Remember Linoleum and Clothes Pins--They're back! Eco Friendly Flooring

Earth Week is over but given the state of the planet I think Earth Year is the order of the day. It is my hope to continue informing home sellers, home buyers, and homeowners about ways to green their living. Mostly I will talk about greening the physical home but occasionally I will encourage a more holistic approach with ideas on lifestyle changes.

Is it time to change your kitchen, bath or even recreation or family room floors? Well I want to introduce you to one of the most creative, beautiful, fun, colorful and eco-friendly floorings available today. Marmoleum® is a warm and colorful flooring alternative. If you're concerned about the environment and indoor air quality this is definitely the flooring you want to consider. Marmoleum® has anti-bacterial qualities that fight common allergens found in many living spaces and studies show that harmful micro-organisms cannot live or breed on Marmoleum flooring according to Forbo Flooring Systems, the creator of Marmoleum® The flooring is made from all natural products such as linseed oil from flax, wood flour (sawdust) from controlled forests, rosins harvested from pine trees, and environmentally responsible pigments. Marmoleum® is completely biodegradable and uses no lead, formaldehyde, plasticizers or chlorine. It is a preferred flooring by builders and remodelers who are attempting to attain LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. Find out more at green building supplies.

Green Tip: Are you old enough to remember clothes lines? I am. Wooden clothes pins-then plastic ones? And are you worried about energy costs? According to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, there are 88 million dryers in use in the U.S. and they produce 3.3% of the nations output of carbon dioxide. A family can save dollars and more importantly approximately 1016 lbs of CO2 by line drying half of their annual laundry per year. Believe it or not many Homeowners Associations specifically prohibit line drying without permission. I just bought a drying rack and am committed to drying half of my laundry without using a dryer. Check out Project Laundry List to learn about this movement.