Sustainable Hardwood Floor Options

One San Francisco Bay Area source of hardwood flooring made from
locally discarded urban trees is Green Waste Recycle Yard
(www.GreenWasteRecycleYard.com). The ubiquitous blue gum
eucalyptus, despite its reputation as a useless wood, makes
excellent hardwood flooring when properly dried and
milled.Eco-consumers should note that the carbon footprint of
locally sourced and manufactured products is going to be lower than
products that are shipped long distances. An added benefit to
milling urban trees is that they would otherwise end up decomposing
in landfills, producing highly potent methane and other greenhouse
gases.

Thank you for your comments. Bamboo certainly is a great
sustainable flooring choice. Asscociate editor Charles Higginson
wrote about it in October (see "The Lowdown on Bamboo Flooring,"
www.motherearthliving.com/issues/motherearthliving/green_home/Bamboo-Floor_305-1.html).
This tip was meant to help those interested in hardwood floors make
good choices. Alison Rogers, Assistant Editor

I am really disappointed that you are not concidering bamboo as
a good choice for flooring. We have had a bamboo hardwood floor for
over 2 yrs. It is fantastic, easy clean HARD, etc. It is a
renewable resource, takes roughly 3-5 yrs to maturity. The cost
wasn't much different then the average hardwood, and according to
everything we read is tougher, and more fire retardent. Plus it
installed over a very unlevel floor & has shaped to fit, rather
then buckle.

What about bamboo, which I hear makes great floors and grows F A
S T and is environmentally friendly.