Eco-Friendly furniture defined and why it's important to purchase quality locally made furniture pieces

"As a responsible person trying to lead a green lifestyle, you may be wondering how to buy green furniture. After all buying green means that you are doing your part to help keep the planet healthy. By buying green furniture you also keep your home healthy, because you are bringing in furniture that doesn’t put harmful substances in the air you breathe every day."

Eco-friendly furnishings have a positive affect on indoor air quality. Traditional furnishings contain chemicals such as formaldehyde that do affect the air we breathe. Eco-friendly furnishings use water-based or bio-based products that eliminate the use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are found in many traditional glues and finishes.

The use of wood is an important concept in eco-friendly furnishings. Eco-friendly furniture does not include hardwood obtained from forests that are considered to be ill-managed in terms of their ecological impact. Instead, lumber companies with a commitment to sustainability practices are chosen by eco-friendly furnishings manufacturers. Delivery and mileage from supplier to manufacturer are kept to a minimum and the manufacturer is recycling energy and product wherever possible.Steel may also be used in eco-friendly furnishings since it's considered a "green" metal because it can be easily recycled. Actually, steel is the most recycled material worldwide.

Buying locally made furniture instead of imported furniture is amongst the greenest choices you can make. Remember that being green is all about sustainability. Buying locally made furniture cuts down on energy requirements to ship it from one place to another since the nearer home it was made, the less it had to travel. Added advantage? You support the local economy by supporting local craftspeople and small businesses. If you look around you will find plenty of resources.

This is an easily overlooked, but important part of being green. When you buy good quality, well made furniture, you are buying green furniture. It will not have to be replaced for a long time. Even if you get tired of it, you can easily give it away or re-sell, and somebody else can use it. Poor quality furniture may be cheap, and seem like a good buy at the time, but you and the environment end up paying a price pretty quickly.

When you decide to purchase new furniture, be sure to dispose of your old items in the most eco friendly way possible. You have several options available to you. You can donate the items to places like Goodwill or your local women’s shelter. You can hand it down to a family member that is just getting started with their first apartment. Or you can even sell it at a furniture resale shop. Your items will surely find new life with a new owner because there are several ways of giving furniture a new look; reupholstering, a new coat of paint, a slipcover, a few throws and new pillows. So, please consider recycling before you put your items out at the curb.