Feature Focus
Going for the Green by Dan Marvin.

 Whether it’s global warming, droughts, air pollution, or Al Gore, suddenly “Green” is on the tip of everyone’s tongue.  Increasingly, ‘green’ is also influencing people’s buying decisions.  Of course, that means that every producer is out touting their environmental credibility, even if they don’t have any.  So with the murky picture of what truly constitutes ‘green’, how do you really decide if you’re making the right choice for the earth when selecting or selling products? 
Questions to ask – Here are some important questions to ask when you are evaluating your flooring choices.  Does the product you are buying or selling add more pollution to the environment than other choices?  Does it use up scarce materials?  Does it cut down forests and leave the land susceptible to erosion?  Does the factory producing it pollute the local environment?  Does it make the indoor air unhealthier just by sitting there looking pretty?  And when you’re through with it, does it have to go to a landfill somewhere or can it be recycled? 
Material – The basic idea of ceramic tile has been around for thousands of years, if you take clay, form it into a square, and heat it hot enough, it becomes tile.  Now, we’ve managed to make a whole lot of those squares and to make them look like stones or wood or given them color but the basic idea is the same.  Tile uses materials like feldspar, clay, and sand that aren’t scarce and aren’t hard to extract.  The factory was put in Kentucky so it would be close to these sources of raw materials.  Therefore, the greenhouse gases generated getting the materials to the factory are modest.
 Production - No production process is 100% environmentally neutral, they all involve energy to turn one form of materials into another.  Florida Tile has a rich tradition of doing the right thing at our factories.  For decades we have found innovative ways to reduce, recycle, and reuse to minimize the pollution generated when we produce tile.  We strive to make our factories as energy efficient as possible.  We comply with strict local and state regulations regarding our waste streams.  We’ve removed chemicals like lead from our tile because it was the right thing to do. 
 Recycling – Last year, Florida Tile recycled 1,630,000 gallons of process water back into our processes.  We put 200,000 gallons of solids (clay and other materials retrieved from washing up our lines) back into our body.  We reused 382 tons of dust collector fines recovered from our production lines and reworked 285,000 pounds of greenware back into our body.  We diverted 2,500 tons of imperfect finished tile from the landfill to a beneficial reuse land reclamation project.  We sent 33 truckloads of plastic and wood packaging from our DC to a recycler.  We continue to look for new and innovative ways to recycle our own waste items, and other waste streams as well.
Shipping – Local is better.  The further what you are buying had to travel, the more pollution was generated getting it to you.  With our centrally located factory and distribution center, Florida Tile is a good choice to minimize shipping distance.  If you are within 500 miles of our factory, our US made products can also contribute to “regional materials” LEED credits.
Indoor Air Quality – This is a consideration where tile and stone shine, they don’t contribute to indoor air quality problems.  In fact, Florida Tile is the first tile manufacturer with products that are GREENGUARD certified to be low in emissions.  We are certified both for the original GREENGUARD and also for the more rigorous GREENGUARD for Children and Schools.  Our porcelain tile is very low in porosity, so it doesn’t harbor mold or mildew.  In fact, people with severe allergies often put tile throughout their entire home because it does not give off pollutants.
Life Cycle – When your green shag carpet started looking threadbare and your vinyl flooring was showing its age, chances are you didn’t have to replace the tile right next to it.  And when the laminate flooring you replaced the carpet with starts showing wear, the tile still won’t have to be replaced.  In fact, ceramic tile and stone are among the most durable flooring choices you can make.  If you don’t have to throw it out, it doesn’t end up in the landfill.  Also, ceramic tile waste can often be diverted from landfills and used as clean fill or road bedding.
Now whether you are selecting Florida Tile for your home, or discussing it with a customer in your show room, you will know the facts about tile’s place in the environment.  You can disregard the ‘greenwashing’ that is out in the marketplace regarding other products and rest easy knowing you’ve made a wise choice.