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Eco-Friendly FurnitureEver wonder where your furniture came from?Many wood products are created from timber gathered from forests that are not always sustainably grown or harvested, and can contain volatile chemicals and compounds in the stains and paints that are harmful to both the environment, and your own health. "If you were to dissect a typical living-room couch, you‘d likely find an environmental disaster: a frame made of unsustainably harvested wood treated with formaldehyde and varnishes that can pollute indoor air; unrecyclable foam cushions dosed with flame-retardant chemicals that accumulate in fish when released into the environment; and upholstery colored with chlorine-based dyes and tacked on with toxic glues. In fact, toxic materials are used throughout the traditional furniture-making process. The paints, varnishes and waxes commonly
employed can release the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are known to decrease indoor air quality. One of the most common
VOCs is formaldehyde, which is used in glues for particleboard. It is also added to paints as a preservative and to upholstery to
give it a permanent-press quality. Formaldehyde emissions can cause eye and throat irritation, allergic reactions, and possibly
cancer, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission." The wood used for most furniture and flooring products is not specifically raised or the purpose of being cut down, and this wood can be taken from endangered places such as the Rainforest or from trees such as California Redwoods. These practices are not sustainable since Rainforests, once cut down, never grow back, and Redwoods would take thousands of years to regrow back to the state they had been before people started cutting them down. Eco friendly furniture and flooring is made from trees that are grown specifically for the purpose of being harvested for commercial uses. These forests are not raized entirely; trees are hand selected for their quality and age, thus assuring that not only is the wood that is used for products more likely of higher quality, but trees that may be cut down in mass-cutting that are not old enough are able to mature to the right age. This also prevents the major disruption of animals' homes, as would happen if an entire field of trees were grow to maturity. Woods that are typically used are oak, maple, poplar, maple, cherry and mahogany. These trees are durable and have a natural beauty that is brought out through the use of clear stains and finishes. They can also be stained to any number of colors. The best way to know if the wood products you are buying as sustainably grown, make sure that they carry the Forest Stewardship Council logo, FSC. You can ask your furniture provider where their wood came from, and they should be able to tell you. However, if they can’t, there is a chance that the wood has not been approved. Some furniture is even made using recycled wood from timber and old furniture, therefore reducing the amount of new wood that is required for production. These pieces are typically made from wood scraps and other recycled materials, and can range from the most utilitarian to the fanciest. These materials are processed in a low-impact manner to affect the environment as minimally as possible. Some good resources for eco-friendly furniture are:
Some good resources for eco-friendly flooring are: |
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