The Importance of Safe, Eco-Friendly Wooden Train Track Pieces
It's difficult to imagine a piece of wood not being safe, either ecologically or where our children are concerned.
In reality, the wooden train track itself is not the culprit, but the products used in manufacturing.
So how does one tell when a product is truly green - or good for us, our children and the earth - when the Environmental Protection Agency deems the language used by companies to describe their green products as "useless"? The answer lies in time, energy and research.
We wouldn't think twice about learning the safety rating and overall economy of a car before we make a purchase.
The same should go for the rest of the items we take into our homes, including wooden train track pieces.
Points to Consider: Look for wooden track pieces made of the densest hardwoods available, like beech and maple.
These woods are more durable, clean more easily, and have a smooth finish and edge.
Be sure the wooden train track pieces are cut from a solid hardwood plank as opposed to wood chips super-compressed together with a polymer compound.
These pieces can break apart and present a choking hazard, and exposes the polymer glue which is most certainly not safe for children.
These pieces are also more difficult to recycle.
There is little need for wooden train track pieces to be colored.
If they are, confirm with the manufacturer that the coatings are 100% non-toxic.
This goes for the trains themselves as well.
Look for companies who source lumber for their wooden train track pieces from local, responsible sources.
Even when lumber is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified, there is no guarantee that a company is not using toxic chemicals in the manufacturing of their wooden track pieces.
Two Environmentally Friendly Wooden Train Track Manufacturers: The first, Maple Landmark in Vermont hasn't had to scramble to rearrange the makeup of toxic substances used in their wooden train track pieces because they've never used any.
They utilize local lumber sources, finding the quality in Vermont is better than the FSC certified lumber available in New Hampshire.
Even if the quality was the same, the lumber in New Hampshire takes a lot of time and fuel to transport which defeats the whole purpose of helping the environment.
Second is Michigan based Mesko Toys.
Not only are Mesko's wooden train track pieces manufactured in Michigan they are also made from "tree-cycled" solid hardwoods.
This means they use waste wood from lumber yard surplus and trees that have fallen in urban areas.
Using waste wood may cause discolorations and variations to the wood grain but with no bearing on the train track's functionality.
Mesko Toys also uses non-toxic water-based wood glue for the building components attached to their wooden track systems.
Smart Buying Choices: Always remember the old saying, "You get what you pay for" and that informed buyers can be sure any money saved doesn't come at the cost of the earth, or worse.
In reality, the wooden train track itself is not the culprit, but the products used in manufacturing.
So how does one tell when a product is truly green - or good for us, our children and the earth - when the Environmental Protection Agency deems the language used by companies to describe their green products as "useless"? The answer lies in time, energy and research.
We wouldn't think twice about learning the safety rating and overall economy of a car before we make a purchase.
The same should go for the rest of the items we take into our homes, including wooden train track pieces.
Points to Consider: Look for wooden track pieces made of the densest hardwoods available, like beech and maple.
These woods are more durable, clean more easily, and have a smooth finish and edge.
Be sure the wooden train track pieces are cut from a solid hardwood plank as opposed to wood chips super-compressed together with a polymer compound.
These pieces can break apart and present a choking hazard, and exposes the polymer glue which is most certainly not safe for children.
These pieces are also more difficult to recycle.
There is little need for wooden train track pieces to be colored.
If they are, confirm with the manufacturer that the coatings are 100% non-toxic.
This goes for the trains themselves as well.
Look for companies who source lumber for their wooden train track pieces from local, responsible sources.
Even when lumber is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified, there is no guarantee that a company is not using toxic chemicals in the manufacturing of their wooden track pieces.
Two Environmentally Friendly Wooden Train Track Manufacturers: The first, Maple Landmark in Vermont hasn't had to scramble to rearrange the makeup of toxic substances used in their wooden train track pieces because they've never used any.
They utilize local lumber sources, finding the quality in Vermont is better than the FSC certified lumber available in New Hampshire.
Even if the quality was the same, the lumber in New Hampshire takes a lot of time and fuel to transport which defeats the whole purpose of helping the environment.
Second is Michigan based Mesko Toys.
Not only are Mesko's wooden train track pieces manufactured in Michigan they are also made from "tree-cycled" solid hardwoods.
This means they use waste wood from lumber yard surplus and trees that have fallen in urban areas.
Using waste wood may cause discolorations and variations to the wood grain but with no bearing on the train track's functionality.
Mesko Toys also uses non-toxic water-based wood glue for the building components attached to their wooden track systems.
Smart Buying Choices: Always remember the old saying, "You get what you pay for" and that informed buyers can be sure any money saved doesn't come at the cost of the earth, or worse.
Source...