Bamboo is widely considered to be one of the fastest growing plants on the planet; some species can spread up to 3 feet in a single day. This is an attractive option because bamboo is just as durable as any existing hardwoods. This is a smart option because it resembles the qualities of hardwood at a lower price. Finally, it is also sustainable due to its abundant availability and rapid regeneration. While becoming a popular choice for flooring in homes and businesses today, bamboo flooring has the potential to be resilient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly. DurabilityBamboo flooring is extremely durable; it is as strong as any hardwood flooring currently on the market. Depending on which part of the plant the parquet is harvested from, it can even be sturdier than hardwoods like maple and oak. According to Nigel F. Maynard of Builder Online, “hardness is the primary factor in durability” (Maynard, 2010). There are two different types of bamboo flooring: stranded and vertical. Studies show that stranded bamboo is much stronger than vertical bamboo flooring. Mark D. Elwell, owner and operator of Bamboo Flooring Hawaii in Honolulu, says, "On a hardness scale, the vertical bamboo board is about 1,450 PSI on a Janka hardness scale." He then states, “The bamboo strands are compressed and bonded with powerful adhesives, so that the scale exceeds 3,000 PSI” (Elwell, 2010). As a result, stranded bamboo floors are on average 25% harder than red oak and 12% harder than North American maple. The durability makes it dent resistant but doesn't make it heavy. Therefore, the flooring will not shrink or expand like other hardwoods as long as the paper medium regenerates. At the same time, logs are sawn to produce boards and planks, so a certain amount of waste is involved in the production of hardwood flooring. With the rate at which the Earth is depleting hardwoods, there will be reductions and possibly an increase in prices because there will not be enough hardwoods to sell competitively in the future. A bamboo tree absorbs carbon dioxide and releases 35% more oxygen into the atmosphere than a single deciduous tree. In these environmentally conscious times, renewable flooring sources like bamboo are favored over many hardwoods. ConclusionBamboo flooring has countless burdens of green potential. It also has its share of many beneficial benefits. Bamboo flooring has the potential to be naturally robust, economically efficient and helps preserve the environment..