A Buying Guide for Eco Furniture
When we talk about going green, eco furniture is certainly something we need to be aware of in the world of home and office décor. Eco home furniture is already quite extensive and offers different styles from traditional designs, to quite modern and up-to-date modular furniture.
Environment friendly indoor or outdoor furniture is specially crafted in such a manner that it has minimum negative impact on the environment. 
It is made from renewable resources and there are few or no chemicals used that result in harming the environment. Not only that; but herbal oils and polishes are used to minimize the toxic levels. Green furniture can also be crafted from recycled materials, which in turn can be recycled again.
Green living ensures that we do not burden the environment and use up precious energy from non renewable resources. You can easily find great modern and traditional furniture designs that are unique and economical and as attractive as other furniture made from regular sources. Some people may think that green furniture would be boring and quite unexciting but that is just not the case. You can find many creative designers crafting fabulous pieces of furniture for the environmentally friendly buffs who care about their actions.
There are different certifications you can watch out for while buying furniture like FSC, LEED certification. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and FSC-certified Wood (The Forest Stewardship Council) is an international certification and labeling system for paper and wood products like indoor and outdoor furniture that come from responsibly managed forests, and verified recycled sources.
Following are some points you may like to pay attention to.
1. The indoor or outdoor furniture should be made from rapid renewable or sustainable material like bamboo, cork or other sustainable woods. This furniture should not be sourced from protected forests.
2. Recycled materials can also be used and are materials previously used like factory scraps, salvaged or post-consumer material like old furniture or items disposed of. Using recycled material is eco-friendly and as it reduces the cost of transportation it also reduces the trash going to land fills.
3. You should also look for materials that have gone through very little processing such as natural granite, stone, slate, and wood. These are also considered green, as they expend little energy during the manufacturing process.
4. The furniture should be free from chemicals and compounds. There should be reduced or completely eliminated use of toxic chemicals for production and finishes such as chlorine, or wood preservatives such as creosote.
5. Green products are the ones that have low operational costs for manufacturing. The high costs of electricity and other natural resources for manufacturing can have a negative impact on the environment. These costs also include the cost of packaging. Green products are the ones that are minimally packaged, preferably with recycled materials. Handmade products that do not consume much fuel are also eco-friendly.
These are simple facts about environment-friendly furniture. Furniture designers are realizing the importance of designing furniture that is not just green, but also attractive and comfortable whether it is indoor or outdoor furniture. We can all contribute to going green in some way. Green is not just in vogue, but also the right thing to do. Embrace green living as a part of your everyday life.
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jack e posted on September 27, 2009:
Have you seen officedesigns.com’s green gallery? They have all these really cool looking eco-friendly chairs for a really good price. They also are having a Herman Miller sale so all of their stuff gets up to almost 30% off.
Eco Furniture Guide posted on December 4, 2009:
These are some good looking chairs. They are definitely Eco friendly also. Its a good thing if they are available at a cheap rate.