TreeHugger likes cork, not just for its sustainable properties, but for its remarkable versatility: it stretches; it bounces; it absorbs; it floats; it dampens…it’s pretty great stuff, and really quite sustainable [www.treehugger.com] as it turns out. Here are just a few of the ways that cork can help us all be better TreeHuggers.

1) Designer Daniel Michalik’s simple and engaging work maximizes the benefits of his medium; he says, “the natural flexibility of cork allows it to form fantastic, complex shapes no other material can match.” For example, the chaise lounge [www.treehugger.com] pictured above is equally functional indoors and out, thanks to cork’s waterproof characteristics and stubborn resistance to mold growth. Skeptical? Again quoting the designer, “One client has hers sitting outside, and last I looked, they look the same as when I delivered them one year ago! Amazing.”
2) Jasper Morrison is also in on the act when it comes to cork; his combination stool and table [www.treehugger.com] is another example of cork’s excellent possibilities in furniture.
3) Designer Nick Tretiak also used the cork’s cushiness to create a chair [www.treehugger.com] that eschews the solid block for a sleek, modern look; he says, “I wanted to incorporate the tactile softness of cork but refrain from using a solid block of material. I developed a special lamination that allows the cork to remain thin yet strong with subtle flexibility.”
4) Break out the bubbly — it’s a cork stool that mimics a champagne cork [www.treehugger.com]. Nothing like a product that serves its function while paying homage to the original inspiration…

5) Habitus came up with a great alternative to the large tiles cork flooring often comes in: mosaic tiles [www.treehugger.com] that make installation a breeze.
6) Globus only uses water-based, solvent-free pigments, adhesives, and varnishes for its cork flooring [www.treehugger.com]; the Tribeca Cinema Lounge and a great bar in the East Village are two hot spots in NYC that put the flooring to test, and it passed (and continues to pass) with flying colors.

7) Stereo speakers, like these from the-home-project * [www.treehugger.com] are another implementation that makes tons of sense for cork. As a natural sound and vibration dampener, cork is a great choice for this music-related application; its unique behavior when working with resonance offers some interesting possibilities for sound design.
In the same vein, Pop Wallcoverings [www.treehugger.com] put cork’s sound-absorption’s qualities to work as a sound-proofer that looks great on your walls.
9) You may not be able to wear your love for cork on your sleeve, but you can on your wrist, with The Cork Cuff [www.treehugger.com], a groovy piece of sustainable jewelry.
10) Lastly, take a walk on the wild side with Simple Shoes [www.treehugger.com], who put vibration dampening cork in the footbeds of their shoes.

Cork is one of those materials that seems to have been created with the sustainability planets in alignment; there isn’t much that we don’t love about it, from its growth, harvesting, production and use. It’s a wonderfully versatile material that comes by its green credibility honestly; here are the basics of what makes it so great, and what everyone should know about it.

Cork is a pretty unique material; technically, it isn’t a wood, or a grass (like bamboo [www.sundancechannel.com]) or a composite. It’s actually the bark of a tree; most commonly, it comes from the Cork Oak tree (Quercus suber), and a little more than half of the world’s cork comes from Portugal. The bark can be harvested every 9 or 10 years once the tree is considered “mature” (usually at about 25 years of age) without harming the tree; since it continues to grow, the tree essentially produces a continually-replenishing supply as long as it’s alive. So, like other wood products, it does take some time for cork to grow; unlike trees, whose lives are cut short when they’re harvested, cork is a more easily sustainable natural material.

Once off the tree, the material itself has some rather remarkable qualities that make it ideal for a number of applications. Its natural elasticity and durability make it a fantastic option for a kitchen floor; not as hard as a hardwood floor, but easier to clean and maintain than a carpeted one. Because cork has excellent sound and energy-absorption characteristics, it’s also great on the wall. Its natural flexibility allow it to be used in implementations that other, more static materials simply cannot; things like furniture (more on that later this week) and other interior applications are well-suited to the materials’ strengths. It’s also quite waterproof and resistant to mold growth, meaning you can also take it outside. All in all, there’s a lot it can do; stay tuned for the rest of the week to learn more, and to see it in action.