Cork Flooring, A Trend or a Flooring Built to Last?

Natural cork flooring? I've been following Eco News Network's news articles on Twitter the last few weeks and come to find out, cork flooring is a new eco-friendly trend. After doing a couple of Google searches it appears that many businesses nationwide are beginning to invest in cork flooring.


Ellie's Eco Home Store, claims to have the "worlds best selection of cork flooring." Flooring options include eight different cork floors, with the added benefits of thermal insulation, sound absorption, and abrasion resistance. The store also claims that their cork flooring is priced very similarly to hardwood floors, tile, and slate per square foot. Cork flooring is still a relatively new product option for homes and businesses, hence it is still too early to determine if the eco-friendly trend will further expand and sustain in the flooring market.


Examples of Expanko Cork from the Eco News Network's Green Build:

Avalon Hotel and Spa, the First Hotel in Oregon to be LEED Certified

The Avalon Hotel and Spa in Portland, Oregon is the first hotel in the state to receive the silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Nationwide, only ten hotels have yet received LEED certification.

For a project to be considered LEED certified they must receive 32 credits in the areas of sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy & atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in upgrades, operation, and maintenance. There are six phases to the certification, as well as a series of requirements. The requirements consist of the formation of a "Green Team," environmentally friendly and socially responsible project purchases, material reduction and diversion, energy reduction (no incandescent bulbs in building), and improved indoor air quality (air filters).

Portland has received numerous awards for their commitment to recycling and the Avalon Hotel and Spa is the fifth hotel to receive an award for recycling 60% of waste with a goal of 80% by 2009. The Avalon Hotel is marketing themselves as an "eco-friendly sustainable luxury hotel."

Sustainable Connections, a local organization worth looking into

This summer, I was a Marketing Intern at the Downtown Bellingham Partnership. Through the partnership, we worked with Sustainable Connections. If you aren't already aware, Sustainable Connections is a non-profit local organization working with Bellingham businesses on energy efficiency, sustainable businesses development, and green building.

It's really interesting to see what businesses in our community are doing to move towards sustainability and eco-friendly business practices. I would highly encourage anyone that hasn't already taken a look to check out the website: http://sustainableconnections.org/. Specifically, I am really amazed with the Zero Waste campaign, which already has over 150 business participants committing to a 80% reduction in waste. For a listing of these Bellingham businesses, check out:http://sustainableconnections.org/bizdev/tzw/tzwbiz. You may be happily surprised with the Bellingham community!