She Went Green, then Turned Red!
I deeply admire the "Green Movement" in our country, and globally; and sincerely believe that an honest movement in this direction is the right thing to do for our children, and the generations that follow. The operative word in that phrase is, of course, "honest". I'm going to surrender, to you, a real life scenario whereby a woman (friend) believed that she was acting as a responsible consumer in recent major purchases of "green" goods; and, much to her dismay is actually going to be contributing to increasing the pollution problem. I invite comment and query as you, the reader, sees fit.
My wife and I had recently met a really fantastic couple via the local youth soccer network where our respective children convene four times a week. We really struck amiable chords with this couple, nearly a decade our junior, as we had so many commonalities in ethics and interests. I admired the woman of this couple, because she was so environmentally conscious, that she awoke early every morning to ride her bike with her two children to school; and even went as far as specialty clothing provisions so that this could be done in inclement weather. She has remarkable stamina and determination; and is admirable in her leadership in the "practice-what-you-preach" forum.
A few months into our relationship, we were invited to their home for the first time for dinner. As soon as we arrived at their home my wife and I remarked to one another of the beautiful and well-planned landscaping about their house. The couple met us in the driveway and wasted no time escorting us around the yard to highlight the various herb and vegetable gardens creatively strewn across their two-acre plot; and also pointed out the composting area that fed the entire landscaping effort. We were then taken inside for a tour of their immaculate home. He talked a bit about the hybrid cars parked in the garage; as well as remarking about the solar shades on some of the windows; and stated that he hoped to convert some of their electrical needs with the use of solar panels within the next two years. Meanwhile, she was talking about "eco-friendly" paint finishes and the fact that they recently installed new hardwood flooring on the first floor of the homesome of which was bamboo, often touted as the "greenest of the greens" in flooring; and new "green" carpet on the second floor, recycled plastic bottles reconfigured into carpet yarn! My wife gave me a glance; and I only smiled.
Our new friends noticed the glance, the smile and asked why I responded so. My wife quickly attempted to bail me out by stating that I'd spent the last 24 years in the flooring industry; but that I left recently and that was about all that needed to be said. Our friends pursued, however, and were really only seeking affirmation from a professional in that they had done the "right thing" for them and the environment. I hedged a bit, certainly trying to avoid such a conversation because I felt that their passion was far more sincere than that of the flooring salesman and/or the manufacturer. We all sat on the deck, and they pressedprobably sensing my avoidance.
I began by assuring them that, given the information made available to them, that they made as wise a decision as they could; and not to fret about it. They pressed again. She enters in that they may a conscious effort to go the pre-finished wood floor route because the field-finished (sanded and finished on site) was harmful due to petroleum off-gases. It seemed they really tried to do their homework. She adds that she actually purchased her carpet from a website that only sells "green", environmentally friendly products; and that they're so expensive but well worth the money if it saves the environment some undue stress. I scratched my head and simply said, "don't do that again, okay?"
Again, sensing that they were a bit anxious and not going to let this query go unattended I asked for a beer and said that I'd be forthright if they promised to keep what they already purchased and make the best of this decision rather than returning to the wood retailer or the web distributor. I got my beer.
This is how I presented certain facts to them:
"The solid hardwood flooring you have is not a bad idea, really. It's a floor that's going to be there a long time. You will probably need to have it sanded or screened and finished within the next ten years as it will get dull from normal traffic. The only issue here is an issue that hasn't been established just yet. You were probably told by the salesperson that this was an eco-friendly, water-based finish, enhanced with some proprietary/magical element that only this manufacturer had which doubled, or tripled the finish warrantyand only added a measly thousand dollars to your ticket; but your kids would have no worries in their earth of the future."
She looked at him, and he looked at her.
"The truth be told, that magic compound that's in the finish of that floor is called, "aluminum oxide", and it's used as the magic compound in just about every pre-finished hardwood floor, and laminate floor as well. It does enhance the durability; and that much is true. What you weren't told is that environmentalists have been lobbying to get aluminum oxide classified as a heavy metal. Should the environmentalists win eventually, your floor is contaminated. Your floor will not be able to be sanded any more than any state government allows lead paint to be sanded; and if you want tear it out and dispose of it, you're dealing with a toxic waste and professionals will need to abate it. Then again, don't panic just yet because the lobbyists haven't won yet. The only reason I'm telling you this now is so you can make provisions for the future. But, law or new classification or not, you're walking on something that your environmentalist peers got very excited about; and your salesman is only guilty of misleading you if he neglected to keep up in "alternate" trade journals because the trade journals that he normally reads are intended to mislead him-to sell product under the guise of being "friendly". As far as the bamboo is concerned, it's grass- glued together and finished exactly like your other wood floor. This floor will last as long as the glue that binds it together. The industry recognizes it as a 4-5 year floor; but they will not tell you that, they'll tell you it's renewable and as hard as a hardwood floor. Right?"
Silence and intent interest encased my audience.
"As far as the carpet's concerned, this is my take on it. First, through the "Green" website you probably paid about $2.50 per square foot or $22.50 per square yard. This product is made by (carpet manufacturer named) and is called (style named). You could have bought the exact same product in town for half the money; but it wouldn't have been wrapped in a green-colored plastic, as this one probably did. The fiber/yarn is, in fact, extruded from polyesters whose origins were plastic soda bottles. You did a good thing by keeping the plastic out of the landfill for a couple years; but that's all you really did. You see, even though this yarn could be recycled again, the chances are remote that it will be. It's too costly, or too arduous a task for the carpet mill to get involved in national reclamation because they make their living building the stuff, not recapturing it. So when it comes times to replace this, it's going in the local landfill; and you, instead of throwing 40 or 50 plastic bottles in the landfill have just donated a couple thousand in depositing your used carpet there. Now, my second issue is that you will donate this carpet far sooner than you would a nylon product of the same price point. The yarn in that product upstairs is poorly made; and its visual life expectancy is a matter of months and not years. The expressed warranty in these carpet products state that they will not "get lighter" (ounce-weight), not that they won't flatten-out and get ugly. Until the industry gets more actively involved in reclamation then I would avoid poor performing products simply because they're "green"; and if you really want green, buck-up and get wool because we are all familiar of the source there, right? Then again, the backings that often hold these products together are plastic as well."
My new friends were a bit discouraged but were appreciative of the information. I'm only offering an innate awareness of the flooring industry as that is my experience; but, as a consumer, I think it may be prudent to look at all manufacturers with a bit of suspicion when it comes to "green" advertizing and promotion.