Cork Your Floors!

Can durability and 'green' co-exist?

'Eco-friendly' may not be the first thing that leaps to mind when considering new flooring. Take a look at what cork offers underfoot and see why it rates.

With its super capabilities for vibration, noise and water absorption, cork is a great bet for high-traffic areas in your home.

Cork continues to catch our eye for several reasons:

- Easy to install: Cork Plank - a narrow board at 4 3/8 inches wide ? is super user-friendly. Even dad can do it (but please don't blame us if that doesn't work out...).

- Air Purifying: Cork absorbs CO2, reversing the effect of VOC emissions for healthier living. In fact, according to an Amorim rep, cork is completely anti-allergenic.

- Renewable: Cork remains the only tree whose bark can regenerate itself after each harvest - leaving the tree unharmed.

- Easy to Clean: Just mop with water.

And no... it doesn't smell like cork!

Cork is Cool

We turned to Amorim Flooring, who claims the impressive status as the world's leading manufacturer of natural cork products for the following cork factoids:

- Cork is harvested on a sustainable basis and the stripping of the bark does not harm the tree in any way.

- Cork bark grows back completely, taking on a smoother texture after each harvest.

- A cork oak tree can be safely harvested up to 20 times during its life cycle, making cork a truly inexhaustible natural resource.

- New plantations of cork oak trees are planted each year to ensure the level of cork production is maintained, and Cork oak trees can't be felled or removed without government authorization, which is rarely granted.

- Portugal, producer of over 50% of the world's cork, has been particularly careful to safeguard this valuable resource.

Keep abreast of all things cork ? like the recent report from the World Wildlife Federation that if current cork forests in Portugal were to expand by 20%, deforestation would be OVER by 2020, here!

Love green gadgets, fashion, and news? Get the latest from Planet Green's dynamic duo Suchin Pak and Daniel Sieberg on the G Word.