Wicanders’ Cork Oak 2009 Green Flooring Collection

It’s finally here! We’ve unveiled our gorgeous 2009 Collection at Surfaces and now nature’s pallet is in your hands, so you can enjoy exciting new patterns, finishes, textures, and design possibilities.

In this video, our very own Marketing Manager, Ronit McGuthrie, introduces you to distinctive textures and exotic contrasts that celebrate your identity, and your personal expression. Just like we promised, now you can see for yourself that whatever you’ve thought about Green flooring design has now changed.

By now you all know that cork oak is one of the greenest and most sustainable flooring options available and how a true commitment to sustainability can spark progress toward developing clean energy sources, fighting climate change, conserving our land and waters, and rebuilding a battered economy.

So, on this President’s Day, we’d like to inspire you with a quote from Barack Obama‘s inaugural address: “We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.”

Best wishes for a very green holiday, everyone…
Team Wicanders

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Wicanders Shines on HGTV

Here we are on the video screen again. Favored by architects and interior designers for its sustainability, sound insulation, scratch resistance, and easy maintenance, it’s no wonder Wicanders Cork Oak Flooring is a shining star yet again on HGTV.

In this episode of Rip & Renew, expert carpenter James Lunday and designer Michelle Carano team up to give homeowner Erica Von Der Leith’s “secret” room a custom look by using  Wicanders Series 100 Originals Collection in “Symphony” with our amazing WRT finish. Even an experienced carpenter like James is impressed at how Wicanders’ CorkLoc system is so easy to install and how it has such a beautiful, seamless finish.

See for yourself how Wicanders transforms the Von Der Leith’s “secret” room into a gorgeous playroom their children will enjoy for many years to come!

And don’t forget to check back often, as we have many new and exciting collections coming your way in 2009.

Cheers!

Team Wicanders

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The Cork Has Grown Back! The Ultimate Sustainable Resource.

Paul Henley of BBC News in Portugal recently wrote about Portugal’s cork oak forests. We quote directly from his article:

‘It’s not just a tree we are trying to protect here. It is a whole environment,’ says Antonio Ferreira, who has been a land owner and cork farmer in the Coruche district of Portugal for many years.

‘The forest you see around you now has been like this for hundreds of years. It is meant to be this way’.

Antonio points to the cork oaks whose roots hold the soil together in Portugal’s increasingly extreme climate, where deluges can be followed by many weeks entirely without rain.

Not only is there none of the creeping desertification here which marks much of the southern Iberian peninsula these days, there is an abundance of life.

Between the oaks, wildflowers flourish, sustaining bees and honey production. Some of the animal, bird and insect life is unique to the cork forest.

Paul has seen first hand the generational harvests that sustain the cork oaks. Here he shares with us a short video of a cork harvest:

The future of this unique Mediterranean environment is at risk. Won’t you help us Save Miguel?

Team Wicanders

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Climate Change & Wine 2008

Amorim’s own Carlos de Jesus was a recent headnote speaker at a conference addressing the role of cork in CO2-retention, preserving biodiversity, and combating desertification. Here in an interview provided by our friends at Catavino.net—Your Iberian Wine News Source—Since 2005, Carlos brings to light some additional statistics on how choosing cork oak can aid in the fight against climate change. You might be surprised to learn just how much your choice can make a difference.

Vodpod videos no longer available. from www.catavino.net posted with vodpod

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Martha Goes Pop! for Cork

The maven of all things tasteful, Martha Stewart has impeccable style when it comes to interior design. Martha loves the cork oak floors she installed in her own home, so in this video segment of the her show’s Going Green Series, Martha and special guest Simran Sethi of treehugger.com share information and tips on cork flooring as a sustainable design alternative.

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We had a blast at GreenBuild!

We would like to thank all of you who came by to visit our booth at GreenBuild. We truly enjoyed meeting so many environmentally conscientious designers and builders and look forward to doing business with you in the near future.

Our green gift, The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, was a huge hit. The story of The Lorax shows the importance of preserving forests such as the Montado cork oak forest. For those of you who didn’t get a chance to win the book, we are posting the video here, so that we can all continue to take part in its lesson about environmental sustainability, recyclability, and reutilization.

Thanks to those of you who care an awful lot. Please don’t be shy; we look forward to hearing from you!

The Lorax (Part 1)

* To watch the rest of the story, please click on the black screen at the end of the video. You’ll be redirected to YouTube.com.

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