For years, I believed that honey was a natural and healthy option to other sweeteners. And I loved beeswax. I even rolled my own sheets to make candles in my late 20s. When I chose to live a vegan life, I dutifully gave up honey and beeswax but I wasn’t really sure why. I would answer: bee exploitation, when people asked, but my vague answer did little to convince me that I really knew why.

Stains, grime and fingerprints – a  detective’s best friends, my worst enemy. A clean house to me is a happy and healthy house. Pre-vegan, I depended on Windex and Tide. I never questioned the values of the companies who manufactured these products or the ingredients in the products themselves. I trusted these companies in my belief that clean was clean.

Flooring is the aesthetic foundation of our homes. From hardwood, to carpet, concrete or rug-filled, our floors define the look and style of our homes and even say a little about us. Floors reveal whether we prefer modern and clean, warm and colorful and, now, if we are compassionate. Can we keep our vegan values in mind when we think of our home’s floors? Absolutely.