Category: Home Design

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Eco Tips Green Building Recycling

Five Fun Ways To Introduce Recycling To Kids

recycling-kids-teaching-tips

So you’ve come a long way into educating yourself about recycling. Suddenly, you get the feeling that it is time to discuss this topic with your children. Recycling is a matter of raising awareness about the impact we have on the world we inhabit. If our goal is to create sustainable change, then change has to be transmitted to next generations. Thankfully for us, kids are more than willing to learn about planet earth and how to take care of it. So it is just a matter of finding the right approach. Let’s discuss some ideas.

Arrange a Field Trip
Even though it may require a little planning, a field trip to a recycling facility is a great way for kids to become acquaintance with the whole idea.  Besides, meeting professionals and workers at a recycle center will certainly boost their interest in the topic. Remember that kids of all ages are interested on seeing and experiencing things for themselves, so a “hands-on” experience will always work wonders with them.

Start your own recycling project with them
Another great “hands-on” experience for the children is to start a recycling project at home. So why not taking a weekend off to spend some quality time doing something incredibly gratifying like recycling paper with them. There are plenty of tutorials over the internet to draw ideas from. I assure you that kids will love the idea of creating something new out of old waste paper.

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Invent recycling games
Set up some games to educate your kids on recycling issues. Get creative and remember to focus on the experience. Allow them to be the recycling experts for a day or turn them into the ultimate recycling superheroes. Some ideas for you to experience with are to create games related to sorting garbage items, making organic composts and dumping the right kind of waste on the right kind of bin. And always give away prizes, and treats!

Discuss with your children on how waste affects nature
Be honest with them about the current environmental situation. Talk to them about the changes our planet is going through and our responsibility as humans in reverting this process. Educate them about contamination and how human waste has a profound effect on planet earth. Help them realize how recycling can lead to positive environmental changes.

Empower them
Information is power. Education is power. Awareness is power. Do not underestimate your children’s potential to become change agents. Empower them to take active part in every possible way they can. They’ll be more than willing to do so.

Recycling can be fun and games but it can also be a powerful transformation tool in our homes, our schools and communities. Don’t be afraid to raise awareness. As Gandhi once said: “Be the change you want to see in the world”. Encourage your kids to live under the same principle and keep change going!

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Articles Furnishings Home Decor Home Design Home Improvement

8 Hacks To Instantly Upsize Your Kitchen

tiny-kitchen-small-life-hacks-ideas

We all dream with a big, spacious kitchen, like the ones in TV cooking shows. And even maybe one of those gigantic mansions we often see on MTV. Unfortunately for most of us, reality does not come with huge stainless steel counters and infinite room to put bowls away. If you want your tiny kitchen to feel bigger and maximize your space, here are some hacks that will make your kitchen go form “cramped” to “cozy”.

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1. Think Vertically: use your wall space

Just because there’s no more room for cabinets, it doesn’t mean you should let those precious free inches go to waste. Put up shelves all the way to the ceiling and store cups, classes and mugs there instead of a cabinets.

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2. Use the inside of your cabinet doors

Maximize the space inside of your cabinets and hang your measuring cups, spices or pot lids there. As a bonus, it really is more practical to have certain items ready and organized as soon as you open the cabinet door.

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 3. Bring a pegboard to your kitchen

 Pegboards are not only for the garage anymore. After all, pots and pans are nothing more than the tools you use in the kitchen, right? Hang your pots, pans and other kitchenware in a pegboard, it will look good and keep your items organized.

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 4. Change to an over-the-sink cutting board

 Saving space is not only important when storing things. There’s nothing more annoying than not having enough room to comfortably prep your meal. Use an over-the-sink cutting board and save your counter space for other things.

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 5. Hide a dish rack over your sink

 Instead of wasting precious counter real state, install a dish rack over your sink. You’ll save space, and your drying dishes will be neatly tucked away from your sight.

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 6. Magnetize your spices

 You know what never gets used? Your refrigerator door. Buy small containers with magnets in them and display your spices, have them always on hand and save space, all in the same move.

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 7. Bye bye knife block

 Use a magnetic strip to store knives and free up counter space. Have your knives always on hand and reduce damage to the blade.

