Bamboo Flooring – Environmentalism Begins in the Home
Bamboo flooring has become all the rage among those who care about the environment. But why should you choose bamboo flooring for your home, and is it really good for the environment? And is bamboo flooring affordable, long lasting and durable? Here is a brief overview of everything you have ever wanted to know regarding bamboo flooring.
Is bamboo flooring really that much better for the environment? Without a doubt, it is true that bamboo is better for the environment than many other types of flooring materials, especially wooden floor materials. Why is bamboo so good for the environment? The reason that bamboo flooring is all the rage with those who care about the environment and sustainable flooring is because bamboo is classified as a renewable source. That means that supplies of bamboo can be produced quickly and efficiently without causing depleting the supply of the wood in the environment.
But guess what? Bamboo is actually not a type of wood. Bamboo is actually a kind of grass. As a grass, bamboo can grow very quickly and it can be harvested in roughly three years. Compare that rate of growth and harvest to, say, an oak. An oak tree needs roughly 120 years in order to grow to its full maturity. Clearly, bamboo is much easier and faster to grow and harvest. That is why bamboo has become a favorite of green builders everywhere.
But just because bamboo grows much quicker than other types of wood does not mean that this type of wood is necessarily being managed in a sustainable fashion. It appears that bamboo may not always be being managed in smarted sense. Why is this so? This is so because even though bamboo may regenerate relatively quickly, it appears that the growing popularity of bamboo is causing many different places around the world to become a monoculture of bamboo. In other words, bamboo has become a kind of cash crop whose massive popularity may cause people to get rid of other forest ecosystems in order to make more room to grow bamboo.
Indeed, bamboo expansion has become a serious problem that puts consumer needs in opposition to the environment in the sense that forests and other so-called low yield plantations are being cleared for the sake of feeding the growing consumer demand for bamboo flooring. There are now several instances in which natural forests have been cleared from forestlands in order to make room for bamboo. Thus, it appears that not everything is green with the growing consumer demand for bamboo flooring. In fact, it appears that the rise in interest in bamboo flooring may actually be threatening the biodiversity of many unique and fragile ecosystems.
Another issue that has arisen with the growing popularity and consumer use of bamboo flooring has to do with the subject of durability. Some consumers have claimed that bamboo flooring is not as strong or as durable as they had been promised. This presents another problem because it means that bamboo floors may be replaced at higher rates, causing a chain of further environmental impact.
The irony has not escaped several consumers who sought out bamboo flooring as a green alternative to supposedly less green options. As with everything else, it appears that bamboo flooring is fraught with drawbacks as well as pluses. It does remain true, however, that bamboo is certainly a solid option for anyone who wants a wooden floor that will cause the least environmental impact in terms of renewable sources. Make sure to weigh all the options to make sure that bamboo is the right choice for your home and family.