Cork is Popping Up Green
Thursday, December 13th, 2007 
by Liesl Bradner
A little bark is going a long way in the greening of home flooring. Bark is the core substance in cork, a material which has been used for floors since 1894 and has recently re-emerged as the environmentally friendly choice of flooring for home and commercial use.
“People want something that is green, and with cork you never have to cut down any trees,” explains Tom Banner, owner of Cork USA in Sherman Oaks, California. Cork is harvested from the bark of a tree every nine years and takes seven to ten years to grow back. With an average lifespan of over 200 years, the harvesting enables trees to thrive without harmful chemicals and herbicides.
The benefits of using cork flooring are endless. It’s durable, comfortable, quiet and maintains an even temperature. Unlike carpet, cork is hypoallergenic and antimicrobial, so it does not cause allergies and is naturally resistant to mold, mildew and termites too. And no shocking static electricity can be generated from cork floors. To top it all off, cork floors look beautiful too! (more…)