Remember the Road Less Traveled

Some of the “greenest” options still are found off the beaten path

 In meeting daily responsibilities of work and other commitments, many of us have not considered the road less traveled since the day we studied the works of Robert Frost in high school English class.

But, to find some of the “greenest” interior decorating and furnishing products, this is precisely what we have to do. Only by traveling this unbeaten path can we see and appreciate the efforts some manufacturers are making to truly address wastefulness, here on the planet Earth.

Some of this wastefulness comes as a simple result of deterioration.

  Many barns built throughout the Midwest during the 19^th and early 20^th centuries are falling down. Schlabach Woodworks in Millersburg, OH, is reclaiming these timbers and turning them into flooring and other materials – all with water-based finishes, of course.

“Reclaimed flooring is a beautiful and unique option that can be found regionally,  and which gives new life to old products,” says Heather Curless, owner of Greener Stock in Cincinnati – one of the few places this product can be found.  “Regional products are important because it takes less energy to move these products to the end-user.”

Another type of wastefulness comes in the name of progress – sometimes under the name of “urban renewal.”

 When trees are cut down to make way for new Chicago-area buildings and developments, Horigan Urban Forest Products custom mills them into lumber for use in virtually any wood project.

“The interesting thing about these products is that there are species available in old-growth wood that are not typical in the current market,” Curless says.

Another form of waste you’ll see on the less-traveled road is the waste wood manufacturing creates every day.

And, you will see companies like Staybull Flooring in North Carolina, where this waste is turned into flooring. They edge-glue strips that are normally discarded to create more than 20 species of flooring that are stronger and more moisture resistant that standard solid hardwood flooring. Glues and finishes are VOC-free.

“Product  re-use and recycling diverts material from landfills,” Curless says. “And, in this case, it reduces the amount of virgin material to be harvested to manufacture new flooring.”©

Greener Stock actually is located on a well-traveled road, at 3528 Columbia Parkway in Cincinnati, OH.

– Nancy Kibbee is Editor at www.naturalinteriors.com.