From Guest Blogger Lillian Connors: Choosing Furniture with the Environment in Mind

Going green is something everyone should consider, especially now when there are environmentally friendly substitutions for almost every part of our lives, like biodegradable grocery bags, power-saving light bulbs, cars that use biofuel and even green furniture.

But what exactly are green products? Green products or environmentally friendly products are called this way because of their content or the way they are made. They are often made from recycled and biodegradable materials, making them less of a threat to the environment. They are also energy efficient and have no toxic and Ozone depleting chemicals.

With this in mind, manufacturers decided to start producing eco-friendly furniture. Because of reckless deforestation and too much wood consumption, we are threatening our very own existence. Forests are essential to the Earth’s atmosphere; without them, CO2 emissions would skyrocket and oxygen levels would drastically drop. That is why it’s very important to start taking precautionary measures and eco-friendly furniture is one of the solutions. There are a few ways you can go green with your furniture and we are here to show you the best ones so even you can contribute a little to preserving our nature.

Repurposed wooden furniture

Artists and designers have come up with a great idea that mixes both style and efficiency. Since wood is so durable and healthy material, it can stay in solid shape for long periods of time without losing too much on quality. Designers have realized that they can repurpose old wooden furniture and give it a new and shiny look.

They use everything from flawed pieces of wood to damaged furniture and recycle or repurpose it for a further use. This is not going to solve our environmental problems because flawed furniture is rare, but it is a nice way to help out the designers and artists and be eco-friendly. If you decide to buy yourself this type of furniture, look for “Rediscovered Wood Certification”; its quality is guaranteed.

Wood harvested from sustainable farms

This is probably the most impactful way to preserve forest and nature. Sustainable wood farms are used so we don’t harvest real forests and destroy natural wildlife habitats. Furniture that is built from the wood from these farms is guaranteed to be environmentally friendly. Also, it is much nicer to use natural timber furniture than the ones made from fake materials, like plastic or metal.

Almost every type of wood can be found on these farms so manufacturers offer a wide range for you to choose from. Just pick the one that is to your taste and, always check for the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certificate so you are sure that it came from one such farm.

Used and vintage furniture

What we often forget is that we can buy used and vintage furniture from garage sales or from local thrift shops. This solution is as eco-friendly as the furniture made from recycled materials because no new wood is used. There are some beautiful pieces of vintage furniture you can find and they are often in decent condition.

Even though they will probably need a little restoration, it will all be worth your while because you will end up with a unique and stylish piece of furniture. Just be careful and check for the harmful substances, like lead paint. Back in the time when these pieces of furniture were made, they had no idea how harmful lead paint is.

And that is all from us. As you can see, going green with your furniture is not that hard. There is something for everyone’s taste regardless if you want a brand new piece or repurposed one. Just keep an eye on those certificates and seals of approval. They are the only way you can be sure that the material for the furniture came from a sustainable farm or from recycling.