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Green Furniture – Beneficial or Just a Hype?

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As soon as you enter almost any house today, an infinite number of air-borne pollutants that you cannot even see, will immediately get into your lungs and attached to your skin. This happens in any home, modern or old, at any office or reception area and at any other space where furniture and fabrics are used or displayed. Fortunately, over the last few years, a new method of furniture making has been occurring.

Eco-friendly furniture or green furniture is a new buzzword for a modern type of furnishing product. Environment friendly furniture not only aids and promotes a good cause; this type of furniture is specially crafted in such a way that it has minimum negative impact on the environment.

Green furniture is obtained from renewable natural resources and there are few or no chemicals used in their production, resulting in a very low impact to the environment and the user’s health. Furniture crafted from recycled materials and which also can be recycled falls under the same category.

Those who make and manufacture green furniture are committed to producing non-toxic, environmentally friendly and safe enough products to live without contamination. Herbal oils and polish are used in the finishing process to minimize the toxic levels.

One of the first steps towards manufacturing green furniture is to use wood that comes from a sustainable forest. Gone are the days of exotic woods found only in the few remaining rainforests, instead these woods are now found in areas managed by modern reforesting techniques. For every tree taken, another is either planted or left to grow to full maturity.

The second step is the use of non-toxic bonding agents. Many types of glue, especially those used in imported furniture, are known to release formaldehyde gases and other air-borne chemicals into the home or surrounding area. By utilizing non-toxic glues, green manufactures provide their customers with a safe product that produce no off-gasses in their homes.

The third step to green furniture is in the finish. Many chemicals known to cause cancer and other health problems are used in lacquers, varnishes and other methods of furniture finishing. By using natural approved herbal oils and water based finishes, green builders guarantee non-toxicity of the woods surfaces.

For those concerned about any of the above problems, replacing your old furniture with eco-friendly green furniture in your home may be the perfect solution. True, green furniture may cost a bit more, but the safety and health benefits for your loved ones and the peace of mind you receive is priceless.

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How to Become an Earth-Friendly Consumer

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April is Earth Month, a time for people to stop and think about how they can do their part to help the environment.

According to Environmental Defense, a leading nonprofit organization committed to protecting the environment, the United States is ranked the No. 1 global warming polluter. What can you do to help change that? Here are some small steps that you can take every day toward becoming a more conscious consumer:

* Buy in bulk. It’s cheaper in the long run, and you buy more of the product and less of the packaging.

* Look at the businesses you buy from. Does your coffee shop recycle? Does your rental car agency have hybrids? If you’re in doubt, ask. Businesses take note of consumers’ questions, your inquiry could be the one to tip the scale and make a change.

* Make an appointment to celebrate Earth Day and make sure you support an eco-friendly cause or company . One of our very favorites is ReJAVAnate.com, their program takes discarded burlap and jute bags from the coffee industry and reuses the material for accessories made by individuals with developmental disabilities.

* Support your local farmers. Farmers’ markets are where some of the healthiest and freshest food can be found. By supporting farmers in your own community, you’re doing your own body good and cutting down on carbon dioxide emissions of food transportation.

* Recycle! Plastic comes from crude oil and paper comes from trees. By recycling just these two items in your household, you’re helping to save two of the Earth’s valuable resources and reducing your home’s carbon dioxide emissions.

* Pay your bills online. It saves stamps, paper, fuel for mail transport and ultimately saves you money.

* Purchase thoughtful gifts. BuyGreen.com carries a wide variety of earth-friendly gifts like their Pure Beeswax Aromatherapy Pillar Candles made with  high quality essential oils, pure filtered beeswax, and no lead or metal 100% cotton wicks.

* Think eco-fashion. A number of designers are now using clothing materials that go beyond organic cotton, such as biodegradable fabrics and fibers made of recycled plastics. We recommend GreenCouture.com as one of the very best sources for eco-friendly clothing and accessories.

* Spread the word. If you find a green product or company that you like, tell your friends. Consumers can use their collective purchasing power to spearhead change.

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Selecting Eco-friendly Office Furniture

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Global warming is a proven fact, and to help in reducing it, everyday more companies and their eco-friendly employees and principals are switching over to energy-efficient appliances and environmentally-friendly products. Offices are one of the main consumers of furniture and they can be an integral part of the green revolution by carefully selecting eco-friendly office furniture and energy saving devices. The primary concerns to be considered when choosing eco-friendly office furniture are the choice of wood, the fabric materials, and the chemicals involved in the manufacture of the furniture.

Traditionally, hardwood has been the material of choice for most office furniture. However, with increasing pressure to save precious natural rainforest resources, the new earth-friendly trend is to manufacture furniture only from recycled woods or obtained in an environmentally friendly manner. Many furniture makers are now committed to sourcing their wood only from lumber companies that are known to indulge in reforestation and sustainable forestry practices.

