Speaking of beige carpet (which I have), a bamboo flooring retailer I know through work recently told me that it's perfectly possible to lay a bamboo floor right over carpet, which is handy if like me you rent.  Then you can take the flooring with you when you leave. He said for assembly he'd use plain old elmers glue, which would come apart again easily and is non-toxic. 

I think laminate floors are super easy to lay, but questionable from the eco/health perspective. Like carpet, they're made with chemical compounds that tend to "off gas" for a very long time.  Linoleum, marmoleum and wood can be laid in much the same way, though.