild flowers also make a beautiful addition to your home décor.
• Reuse what you already have. Instead of going out and buying home décor products, reuse what you already have. A can of paint can transform something that you thought you no longer liked into something that you love. And best of all, it will be eco friendly!
• Make the commitment to never buy new. To truly be eco friendly, you must first make the commitment to never buy new. Choose to frequent garage sales or use websites that offer second hand home décor products for very little money.
• Get crafty! An eco friendly alternative to home décor products is to make your own. Use things from nature to create beautiful, one of a kind home décor products. This will be fun and will help adorn your home for very little money.
• Know where to shop. It is important that you know where to find inexpensive home décor products that will be eco friendly and also fit into your budget. Choose products that are on sale and that are made of natural materials.
• Take advantage of Pinterest. Pinterest is a new website where people share creative ideas. Sign up to receive great ideas on how you can decorate your home using eco friendly home décor. Do you have a Pinterest account? If so start researching creative ideas today.
• Choose a natural look. An eco friendly alternative to expensive home décor is to choose a natural look. Choosing a natural look for your home will allow you to decorate with things that are in more of abundance.
• Repurposed pillows. Another eco friendly option for decorating your home is to repurpose your couch pillows. Once your pillows are out of date or no longer match you décor, get creative and repurpose them yourself. Find eco friendly fabric that will be durable and last a long time.
• Decorating with baskets. Baskets are also eco friendly home décor products that are inexpensive and can add a decorative touch to your home. Made of natural materials, you can never have too many decorative baskets. Baskets can hold flowers, magazines, and even hair bows!
• Consider how it is made. When purchasing home décor products, don’t make a purchase until you consider how it is made. Choose products that will express your love for the earth, that will be friendly to you budget, and that will match the rest of your décor.
• Mosaic touches are beautiful. Choose to create your own mosaics to add a beautiful, earth friendly touch to your home. These handmade home décor products are eco friendly and very inexpensive to make. You can make mosaics for your garden or for a kitchen countertop. This is an eco friendly idea that can be used throughout your entire home.
• Natural window coverings. Instead of choosing expensive window coverings that are made from harmful products, choose to leave your window bare. If you have neighbors and want something over your windows, choose bamboo blinds that are budget friendly and will be better for the earth.

When decorating your home, you can still stick to your eco friendly lifestyle. Use the tips above to help you find eco friendly alternatives to home décor products. Many of these tips will be easy on your budget and will also be good for the earth.

This article is contributed by Victor from Jute Rug Shop, an online store to buy eco-friendly bamboo mats, jute rugs and lot more.

Here’s a nifty little map that Natural Homes have put together, that displays some of the natural homes around the world. Homes include those made using straw bale, hemp, timber, earth, straw clay, cordwood, as well as solar panel homes.

On the map, each house is represented by an icon (indicating what it has been built from). Click on each icon to learn more about the house: