Karl Borree on Making Sports Floors Smarter, Safer, and More Sustainable

🎯 The Green Impact Report Quick take: This episode is a must-listen for architects, contractors, and LEED Pros looking to level up athletic spaces. Karl Borree shares how flooring can dramatically impact health, sustainability, and even climate goals — if you design it right. 🎓 Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Karl Borree is a veteran of the performance flooring industry and a passionate advocate for sustainable product innovation. As a key voice at Action Floors, Karl works at the intersection of health, athletics, and material science — driving forward the only carbon-negative maple flooring solution on the market today. With a background in coaching, economics, and rhetorical theory, he brings a unique human-centered lens to sustainable product strategy. 🌱 Breaking Ground on Better Building 💡 Key Insight #1: Flooring Isn't Just About Bounce — It's About Emissions, Safety, and Lifecycle The Challenge: Traditional gym floors often use PVC-based pads that off-gas and lose performance over time. The Solution: Action Floors uses natural rubber pads that don't off-gas, last longer, and offer superior restitution for athletes. ROI: Improved air quality, safer impact absorption, extended lifespan — with verified carbon-negative. 💡 Key Insight #2: One Size Doesn't Fit All — Design for the Athlete, Not Just the Space The Challenge: Many school districts default to "standard" flooring systems without considering age, activity, or use-case. The Solution: Action Floors offers 14+ custom subfloor systems tuned to the specific athlete profile — from preschoolers to pros. ROI: Reduced injuries, enhanced performance, and floors that align with building lifecycle and functional demands. 💡 Key Insight #3: Carbon-Negative Sports Flooring Exists — If You Know Where to Look The Challenge: Most stakeholders assume performance floors are carbon-intensive due to manufacturing and global shipping. The Solution: Action Floors sources maple from the UP of Michigan, leveraging cold climate slow-growth trees, and runs a verified carbon-negative operation. ROI: Global shipments with a smaller footprint than local competitors — backed by SGS-certified EPDs. 🎧 Sustainable Soundbite "Follow your passion, not your pension — that'll bring you everything you really want." – Karl Borree 🌍 Episode Overview Think sports flooring is just about looks or bounce? Think again. In this episode, Karl Borree of Action Floors pulls back the curtain on a massively underappreciated part of green building: what's under your feet. From carbon-negative maple to all-natural rubber pads engineered to reduce concussions, Karl shares how performance flooring is being reimagined with sustainability — and athletes — at the center. ✅ Your Green Building Action Plan This Week: Ask your flooring vendor if they have an EPD — and what's under the surface. This Quarter: If you're designing a space for athletes (of any age), evaluate whether your flooring supports performance and long-term health. This Year: Shift from lowest-bid procurement to lifecycle-focused design — especially in public education and athletic facility projects. 🔗 Connect & Learn More 🌿 Access full episode resources: Green Building Matters Podcast 📄 Read the transcript: here 🔗 Connect with Karl Borree: [LinkedIn] 🏗️ Explore Action Floor Systems, LLC 💚 Join the Green Building Movement: https://www.greenbuilding.news/subscribe ✉️ Want More Green Building Insights? Get exclusive tips, expert interviews, and green design tools — delivered twice a week. 📬 Subscribe FREE → https://www.greenbuilding.news/subscribe