by Janna Farley
Argus Leader

When Ann Burns was making decisions about her recent home remodeling project, she based many of her choices on the environment.

“We started by replacing our inefficient furnace and air conditioner with a more efficient heat pump,” she says. “And we replaced all the light bulbs in the house with the new energy-efficient bulbs.”

A casual visitor to Burns’ home on the east side of Sioux Falls probably won’t realize that. They will, however, notice the new bamboo flooring.

“I really liked the look of the hand-scraped bamboo,” she says. “I liked the uneven texture and the variation in color.”

But the main reason Burns chose bamboo was because it’s a renewable resource. “When you look at wood and how long it takes to grow a tree vs. bamboo, it just felt like the right thing to do,” she says.

Burns is not alone, says Dave Swartz, owner of Floor Coverings International in Sioux Falls, who will be showing off his “green” flooring options at the 48th annual Sioux Empire Home Show on Thursday through Sunday at the Sioux Falls Convention Center. Watch any home-improvement or do-it-yourself show, he says, and you’ll see homeowners, designers, remodelers and builders singing the praises of environmentally friendly building options.

“These products have been around for the last decade or so, but there hasn’t been much of an interest until the last few years,” he says.

People have become particularly interested in renewable flooring, like bamboo and cork, Swartz says. Bamboo, for instance, “is about 30 percent harder than oak,” he says. “Cork is similar to wood, but it has a little give to it. It doesn’t scratch or dent.”

For the most part, bamboo floors don’t look noticeably different than traditional wood floors - especially when they’re stained, Swartz says. “When you do that, it’s a little tougher to distinguish.”

Cork, on the other hand, can look remarkably different.

“Most people are attracted to the big slabs of cork, with beautiful burrows in it,” he says. “It looks like bird’s-eye maple gone wild.”

Environmentally friendly options for the home is just one of the trends that will be showcased at this week’s home show. More than 200 vendors will spotlight their products and services, appliances, building materials and home electronics, says Kyle Eberts, president of the Home Builders Association of the Sioux Empire.

“You name it, if it has to do with the home, you can find it there,” he says. “The best part for me is seeing the new products. There are a lot of products even I don’t know about.”

He’s especially excited about the home show’s green offerings.

“Keeping things right with the environment is always a hot topic and is always at the top of our mind as builders,” Eberts says. “As much as we can help out, the better.”