SUNSHINE GOES GREEN !

If you are one of the growing number of consumers, design professionals and builders seeking ways to incorporate "green" products into your home and projects, you will find Teragren an experienced partner and valuable resource.
From the moment our company was founded in 1994 (under the name of "TimberGrass"), we have been committed to developing and manufacturing beautiful bamboo products that:

  • Reduce dependence on dwindling timber resources
  • Rely on renewable-resource materials
  • Adhere to stringent, environmentally sensitive specifications
  • Promote green building
  • Help neutralize our company's environmental footprint

A natural “green” product Cork
In these times of increased concern for the environment, cork remains the only tree which can regenerate itself after each harvest. The cork bark is stripped off two-thirds of the tree. The first harvest of cork is not stripped until the tree is approximately 20 years old. A thin layer of protective inner bark gives the cork oak its unique ability to survive and regenerate itself after the debarking process. Stripping the bark requires great skill, as the inner bark must not be damaged. A specially designed hatchet is used for the stripping process.

The first bark taken from a tree is called virgin bark. It has a very irregular exterior surface and is grayish in color. This bark is suitable for grinding into various minute sizes ideal for cork insulation and composition cork. Interestingly, it has also become a very popular material for the manufacture of decorative items.

After the first harvest of cork, the bark is stripped from the tree once every nine years, until the cork oak is about 150 years old. The tree is then replaced by a much younger one. The bark which grows after the virgin bark has been stripped is called refugo bark. It looks entirely different, having a much smoother surface, which is brown in color. The first crop of refugo is used mostly for grinding. Subsequent strippings yield better quality cork that has fewer and more tightly closed pores (grains). Most of the cork from these subsequent harvests is used for the production of cork stoppers or other items requiring cork with a finer appearance.

After being stripped, the bark is left in the forest for some days to dry and, possibly, to be inspected by potential buyers. Purchasing cork bark is not an easy task as the quality not only varies from forest to forest, but also from tree to tree. Even the same tree may produce cork of varying degrees of quality depending on its exposure to sunlight.

Once in the factory area, the refugo bark is boiled to make it easier to remove the woody outer layer and to make the bark more elastic so that it can be flatten it out more easily. The bark is then sorted into various thicknesses which are, in turn, sorted into different qualities. These different qualities determine the sale price and/or the suitability of the cork for different manufacturing uses.

Cork is a natural product with remarkable and unique qualities that are unmatched by any other natural material. One cubic inch of cork is composed of no less than 200 million tightly enclosed air cells, each measuring l/1000" in diameter. Each minute cell is 14-sided, which virtually eliminates any empty space between the cells.
This quality is what gives cork its remarkable elasticity and ability to regain its original shape after being compressed.

Mohawk leads innovation in sustainable flooring with SmartStrand® carpet with DuPont™ Sorona® renewably sourced polymer. In a partnership with DuPont, this carpet exclusively offers fiber made with Bio-PDO™ (the key Sorona® ingredient), which is produced from corn sugar.

By utilizing this new ingredient, 37 percent of Sorona® is being made from renewable resources. This marks the first time that a luxuriously soft carpet offers durability and stain protection, while also making less of an environmental impact.

Why Is SmartStrand Environmentally Smart?

DuPont™ Sorona® plays a major role in the worldwide objective of a renewable economy and represents a new frontier in sustainability. This carpet is environmentally smart because:

• The production of Sorona® polymer requires 30 percent less energy than the production of an equal amount of nylon.

• Greenhouse gas emissions from the production of Sorona® are 63 percent lower than nylon manufacturing.

• This energy reduction results in approximately one gallon of gasoline saved per every seven square yards of carpet.

The superior stain resistance of SmartStrand® carpet is engineered into the fiber and will never wear or wash off, meaning consumers will never need to retreat the carpet with stain protectors after steam cleaning.

And this engineered-in stain resistance reaches new levels of protection, allowing tough stains such as mustard, red wine, and cherry Kool-Aid® to be removed simply with warm water and a mild detergent, or with Mohawk FloorCare™ Essentials. The fiber even resists discoloration from bleach.

It goes without saying that SmartStrand can be found as a major component in inspired homes everywhere.
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