Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants on the planet and therefore highly sustainable. It is an incredibly versatile plant used for many everyday applications from flooring and wall paneling to paper and fabrics. Some of the processes through which Bamboo is turned from its raw form into usable products can have a negative environmental impact.
Formaldehyde is known to have a number of negative health effects, including immune-system toxicity, respiratory irritation and cancer in humans. However, it still turns up in baby bath soap, nail polish, eyelash adhesive and hair dyes as a contaminant or break-down product.
VOC stands for volatile organic compound – basically, any organic compound that evaporates readily into the atmosphere. Here, the term ‘organic’ isn’t a good thing - it means a compound that contains carbon. Typical sources of VOCs include paints, varnishes, moth balls, solvents, gasoline, newspaper, cleaning chemicals, vinyl floors, carpets, adhesives, sealing caulks, air fresheners, and pressed wood furniture. For you, exposure to VOCs can mean eye, nose, and throat irritation, headache, nausea, dizziness, asthma exacerbation, cancer, and liver, kidney, and central nervous system damage. Environmentally, these compounds contribute to global warming and can also damage soil and groundwater.
Hemp is harvested for its fibers for hemp clothing and seeds for hemp oil. With a relatively short growth cycle of 100-120 days, it is an efficient and economical crop for farmers to grow, however, industrial hemp cannot be commercially grown in the United States because it is erroneously confounded with marijuana. In fact, industrial hemp and marijuana are different breeds of Cannabis sativa. Smoking large amounts of hemp flowers can produce a headache but not a high!
Energy Star qualifies products that are 10 to 25% more efficient than required by the federal standard while providing top performance and innovative features.
FSC is an independent, non-governmental, not for profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.