Many companies like thegreenoffice.com and overstock.com offer eco-friendly furniture and supplies, but when buying office furniture, look for those that have been certified by recognized authorities such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). These certifications guarantee that the wood has been sourced from well-managed forests that meet the principles of environmental conservation including maintenance of ecosystems, conservation of biological diversity and establishment of long-term management practices.

Recycled materials are also gaining track and beginning to find favor in the offices across the country. Office chairs are now available that are being constructed of material that is made from recycled soda bottles and recycled fabrics. The Velica Series High-Back Swivel/Tilt Chair is a good example.

It is equally important that office furniture should also meet indoor environmental pollution standards. Certain finishes, glues and stains create emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) that are largely responsible for indoor air pollution. Eco-friendly office furniture includes powder-based finishing coats that require less energy to manufacture, create less waste and are VOC- free. Greenguard, a non-profit organization evaluates the effects of various products on the indoor air quality. Opting for furniture with a Greenguard certification ensures that only low-emission materials that are non-polluting are used in the product.

More and more business owners have recognized the importance of buying eco-friendly office furniture. With furniture-makers acknowledging the need to comply with the ever-increasing demand, many creative designers are crafting fabulous eco-friendly pieces of furniture for the environment conscious buffs who care about their actions, and office furniture is now easily available in a wide range of designs and eco-friendly materials.

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Eco Friendly Baby & Family Products

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These minimize the impact on the environment and by taking actions such as recycling you can set a good precedent for the future generation. You can now buy most things in a ‘green’ version for babies including organic baby clothes. There is an increasing movement to return to the old days and use cloth nappies instead of the disposable ones which add to the land fills. Imagine how many of these nappies you can get through in the first years of the babies live? Hundreds if not thousands! Many of these cloth nappy companies are stating ease of use, financial benefits, less rubbish and the comfort of natural cloth over paper and gel against delicate skin as some of the many reasons for making this change. See the GuideMeGreen for companies that offer cloth nappies and other eco products for babies and the home.

I want to enable parents to choose and use products which will benefit baby and his or her family now and protect his her future environment. GuideMeGreen is essentially a result of my own search for natural and eco-friendly products for my family and offers a service that makes it far easier for other parents to find the right products for them. I often receive requests from teenagers asking for ethical clothing shops and other products of interest them. If teenagers are interested, GuideMeGreen must be doing something right!

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Face, Hands and Feet Eco-Friendly Skin Care

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You love to work in your garden, and really like the outdoors, unfortunately both activities will end up with your poor body suffering from dry facial skin, rough out hands, split nails, cracked heels, and smelly feet.  So how do you enjoy your favorite outdoor activities while protecting your body and the environment, and without having to take a second mortgage on your property? Fear no more, there are plenty of eco-friendly ways to get your skin and your body back in optimal condition, you just have to start from the top.

Face:

Artificially made face creams and body lotions create a coat in the skin trapping the moisture beneath and this can cause mild to moderate irritation because the skin cannot breathe normally.

Oils from plant based creams and Shea butter will soothe and hydrate dry skin by nourishing it with vitamins and minerals, building up strong and healthy skin cells that will show up in just a couple of weeks.

Vitamins E, A and C are important to healthy skin and have been shown to prevent untimely aging and wrinkles and can repair sun-damaged skin and minor skin problems like an uneven skin tone. The minerals Selenium, Copper and Zinc have also been found to improve the look and health of skin. The nourishing oils of rose hip and evening primrose can rejuvenate the skin, while elements such as spirulina stimulate tissue regeneration and cucumber can aid in clear blemishes.

Hands:

Natural made hand and nail creams containing ingredients that reinforce the skin’s own protective functions such as Shea butter, avocado, macadamia, apricot and almond oils, vitamins and aloe vera will not only moisturize the hands but also strengthen the nails, fade age spots and smooth the skin. Hand scrubs can speed up cell regeneration on the hands and should be used weekly to remove dry, flaky skin and dead cells.

An easy hand scrub to make at home is with sugar and olive oil. Just mix together to a pleasant consistency and gently massage the mixture on the hands for a few minutes. Rinse and apply a good natural hand cream.

Feet:

Cracked, sore heels and smelly feet can be a constant problem in many households with people of all ages, but a little natural care taken weekly can help heal and prevent further complications. Soaking the feet in a bucket of warm water to which is added a cup of bi-carbonate of soda will soften and deodorize the feet. After fifteen minutes gently use a foot scrub to remove the dry skin and then dry thoroughly. Apply a little natural foot cream that contains anti-bacterial essential oils and then cover with socks to let the cream penetrate deeply into the skin. This easy routine will prevent fungal infections and keep your feet smelling fresh and clean.

Getting into the eco-friendly mode of natural skin care will keep you looking good and you will also be doing your body a great chemical free favor!

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