Furniture is an essential item in your home. While some obsess with choosing stylish pieces of furniture, some people just buy without thinking of what good it does to the house, the environment, and human health.
There is now a growing modern sustainability movement which focuses on making environment-friendly choices when it comes to furnishing their homes and offices. With the adverse effects of climate change on the environment and health, it is essential that we take pro-active steps to save our planet and ourselves from catastrophe.
There are many options for a green furniture on the market nowadays to display in your home and offices. In this article, I will share some tips on how to buy environment-friendly pieces of furniture to get you started on being an environment-conscious individual.
Select Certified Sustainable Wood
Trees are a finite natural resource, and, regrettably, your wood-made furniture in your home can use up a lot of lumber. However, there are earth-friendly options that you can get when choosing wood as a material for your home furniture.
For example, certified sustainable wood that came from sustainable tree farms and harvested from reclaimed forest and woodlands is right to go to furnish your home. Forest Stewardship Council is a trusted and an excellent standard of certification that promotes sustainability of rainforests and advocates environment-friendly options for a greener and better world.
Choose Furniture Made of Recycled Materials
One best way to minimize cutting of trees is to take care of your furniture so that you can use it a lot longer. But, even if you neglected to take care of it, there are ways to prolong the lifespan of your furniture. And this is through recycled and reclaimed old materials.
Recycled and reclaimed wood comes from old furniture, houses, and other scraps that are ready for some environment-friendly reincarnation. Many interior designers and environment-conscious homeowners are doing recycling of old materials to make it reusable. Aside from doing the fact that you will save a lot of money, you will also help preserve the environment when you recycle.
Opt for Bamboo-Made Furniture
Perhaps, you have heard about the fact that bamboo is not a tree, but a grass? If you have not, bamboo comes from a family of grass that comes in various size from tiny to huge, and colors from maroon stripes to lime green.
What makes it as a sustainable source of material for furniture is that bamboos are incredibly fast-growing and versatile and has become a favorite material for home designers and builders alike.
Bamboos usually used in floors, shaped into furniture, pressed into veneers, and you can build your entire house out of it. What’s more, bamboo is known to grow with the use of few or no pesticides, so it is an excellent way to preserve the planet.
Go For Recycled Metal and Plastic
Recycled materials such as metal and plastic require less processing and fewer resources and help in widening the awareness of buying and using recycled products. With the advent of cutting-edge technologies, you can now recycle old materials into high-quality products such as furniture.
For example, you can recycle mattresses, dining tables, chairs, and other pieces of furniture in your home.
Go For Low-Toxic or Nontoxic Furniture
If you don’t yet know about it, some furniture is surprisingly toxic. A study shows that the air you breathe in your home is deadlier than outside. It is due to volatile organic compounds, which come from pieces of furniture treated with highly toxic chemicals.
Also, when you don’t dispose of these materials properly, it can pose a danger to the environment as well as your health.
Therefore, for you to help preserve the environment and maintain your health, it is advisable that you choose furniture with low or no toxic content. One way to find out if your furniture has low or nontoxic substance is to look for the Greenguard label when you are shopping.
Choose a Piece of Furniture That’s Flexible and Durable
One of the most essential but frequently overlooked aspects of environmental-friendly products is durability. If something is durable or easily repaired, this reduces the chance that it will end up in the landfill, and could save you money in the long run, even if it’s originally more expensive.
Even recyclable materials if once break requires energy or other resources to process again and then replace. Durable products that are long-lasting can be easily passed on from one person to another. Even if you change your style and you don’t like that kitchen table anymore, a good sturdy table will always be fascinating to others, while having a broken one won’t. When it’s time to say goodbye to your possessions, look for online selling sites, and find it a new home.
Do Some Research
When searching for eco-friendly furniture, it is best to research first before purchasing. Do not be afraid to ask some questions. Check out where the wood comes from, what type of chemicals used to treat the furniture, and familiarize yourself with different certification terms such as BIFMA and Greenguard.
Takeaway
As the threat of climate change is all around us, it is essential that we take steps in preserving our environment. The best ways to make it into a green and sustainable future are to choose furniture that is environment-friendly.
Make sure to choose a certified sustainable material, recycled and reclaimed products, low nontoxic, and bamboo furniture. As such, you will become part of the solution to the growing problem of climate change.
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