We’ve enjoyed some wonderfully pleasant evenings here in the Panhandle these past few weeks. It must have been this time of year that inspired whoever first conceptualized the outdoor deck to get busy laying those first boards.

When we think of decks, and more precisely, decking materials, our mental image is often one of green-tinged, pressure-treated wooden boards. Pressure-treated wood has been the standard for deck-building. It’s relatively inexpensive, it holds its own against weather and insects, and until fairly recently, there were few other choices. Don’t let that greenish hue fool you, though: Typically milled from of non-sustainably harvested wood impregnated with chemical preservatives, standard pressure-treated lumber falls toward the back of the queue in the green decking lineup.

Choosing a decking material with the smallest environmental footprint often means weighing one trade off against another. Plastic decking is a maintenance-free option, but what’s the recycled content? Cedar or redwood decks are beautiful, but were they timbered from rapidly diminishing old-growth forests? Sustainably-harvested tropical hardwoods are impervious to rot and insect damage, but what about the carbon cost associated with transporting them from far off lands? There are no easy answers.

Plastic lumber emerged as a popular decking option over a decade ago thanks to its maintenance-free durability. But green shopper beware. Not all plastic lumber contains recycled plastic. Some products are comprised primarily of virgin plastic with very little or no recycled content.

Much of the plastic decking out there these days is actually a composite material—a blend of plastic and wood fibers. Trex, one of the best-known composite brands, is manufactured from wood waste and recycled polyethylene. Trex makes a nice decking material, but the composite nature of this product raises a question about what to do with it when the deck has outlived its useful purpose. The wood and plastic, now bound together, can no longer be separated, and thus cannot be recycled. Any scrap material or old deck tear-outs are often landfill-bound.

On the other hand pure plastic lumber can be recycled again and again. For the greenest option in plastic decking, look for materials that are made with the highest amount of post-consumer recycled plastic content you can find. Avoid plastic lumber made from polystyrene or PVC, neither of which is widely recycled. For the porch deck on our home, we used a material purchased through Milmar Plastics, located just north of Hagerstown, which is made primarily from recycled milk jugs. For more info on choosing plastic lumber, check out the Healthy Building Network at www.healthybuilding.net/plastic_lumber.html.

Certified sustainably-harvested wood is another green deck option to consider. The Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international organization that certifies the sustainable management of forests and the harvesting of timber around the world. Wood decking materials like western red cedar, redwood, and several rainforest species can all be found bearing an FSC certification. For some exterior railings on our home, we sourced a Brazilian hardwood called Ipe` from Banner Elk Trading Company in Georgia. But these materials have to travel a great distance to our backyards; this raises the environmental cost measured in greenhouse carbon dioxide.

To complicate things more, pressure-treated lumber is now making strides to live up to its greenish hue. The EPA banned arsenic-based wood preservative in 2003, and the new treatment is being regarded as non-hazardous. Other wood preservative treatments like boron and silica are now hitting the market. Wait a few years and you might see a sustainably-harvested, non-toxic, pressure-treated material climbing in the ranks of green decking options.

Ramon’s Catering Goes Green
by Jennifer Jensen

Ray Catrow, owner of Ramon’s in Martinsburg, has adopted biodegradable serving products for his business, Ramon’s Catering. Ramon’s deli service now uses EnviroWareTM, a product of Dispoz-o Products, Inc. EnviroWare is a 100-percent biodegradable line that includes plastic cups, cutlery, and to-go bags. The line also includes the carryout trays, the only foam products in the world that are 100-percent biodegradable, and manufactured without hydrocarbons. The products contain no dyes or pigments harmful to the environment. EnviroWare products are FDA approved. Ramon’s is located at the Moose Lodge at 201 Woodbury Avenue in Martinsburg. For more information about EnviroWare, visit www.dispozo.com.

Recycling Batteries
by Annie Brown

Rechargeable battery recycling:
Most stores that sell cellular phones will accept any type of rechargeable battery for recycling, i.e. cell phone, drills, hearing aid, etc.

Non-rechargeable battery recycling:
This type of recycling is still rare and not available in Jefferson County but the following links do offer a solution.

You can take them free of charge to MOM’S My Organic Market in Frederick, Md. They will also recycle florescent light bulbs, which contain small amounts of mercury. www.myorganicmarket.com

Or contact Battery Solutions, www.batteryrecycling.com. For a small charge this company will send a container for collecting batteries.