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 8. Get a nice fold-up kitchen table

 If you don’t have a big family, a small kitchen table that folds up on the wall will save you a lot of space and make your kitchen feel bigger. You can find small, cute tables, that are practical and stylish.

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Eco Tips Furnishings Home Decor Home Design

Fun Eco-Furnishing Ideas That Your House Would Love To Showcase

eggshell-candles-eco-friendly-idea

branch-shelf-eco-friendly-furnishing Decorating a home can be so much fun and so expensive. In this case we went a different route since it is an eco-friendly home. We went low in cost and expensive in taste. A lot of your home furnishing can be made by hand. You know who can make them? You! Your hands can make amazing furniture that you will cherish for a long time.

Here are some fun eco-furnishing ideas that your house would love to showcase and you would surely brag about because you made them yourself.

  • Mulch Pop Art – You will need a picture frame. You can repurpose one or purchase one at a thrift store. Purchase some mulch and separate them in to 8 different buckets. Add a different paint color in each one. Just toss the mulch a bit so that it does not get clumpy. Now take the glass off the picture frame. You have your frame backboard now to make art pop. Use eco-friendly wood glue on the frame backboard. Use the mulch and make a colorful word, or face. Get creative.
  • Pebble Hot Pad – Collect some river pebbles or stones and glue them to a circular piece of wood. Now you can use it to put your tea kettle and hot plates on.

hot-pads-river-pebbles-eco-decor

  • Yarn of Fate – In this case… ‘fate’ will be ‘photos’. Go to a salvage yard and purchase old nails, at least 30 of them. You will need some strong twine too and clips. Find a bare wall in your home. Use a pencil and mark out where each nail will go. Make them far apart from each other and have some zigzag. Now hammer them in. Now tie the twine to one of the nails and loop it around the other nails to make lines. When you get to the last nail make sure the twine is strong and tight. Tie it up. Now look for old photos of family, friends, yourself, postcards, etc. Clip them along the twine. You have a one-of-a-kind collage piece.
  • Tree Stump Side Tables – A very simple d.i.y. Get a tree stump with a flat surface. Dry it out, and then chisel away the bark. Now sand it down. You are done. Take an extra step if you want by painting them or adding some varnish. It is up to you.
  • Eggshell Candles – Save those eggshells after you crack them. Give them a good rinse and let them dry. Fill them with wax and a wick and you have the best eco-friendly light ever. You can even make them colorful by melting crayons and filling the eggshells with your color of choice. Set them right on top of the tree stump table.

eggshell-candles-eco-friendly-idea

  • Tree Shelves – Find a thick tree branch. Saw of any excess, and screw it in the wall. You can display small plush toys and trinkets.

There you have it! You can now make these simple yet fun furnishings for your home. The best part is that they are all eco-friendly. Look at nature differently. The next time you are out looking for something to bring into the house remember to ask yourself if you can make it and if there are materials already available for use. Get to having fun the eco-conscious way.

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Eco Tips Home Design Home Improvement

The Eco-Friendly Beginner’s Guide To Living Green

eco-friendly-green-home-tips

recycleSo you want to be ET and live that green-thumb life. Do you even know where to begin? Starting an eco-friendly way of living can be easy if you follow the right steps and it can be hard if you do it the wrong way. This simple guide should get you going on the right path to living environmentally conscious.

Getting Started

Rule 1: Get yourself in the green mode. Ask yourself if you are ready for the change.

Rule 2: Do research by going to the library.

Rule 3: Ask yourself again if you are ready.

First Steps

  • Ask friends that are living the green life for some helpful advice.
  • Tackle the change one step at a time.
  • Ask a contactor to help guide you with the necessary changes your home needs to go green.
  • Know that it will take a while until you are living the green life to the fullest.
plants-gardening-eco-friendly-winter
http://ow.ly/Fu4xP
  • Take anything that is not eco-friendly out of the house. It will be tough getting rid of things but is a necessary step. Fine, you can keep two things.
  • Start from the inside out. No need to green the outside when the inside cannot benefit from it.
  • Remember: reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Second Steps

  • Replace furniture with earth-friendly furniture. Pottery Barn, antique shops, and thrift stores are great places to purchase refurbished items and eco-friendly items.
  • Remember to recycle old items and turn them into new items.
  • Use eco-friendly paint to decorate the walls.
  • Remember LED is for thee.
  • Keep decorating minimal.

Final Steps

  • Plant locally because the vegetation has a better chance of surviving because it is used to the weather conditions.
  • Purchase used stuff instead of new things. Read e-books instead of books.
  • Stay away from plastic. I mean it! It will kill you…not really, but you get the point.
  • No more fast food, soda, or junk food. Purchase food from a farmer’s market.

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  • Grow your own crops. Nothing is better than making fresh food with vegetables from your own garden. Just remember to take care of the garden the eco-friendly way.
  • Say bye to your gas guzzler. You should purchase a hybrid, ride a bike, or take mass-transit.
  • Keep up the routine.

Extra help:

  • Look for eco-friendly products while you shop.
  • Keep reminding yourself that you are helping Earth live longer.
  • Remind visitors that they are guests in a green home.
  • Do not be ashamed to be a tree hugger. Trees love being hugged.
  • At least once a month, you have to watch Fern Gully. (optional)

You’re done!

There you have it. Now you have no excuse on not going green. Better your environment and decrease your carbon footprint. By the time you make your home a fully green zone; you will be very pleased with the outcome. Who knows? You might even change other people’s minds.

I hope this simple guide helps you out in the long wrong. Unlike ET who went home, you get to stay put in your eco-friendly green home. Deal with it. Remember to turn off the lights. Good night.

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Eco Tips Green Building Home Decor Home Design Home Improvement

10 Mistakes: You Are Building That Green Home Wrong

green-building-mistakes-ruining-existing-ecosystemsSo you want to build a green home? Do not look at me. I am not going to help build it. I will give you some mistakes to avoid when building a green home of your own, but that is it. If you want to reduce your carbon footprint and be environmentally conscious then make sure you know everything you need to know about eco-friendly building.

It is not as easy as it seems.

Avoiding these mistakes will help your green home building process go faster and easier.

Mistake 1: When you plan out your green home, do not make it big like a palace. Keep in mind your lifestyle. The bigger the house, the more it will cost in electricity, heating, and not to mention the unused space.

Mistake 2: Straying off the beaten path is bad. Why? If you build in a new area away from town, and deep in the countryside, then you will ruin an established ecosystem. Know your lot and location before you break ground.

Mistake 3: Not thinking ahead of time can be damaging. Will you be living in your home 20 years from now? To be honest, I would not even know if I were. Knowing how long you plan on staying in your new green home can help with budget and space issues.

Mistake 4: Not doing research on green building can be bad in the long run. Yes those wooden floors are made from recycled wood but are they great with the moisture environment you live in? Knowing what building materials to use for your new home’s location is priceless. Plus, if you get contractors, they cannot screw you on the price because you know what you are talking about.

Mistake 5: Filling your home up with non-eco-friendly appliances is a no-no. Just think before you sink.

Mistake 6: Missing out on the sun’s energy is so wrong. Take advantage of the sun and use solar paneling. Make sure the roof is facing south; actually, your whole house should be facing south. You save lots of energy.

Mistake 7: Listening to your friend who knows nothing about green building, will not help you. Ask for help from a knowledgeable source.

Mistake 8: Insufficient insolation will empty your pockets in a quick minute. Insulate well and keep the cold out. If you do it right, then you will be living cozy and nice. Plus your electric bill will be very low.

Mistake 9: Going flat on the roof design is bad for a green build. Slant the roof to allow drainage. Make sure it too is insulated well. You can also make the drainage pipe connect to the garden to use the water.

Mistake 10: Forgetting to plant the actual green is often overlooked. Plants are very beneficial to green building. Do not plant random trees, bushes, and flowers. Do some research and plant what will thrive in your environment.

Do not follow these mistakes but learn from them. In no time you will have your own green home.

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Eco Fashion Eco Tips Furnishings Home Design

Here Are The Best Eco-Friendly Holiday Furnishing Ideas

christmas-decor-go-green-eco-friendly

Now that you have the tree up, all the gifts wrapped, and the dinner menu for the festive night planned out; you look around and figure that you are forgetting something. You tap your forehead and say, “Duh!” You forgot to decorate the house with holiday flare. Now you may be thinking that you do not have the time to decorate the whole house. You may also be thinking about how you are going to decorate and keep it eco-friendly. Well, do not worry my dear friend. I am here to help you with that. It is going to be very simple, and most importantly fun; that is if you follow these tips.

Here are some eco-friendly furnishing ideas to give your home a nice earthy touch.

  • Make stencils using old newspapers. Clip 4 sheets together and while using a cutter, make your stencil. Now you can use it on name cards. Decorate the gift boxes with it. Add some deco art to the window. Or even use it to decorate cakes.
  • Use organic cotton flannel sheets on the sofa. It will keep it warm and get a x-mas pattern.
  • Try to use every decoration you have. There is no need to leave anything undecorated.
  • Use some plants to add natural air purifiers into the space.
  • Gather as many pinecones from outside. There can never be too many pinecones. Use them as a nice center piece. You can also glue string on them to make a quick ornament.

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  • Reuse old holiday decorations. You can even have a neighborhood get together where you exchange ornaments and trimmings. It is so much fun. Plus you all save money and every x-mas deco night is different.
  • Reuse bottles and jars to fill them with candy canes and other sweet treats.
  • Ornaments are not just for trees. Hang some on doorknobs. Use some to hold curtains together.
  • Save energy and only light up your tree. Use led lights. You will be tempted to put lights up outside but remember that it is only for showing off. Plus you are going to spend a lot of green when you get the light bill if you do it.
  • Use candles. Be cautious of where you put them. Use white red, green, or a mix of all three colors to liven the home.
  • Make your own potpourri with holiday spices.

I do hope that with all of these eco-friendly furnishing tips you too can make you home as inviting as mine. The best thing is that you can go to sleep knowing that is all earth friendly. No harm is being done. Well, there will be if you forget to turn off the candles.

Do not forget to sprinkle some cinnamon over door ledges to give your guest an instant kick of the season.

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Eco Tips Furnishings Home Decor Home Design Home Improvement

Innovative Multi-Purpose Furniture Ideas

couch-bookshelf-storage-seat
http://goo.gl/bYqFjR
desk-bicycle-parking-wood
http://goo.gl/6WhkXS

Maybe you are looking to make your home eco-friendlier. Perhaps you live in a shoebox apartment in New York City and do not have much space for a lot of furniture. Who knows? You might be one of those people who simply hate being conventional like the rest of the world. Whatever your reasons are, multi-purpose furniture items can provide you with a fresh concept that takes your living space to a whole new level.

Shelving space is always an issue in most homes but not everyone can afford to buy a 6 or 8 shelve monstrosity. So why not turn something you don’t use into something useful. Take these folding chairs for example. Not only can you use the area where you park your butt to put books, plants, and decorations but you can also use them for closet space by hanging clothes on the base of the seat. All you have to do is nail those foldable chairs to the wall and you are done.

chair-hang-seat-shelves
http://goo.gl/GyIoHG

If you want a bookshelf and a workstation but don’t have space for both then here’s the best of both worlds. This blue furniture houses a chair, a desk for your desktop computer and plenty of space for your books all in one unit.

Another item that’s super useful for those of you who are spatially challenged is the “madame est servie” mirror that is more than what it seems to be. When you’re ready to iron you simply tilt it and lock the unit into place. Once you’re done, you tilt it back and you have a mirror again which you can use to look at yourself as you get dressed.

madam-mirror-ironing-board
http://goo.gl/yyKg5h

If you’re single renter of a one bedroom apartment who also happens to like bike riding, then you can buy this table which allows you to park your bike and use it as a chair while you enjoy your tea, coffee, a drink or a small meal on top of the wooden table.

There’s nothing worse than sitting alone without a place to rest your martini on, which is why this chair is so cool. The chair within the chair pulls out so that the exterior frame becomes a mini-table where you can rest your drink on.

For those of you looking to redesign your interior space, there are plenty of options to choose from such as the bookcase and levitating sofa. The base works as shelf space for all of your books and magazines and the above it is the sofa where you can sit and read for hours. Whenever you need something just reach under your legs and voila! Instant reading material!

couch-bookshelf-storage-seat
http://goo.gl/bYqFjR

Who says you can’t have fun in the dining room? This table serves as a pool table so you can have fun with family or guests and once the food is done cooking you simply turn it back into a dining table and sit down to eat.

pool-dining-table-elegant
http://goo.gl/UJcBDV

Multi-purpose furniture helps to make your home greener by making your indoors sustainable and healthy without sacrificing design, beauty or functionality.

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Green Building Home Design

Better Than My Own House: Out-Of-This-World Birdhouses

basket-weave-treehouse-design-eco-home
http://goo.gl/FHe81K

Treehouses are becoming more than just slabs of wood nailed together on top of a high tree. Oh yeah, people are getting creative with their treehouses. Some include an actual working elevator lift! if that’s not enough for you, they may also include solar power panels, and running water. That sounds better than my own house!

Treehouses nowadays are being made by using the actual tree. Other treehouses are being deemed works of art. They are so big that they seem to be made by a humongous bird. In reality they are just made by a human like you and I, but one that is extremely creative. If I were a bird I would want to live in one of his special nest houses.

Patrick-Dougherty-tree-sculpting-weaving-design
http://goo.gl/Rl1ICR

The amazing artsy human who created this is known as Patrick Dougherty from North Carolina. His nest houses are so wonderful and unique that he is known as a branch-bender extraordinaire/artist. He basically sculpts growing trees into shapes that form a house, a bird nest, a cocoon, a clay pot, etc. The weaving ideas are endless. He has a background in sculpting and a love for nature so it comes to good use in his field of work. He is a winner of many awards and his living art has traveled through the whole United States, Japan, Brussels, and many more locations worldwide. I find it tough to bend one single tree branch; how he does it, I will always marvel over his strength. We normal folks call it art work, but Patrick calls his amazing sculpted work ‘stickwork’. I say tomato, you say tomatoe. You’re unbelievable, Patrick! Your work should be called “magic”.

With over 200 sculpted pieces of work, Patrick decided to showcase them all for you in his published book, Stickwork. My favorite piece of his is called Just Around the Corner in New Harmony, Indiana. It looks like something out of the Lord of the Rings realm. Each branch is bent to perfection.

Just-Around-Winter-Patrick-Doughert-design
http://www.stickwork.net/featured/

Not everyone can be Patrick, but you can be you. Learn to create your own nest house, treehouse, inside decoration, birdhouse or backyard sculpture. It just takes a little bending of your creativity. I recommend doing some research first on what type of wood works best for the type of project you want to do. There are three types: Dogwood, Live Oak, and Elm. These are used in the craft of pleaching: molding and weaving trees to create structures. You can also just create a tree house of your choice, and weave wood around it. It will take time because trees do not grow real fast. The outcome will be spectacular, though and of course, you should use branches that are already on the floor.

Three tips on how to begin.

      1. Plan out the tree house. Make a sketch. Doodle away! Get creative and don’t be afraid.
      2. See if it is safe to build on your specific tree. Get a tree expert to come out and check if you’re planning something on a large scale.
      3. Measure twice, cut once. Do not waste wood. Recycle as much as possible.

The great thing about building a treehouse for your kids is that the measurements can be adjusted. Want an adult treehouse? Make the measurements bigger. Want a birdhouse? then make the measurements smaller, like real small. Nope, smaller than that. Smaller. There you go.

Nest houses, sculptures, huts, giant bird houses, and unthinkable tree houses are all possible. Get inspiration from Patrick Dougherty. Get inspiration from the Ewok village in Star Wars. Be creative and weave something good.

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Green Building Home Design

Welcome To My Pallet House

pallet-house-eco-design-green-building
http://goo.gl/F5oiEo

Welcome To My Pallet House

As a child I always wanted a tree house, but ever since I saw Fern Gully, the movie, I did not want to hurt the rainforest. As an adult, I can now build my own tree house using reusable pallets. Thanks to two students from the University of Vienna who designed the Paletten Haus, I am able to make my childhood dream come true.

Want to make your own too? Go to a Home Depot and you’re bound to find wooden pallets being used to rest heavy objects or merchandise on top of them. But you will more than likely find a bunch of them next to an industrial trash bin outside of your local warehouse or supermarket. A lot of these stores receive these pallets during shipping of a large crate full of items. So they’ll actually be more than willing to simply give them to you for free if you ask for them. I actually got 4 different stores to hand them over to me for free, and none of them refused. This means that you’ll be able to build a house, an extra room, a shed, or even a cabin out of this stuff without having to spend so much on material.

