Unfinished bamboo flooring can also be stained to other colors. So, where can you use bamboo flooring? a.k.a. Green suggests using this hardwood surface in living and sleeping spaces, and kitchens.

To help your lucky bamboo maintain its vibrant green color and overall health, keep it in a stable warm location, such as a cozy corner of a room, or a shelf near an east-facing window.

Many bamboo products have a beautiful golden brown color to them, and they're often made with two complementary shades of wood for added style. Going green never looked so good.

But bamboo, like most things marketed as "green" these days, isn't perfect. First of all, much of it comes from Asia, so the carbon footprint of shipping it here is not insignificant.