We use it in every room of our house. We sit on it. We eat on it and we sleep on it. It's our furniture--chairs, beds, dining room tables, dressers, and more. Furniture that is made out of wood, cloth, plastic, and many other materials. The sad part is that we use it so much but seventeen billion pounds of furniture still ends up in our landfills every year, causing the need for more and more space to dump our trash. This is waste that can and should be avoided.
Do what you can to stop wasting and green your furniture now. It's not about changing everything in your life to live a greener one. It's about doing what you can. Find easy ways that you can go green when it comes to your home and office furnishings and do what you can now.
3 Easy Ways to Green Your Furniture Now
Buy used: Never underestimate the charm of used furniture. Antique shops, eBay, and used furniture stores offer a treasure of furniture just waiting to be repurposed. You'll save money, save energy, and save materials by buying vintage or shabby chic. So before you head out to a furniture store to complete redecorate your home or office, check out the used furniture that is available in your area first.
Buy furniture made of sustainable materials: If used, vintage, or shabby chic furniture just isn't for you then buy furniture that is made of sustainable materials. Furniture made from harvested wood like plantation-grown lumber or woods that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council are acceptable.
Refurbish what you have: Take a look at the furniture that you already own and think of ways you can turn it into what you want. Maybe stripping the paint off of an old dresser and returning it to its natural wood or reupholstering a chair with a new material will turn an old piece of furniture into a brand new piece. This saves the life of your old furniture, while saving energy, materials, and more on producing new furniture.
You don't have to completely change the way that you furnish your home. But you owe it to yourself and to the environment to do what you can to save it. Maybe it's as simple as buying one new piece of furniture that you can't live without, while refurbishing and buying used for the rest of your house renovations.
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