Wall to wall or not at all?

What's healthier? Carpet or wood flooring? It's a classic debate. But when considering indoor air quality concerns, we can look to science for some simple answers.

Both carpet and wood flooring products can come filled with toxins, depending on what your installing. With a little research, however, products can be found to minimize this. But what about the long run?

Carpet: when new, carpet acts as an air filter, drawing dust out of the air and capturing it in it's fibers. However, this only lasts for a limited time, until the fibers get filled and the " filter" gets clogged.

Flooring: non-fibrous flooring doesn't have filtering capabilities like carpet, but if swept and cleaned regularly in a well insulated home is the better choice for clean air.

I like a combination. A sustainable bamboo floor with some natural fiber, washable area rugs offer the best of both. Remember when you used to see people beat the dust out of their rugs on the porch?

Welcome Tribune Readers!

Hello Everyone!

It's been quite awhile since my last postings, I've been really busy lately helping people offline to "green" their homes and attending some amazing sustainable events and seminars. The technology in green building is changing so rapidly that it can often be a challenge to absorb it all. Even for someone as obsessed with this stuff as I am. Anyway, please take a look at my past posts, subscribe to my blog, and stay on the lookout! I've got a ton of posts topics ready to write and will be posting 2-3 times per week. With the help of my daughter, I'm hoping to begin some video blogging soon as well.

Thanks for visiting and be sure to leave me your comments!

Ever green,

The Green Guy