Tired of the old oak floor or carpet in your living room and want something greener? Buying a new eco-friendly floor like bamboo or cork may seem like a good idea, but are they better than an old wood floor that's refinished? Are they any healthier for you and the planet? Do they help indoor air quality or reduce greenhouse gasses?

Q: I'd like to put in hardwood floors and I'm considering bamboo. What do I need to consider? I don't want faux wood, and I read that some bamboo is treated with formaldehyde.
— asked by Murkey, Alexandria, VA

A: Although Google provides comparative pricing, product descriptions and basic specifications, most websites don’t tell us what is best for our specific needs. We always have to sort out one product from another and make the best choice we can with the information we’ve found. That assumes we know the right questions to ask. This article is all about the right questions to ask.

Whether its sports, finance, education, politics or Google AdWords, tracking the numbers helps achieve better performance. Without good metrics, it’s difficult to know how well or how poorly progress is being made. Shaving one second off your previous time, or improving one percentage point above last year's average, can make the difference between winning and losing, between success or failure. Read More