With all the shenanigans going on out in the world with people trying to give you green advice, Forbo Marmoleum linoleum products are somewhat refreshing. There is a concept called cradle to cradle which means that a true green product has no negative impact on the world at the birth of its elements, all during its life and use, and ultimately that it returns to the earth doing no harm in the process. Much of the ancient societies of the world have been gloriously benign in their impact on our planet. Unfortunately, our contemporary society understands little of that.

I dont know about you but we think the trade in bamboo is about as silly as it gets. Clear cutting habitat to harvest this fast growing material, as well as using carbon intensive processes to glue it into planks, often with formaldehyde based glue and toxic stains and finishes is not our idea of saving the planet. As we all know, the factories in China dont follow the laws very well even when there are laws. Give us good old fashioned marmoleum or plentiful solid wood flooring anyday.

Many large corporations would like to make you think that there is plastic fiber carpet that is green or that foam padding can be green. They want you to think that paints, adhesives and coatings that say low or zero VOC are safe to use for your family, while they are not. While we have made huge strides in the marketplace, the chemical companies and what we call the toxic loophole can pervert the information given to the consumer to actually believe that products that off-gas toxic chemicals into the environment are green.

It has been said that the only floor in the world that might be greener than marmoleum would be unfinished wood flooring. A lot of factors go into establishing what is green in today’s world. We need to measure the amount of fossil fuel used to extract, process and transport a product as well as it’s chemical footprint or the resultant waste products and hazardous off-gassing that happens as a result of its manufacture. Ultimately, we want to measure what the finished product will do to the occupants who live with it. Will it have a benign, negative or positive effect on their health, well being and quality of life.

Greenwashing is a term that was coined years back to describe a tendency of companies and usually the sales people who represent them to overstate or embellish the “environmental friendliness” of a product. By taking facts and figures out of context or by making comparisons between things not ordinarily compared or irrelevant, the words used to describe a product or service may create a false impression of safety or of benign impact on the planet. An example might be to describe insurance products as green or to call the process of burning coal for energy, “clean coal.” We all have an obligation to ask questions and the right to get a straight answer in the green movement, lest it become irrelevant.

In Europe, green is not a fad. It is a way of life that people strive for. It is challenging and it can be difficult to find solutions that accomplish the tasks at hand without damaging the environment or the prospects for future generations. Furthermore, the green movement has grown into a political philosophy with very well educated and highly principled people at its fore. There is much to strive for in the world and to build a civilized society while doing little to no harm to our planet is attainable. It just takes some thought, some research and the ability to accept a challenge. Flooring is just the beginning.