WANT ECO-FRIENDLY MATERIALS UNDERFOOT AT HOME?
4 Options for Green Flooring
When you’re deciding on what type of material to use for the floors in your home, you’ll need to consider several things. Cost and style will certainly be at the forefront of most homeowners’ and homebuyers’ minds, but another increasingly important factor is eco-friendliness. Here are a few flooring options for anyone wanting to tie their rooms together with something greener. Cork The major benefit of cork flooring when it comes to eco-friendliness is that it is harvested from the bark of cork oak trees, and harvesters don’t have to cut the trees down. The bark grows back every three years to potentially be harvested again. You can stain or varnish cork flooring to your liking, and cork can last 10–30 years depending on the quality. Concrete While the austere charm of concrete floors isn’t to everyone’s taste, when polished, it can be both pleasing to look at and eco-friendly. Concrete is sometimes used as subflooring in residential spaces, so when concrete is the floor itself, you use fewer materials. Plus, it never needs to be replaced. Alternative Carpet Materials While many types of carpet are produced from petroleum or are manufactured with volatile organic compounds, carpets made from natural materials like wool, seagrass, or jute are just as cozy for your feet. You can also utilize polyester Berber carpets made from recycled plastic bottles.
Reclaimed Hardwood Classic hardwood floors are stylish and timeless. So, if that’s the floor material you’re dead set on using in your home, one way to make it especially eco- friendly is to use reclaimed wood. While wood is a renewable resource, using wood from a previous construction ensures more of that renewable resource is left in the wild. Just make sure the wood you use hasn’t been treated with any toxic chemicals. While you might think that cost, style, and eco- friendliness can’t coexist in the same floor material, the above options and more show that eco-friendly floors are within reach.
ASPARAGUS AND SMOKED MOZZARELLA PIZZETTES Inspired by EatingWell.com
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Ingredients
Directions
• 1 lb prepared whole-wheat pizza dough, divided into 6 equal portions • 12 oz asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • 1/4 tsp salt • 1 cup shredded smoked mozzarella cheese • 1/3 cup scallions, thinly sliced • 2 tbsp walnuts, toasted and chopped • 1 sprig of fresh mint leaves, torn • Zest of 1 orange
1. Preheat oven to 500 F and ensure there are two racks in your oven. 2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, stretch each piece of dough into a 7-by- 3-inch oval and arrange evenly on the pan. 3. On a second baking sheet, toss asparagus with oil and 1/4 tsp salt. 4. Place dough on top rack and asparagus on bottom and bake for 3 minutes. 5. Remove both trays from the oven, sprinkle cheese over the dough, then top with asparagus and scallions. 6. Return pizzettes to oven and bake until the crusts’ edges are golden, about 8–10 minutes. 7. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with walnuts, mint, and orange zest before serving.
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