First of all, browse through the Buildsmart Directory: www.buildsmart.ca Just click on any product for more details and a list of local suppliers.

GreenWorks, Vancouver’s first all green building product store, just opened their showroom a few months ago on West 8th near Cambie. I’ve heard they carry FSC certified wood, and may be able to suggest other flooring options: www.greenworksbuildingsupply.com/

I recommend installing wool carpeting. The Buildsmart directory gives Nature's Carpet and Helios Wool Carpet as options.

Try Forbo, a natural lineolum made from made from linseed oil, wood flour, rosin, jute and limestone.

We don't know of any 'green' laminate flooring - generally this is not considered a sustainable product. Although $4.90/sq ft is quite high for laminate, it is a lot less than other green alternatives, such as bamboo or hardwood flooring. If the product you are looking at is truly green, that is, it is made from renewable materials, is biodegradable, and does not contain urea formaldehyde, then our opinion is that it would be well worth the cost.

1) “422 Stays Clear Acrylic Polyurethane Varnish” may be appropriate for your walls (but not high traffic floor). It is low VOC and is a Benjamin Moore product as well. For more information, see the Material Safety Data Sheet: http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/buildsmart/Apps/productDetailPrint.aspx?productID=uN85___RjtT8s=

There are a few types of flooring I would recommend for your community centre:

I have recently had a couple of other individuals contact me who were experiencing discomfort from their newly installed hardwood flooring. In both cases, it was the underlayment that was causing the discomfort. In those cases, I recommended a formaldehyde-free fibreboard such as MediteII or Medex (available from the Medite Corporation in Oregon) or Homasote ComfortBase underlayment which is also formaldehyde-free (available from P.J. White Hardwoods Ltd. in Vancouver and MAC Building Products in New Westminster).