Real wood is the Green choice

The problem with Carpet

Most carpet fibers are a form of plastic produced by the petrochemical industry. As these carpet fibers break down in landfills they release methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gasses along with a variety of chemicals unsafe for ground water. What are petrochemicals? In short, they are chemical compounds derived from petroleum and natural gas. Without getting off track, laminate and LVT are a bi-product turned profitable by companies like Dupont and Exxon.

How much carpet is being put into our landfills?

Decomposing carpet holds an impressive and increasing percentage of total landfill tonnage. The E.P.A. estimates that every year, about 5 billion pounds of carpeting go into landfills. That’s 1 to 2 percent of the total U.S. landfill contribution, or 17 pounds of carpeting per person. (Don’t Sweep Carpet’s Eco-Impact Under the Rug - The New York Times (nytimes.com). However, in 2028 laminate will over take carpet and that is not an improvement, unless you are a shareholder.

Real wood is green

LVT = PVC

Plastic by any other name is still PVC

PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride, a versatile and widely used synthetic thermoplastic polymer known for its durability, resistance to chemicals and corrosion, and ability to be made in both rigid and flexible forms.

Ask search is LVT and PVC are same thing?

“PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) is the base material used to make vinyl flooring, including LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile), but LVT is a specific type of vinyl flooring.” (June 2025). Well, that is some marketing double talk nonsense. Read it again if necessary but the point is LVT is PVC with pretty colors.

The real problem is not straws

In 2018, in response to a viral video of a plastic straw being removed from a sea turtle’s nose, plastic straws were banned in communities throughout the world. Experts estimate that 500 million single-use plastic straws are used every day, making up a sizable portion of the plastic products thrown away daily. By comparison, in 2024, 5.8 billion square feet of plastic flooring were sold. A little simple math reveals that equates to 15.9 million square feet per day. And since most plastic flooring has a warranty of only 5-10 years, and most cannot be recycled, that translates to a lot of plastic straws. A lot. In fact, just 1,000 square feet of luxury vinyl tile equates to about 570,000 plastic straws. At 15.9 million square feet daily, that equates to more than 9 billion plastic straws each and every day.