Much has been written about Bamboo as the green flooring alternative. It is true that Bamboo has many green aspects to it when used as a flooring product. This article explores another green alternative to flooring which is reclaimed hardwood flooring. Much as recycling your aluminum cans, newspapers, plastic bottles from your daily lives gives you a feeling of helping the environment, reclaimed flooring accomplishes this goal with the flooring that you are using in your home.Reclaimed flooring is flooring that has been salvaged from old buildings, warehouses, factories and other buildings as they are being demolished. For years the buildings have been leveled and then materials such as the beams that supported the building and the wooden flooring in the building have been burned or land-filled to clear the site for the next project. Many times it is impossible to stop the razing of old buildings and many times it is warranted that they should be torn down. Reclaimed flooring allows the materials in these buildings to live on in another form in the homes that we live in.It is really amazing when you look at the construction of buildings from the 1800's and early 1900's to see the ...

As we move further into the 21st century the impact of climate change is becoming more noticeable to the general public and more serious in its impacts on our way of life. Climate change is a result of our contempt for our "Natural Capital" and the resultant unbridled demand for energy. This demand is maintained by our limited awareness and understanding of the consequences of our increasing demands on these limited resources.We are facing our second industrial revolution - abundant people but limited resources. A smart capitalist always reinvests in his capital. Letting it run down through overuse, caused by ignorance of the importance of the capital resource to a successful business, is a myopic view of the symbiotic relationship between the capital resource and profitability. This is a recipe for disaster for any economic capital model - and this is what is happening in our relationship to Natural Capital. The result is disastrous climate change and the consequences are only just beginning to impact. Our recent sweltering summers and available scientific data illustrate what is in store, so the quest for workable solutions is urgent.The Federal Government (and state governments to a degree) has fortunately finally woken up to ...

Sustainable, or green building, is a structure that is designed, built, renovated, operated, or reused in an ecological and resource-efficient manner. Green building plans are designed to meet certain objectives and use key resources such as using materials, energy, water, and other resources more efficiently while reducing the overall impact to the environment. By utilizing more natural light, better air quality, wind turbines, solar panels, insulation alternatives, and water storage tanks, a well designed home will contribute to improved efficiency, health, and comfort in your home.Green Building Financial BenefitsTypically, a green building will cost more up front, but saves through lower energy costs over the life of the building. The up-front expenditure will be absorbed over time by the project life cycle cost analysis. The benefits include energy and water savings, reduced waste, and lower operation and maintenance costs.These and other cost savings can only be fully realized when they are incorporated at the project's conceptual design phase with the assistance of an integrated team of professionals. The integrated systems approach ensures that the building is designed as one system rather than a collection of stand-alone systems.Even with a tight budget you can incorporate many green building measures which can ...