You are a homeowner, or maybe a soon-to-be-homeowner, or even the proprietor of a business, and it is important to you as you design your home or business to do everything within your power to be environmentally conscientious.
From the lights you choose, to the kind of water heater you get, to the kitchen appliances you install, you have taken great care to make sure you are a good steward of the earth.
As you move into designing your floors, countertops, and other surfaces, you might begin to feel a little bit stumped. Does it make more sense to lean into synthetic materials, such as tile and metal, or into natural ones, like wood and stone? And within those categories, what makes the most sense for your needs?
Look no further, because if taking care of the environment is your top priority, then the good news for me and you is that natural stone exceeds the rest, so you don’t have to compromise your principles for the sake of elegance.
Long-lasting and Re-Usable
Let us start with the obvious – natural stone is lasting and durable. It is resilient against exposure to pests, temperature, and the elements. With proper care and maintenance, it is more lasting than most other materials, and as such is unlikely to need replacing for as long as you have it.
It is also recyclable!
You don’t need to get your stone straight from the quarry; in fact, there is a huge market for reclaimed stone. If you’re flexible with your design needs, then your purchase of second-hand stone won’t demand anything new from the earth.
But all that just scratches the surface.
Minimal Impact
As technology has improved in response to tighter regulation, the natural stone mining industries have stood out in their ability to optimize their operations to leave the smallest impact possible. According to a report called Inventory of Carbon & Energy produced by the University of Bath, stone’s overall CO2 impact is significantly less than other finishing materials.
An enormous part of that has to do with the fact that, unlike in synthetic materials, you don’t get anything extra with stone. It is precisely what it was when it came out of the ground, so you can feel good about what you’re putting into your home.
Practicing Green
The stone industry even has a council dedicated to creating and improving mining and transportation standards. The Natural Stone Council is an excellent resource if you want to be extra deliberate in sourcing your stone from the most responsible providers of natural stone.
Maintaining your stone can be green as well.
We at Santa Barbara Stone Masters are experts in selecting responsible chemicals for our work to make sure that we too are taking care of our planet.
So if you were on the fence, it’s time to get off it! There’s no reason to say no to natural stone. And if you need expert help in maintaining or restoring your natural stone in an environmentally friendly way, give us a call today.
We’d love to see how we can serve you
