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- Sustainability
- Green Life Guide
- Home Furnishings
Green Home Furnishings
Furniture
- Buy Forest Stewardship Council certified wood
- Buy lower quality wood and secondary species that have less demand
- Buy furniture with no or low VOCs finish or buy it unfinished and do it yourself with products based on linseed or beeswax.
- Avoid particle boards and other wood composites that may emit formaldehyde.
- Avoid carpet and go with hardwood or tile, less waste, less trapped dust, no toxic off gassing.
- Look for modular carpets, which can be sent back to the manufacturer to reuse and are made of recycled material. It is also more easily repaired.
- Walls/windows
- In warm climates un-shaded windows can account for ¼ of AC costs in the summer
- Look for low or no VOC paint
- 20% of an average family electric bill is spent on lighting
- Use CFL bulbs that use ¼ of the energy to produce the same amount of light
- Light temperatures around 2700 mean warmer, redder light
- They produce less heat and last 10 times longer than incandescents
- Recycle all types of all light bulbs as hazardous waste (check on Earth 911 or local hazardous waste facility)
- LED bulbs last 10 times longer than CFL (60,000-100,000 hours)
- No matter how long you are going to be away or what kind of bulbs you have, turn off the lights
- Look for natural latex foam for mattresses instead of polyurethane, which can release toxins.
- Wool meets national fire safety standards without additional chemical fire retardants
- Organic cotton or wool may be the best choice for sheets
- Use beeswax instead of paraffin candles
- Look out for a stiff dark core on the wick, which is made out of lead
- Look out for synthetic fragrances and go with essential oils instead
- Indoor plants significantly improve air quality. Get 15 or so.
- Some are especially good for reducing air toxins
- The flower industry is one of the most pesticide-intensive. Buy local organic flowers.