Designing an Eco Friendly Kitchen with Sustainable, Renewable Products

Cork is a renewable resource, environmentally sound and a good choice for your health. The harvesting of cork oak is strictly regulated and skilled and trained professionals are chosen to remove the thick, rugged bark by hand labor. This method helps to insure that the tree suffers no injury. Only the cork cambium layer is harvested. The bark is first carefully slit and removed from the trees. Later the raw cork is turned into usable eco friendly products.

Life of a cork oak

Cork oak trees can live from 150 to 250 years and the bark might be harvested up to twelve times in that lifespan, with the bark regrowing after each harvest. Cork oak forests grow in North Africa and Europe.

What's good about cork floors?

Cork is durable! Many of the buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the early 20th century are still featuring the original cork flooring. Cork is durable.

Cork floors for cats?

Cork is more adaptable to cat and dog claws than many other natural wood floors. Being a good natural insulator, it makes a warm floor and also insulates well against sound.

Bamboo plywood cabinets for an earth friendly kitchen?

Bamboo is actually a renewable and fast-growing member of the grass family. Up to 1,000 species are found to be grown in the world with one giant that can grow to 100 feet tall. East and southeast Asia have much of this bamboo and it's ready for harvest in five to seven years. It has been in use as flooring for a long time, even as far back as China's Ming Dynasty. Bamboo plywood is non-toxic, environmentally friendly and renewable. It's one of the top choices for durable eco friendly counter tops and cabinets.

Recycled glass soda bottles for greener counter tops?

Consumers looking for a way to green their kitchen could be looking at recycled glass bottles designed by artists into counter tops. With glittering color mixes, durability, stain and heat resistance, this sustainable product is
manufactured to last. A green product, recycled glass counter tops are comparable in price to granite.

A heavy mix

Recycled glass is mixed in a cement base, with a 9 X 5 foot slab weighing about 700 pounds and containing up to 1,000 bottles. Environmentally friendly recycled glass counter tops are just one of many choices for greening the kitchen.

Sources:

wwwe.com/harvest.html .corkinstitut
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_suber
www.builddirect.com › FAQ
www.bambooaccess.com/Bamboo_Plywood.aspx
www.findanyfloor.com/bamboo/BambooFlooring/BambooHistory.xhtml
www.enviroglasproducts.com
www.sacbee.com/2010/02/.../coloful-countertops-used-recycled.html