You can go online and find blueprints on how to build one of these eco-friendly shelters just like that. It’s so easy in fact, that you can probably build a simple small shelter using about a hundred of these pallets. With the right power tools, nails and of course, help from your friends and family, you’ll have a 250 square foot home in a week or two. The stacking of these wooden pallets is fairly easy when making up the house. Just make sure that you make it so that the roof is slanted. This way, debris, snow, and water will slide down rather than getting stuck on top of your home.

So why go for these wooden pallets to make a modular style home as opposed to buying conventional material like plywood? Well for one thing, they are a whole lot cheaper than other types of wood, metal or other materials. You can even build a chicken coop, or tiny play house for less than $25 dollars. Click here to see a cool video on how to build a chicken coop.

Another great advantage is the fact that these bad boys are strong and durable. After all, they have to be if they’re able to hold heavy loads of items at hardware, department store and supermarkets. You certainly wouldn’t expect a company to use something flimsy to hold up merchandise that can tip over and crush a customer. With that same logic, you wouldn’t want to build a house that could be blown away by the wind or that your 2 year old daughter could bring down by leaning on it. With some common sense, you can stack up and nail these wooden pallets so that they create a bulky and sturdy house.

Now if there’s one thing you can say about wooden pallets is that they are easy to find. You don’t have to risk going to the hardware store and finding out that there isn’t enough material because there are as many wooden pallets out there as there are ants running around the planet. In the extremely rare event that a hardware store does not have any, you can scavenge the back of malls and shopping centers until you find enough pallets.

Learn about building one on your own here: DIY Pallet House. Sometimes you may find a pallet that has been damaged or one of the planks has come loose. Don’t worry. They are easy to fix. It’s just a matter of hammering a couple of nails and the pallet will be as good as new. Creating a home out of shipping pallets is not only an affordable way to build but it saves a lot of time, manpower, and is eco-friendly.

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Eco Tips Furnishings Home Decor Home Design Recycling

Better Your Future with Eco-Friendly Furniture

eco-friendy-dinning-table-reclaimed-wood-pottery-barn
http://goo.gl/wFj0wl

You can expand blueprints, fingerprints, and footprints. Now let us focus on shrinking your carbon footprint. You want to help make the world a better place. Who knew that all you had to do was start from the inside of your home! So you purchased your Eco home, are doing your daily recycling, using less energy, and have to purchase some new furniture. If you do not know if the home furnishings you want to purchase are Eco-friendly or not, then here are some simple ways to go about getting that carbon footprint extremely low.

The first thing you want to do is look at our home. Ask yourself what necessary furniture you need. The top three that everyone needs are: sofa, mattress, and dining table. I of course need a bookshelf for all of my recycled books collection. 

One great way to keep that carbon footprint low is to use hand-me down furniture from relatives. Keep it in the family. You are recycling in a way. Plus the piece of furniture becomes an heirloom for the family tree. See what I did there? “Upcycling” is one of my favorite things to do. I tend to visit vintage stores or antique shops to search for furniture pieces that need a little help fixing up. Make sure you use non-toxic materials when fixing old furniture or decor pieces. These items might even be a little bit cheaper in price than buying something new. Plus what is great about buying someone’s old furniture is that you keep it Eco-friendly and one-of-a-kind. Heading to old salvage yards is useful when looking to make furniture from scratch. Buying reclaimed wood to make tables, desks, bed frames, picture frames, shelves, and many other pieces of furniture for the home is so beneficial. It helps forests around the world to keep their beautiful trees.

eco-friendly-furniture-cheap-modern
http://goo.gl/NuHAA3

My motto is: why buy new when I can reuse. Eco-friendly furniture for many people is bland, boring furniture. I see it as life prolonging furniture. Since they use recycled materials to make the sofas, bed, tables, etc, it keeps the plastic, and other toxic rubbish out of landfills from being burned off into our precious Eco-system. When purchasing furniture that is Eco-friendly keep in mind that you are also clearing your mind. You can feel great about helping the world, even if it was just by buying a tiny bookshelf made from reclaimed oak. I did at least, when I felt I finally started to contribute. Look for the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) stamp on wood. This lets you know you are purchasing wood from a sustainable environment. You can even trace it back to see where it was harvested from. Bamboo is also a great alternative. Since bamboo grows at rapid pace, you do not have to worry about sustainability.

Look for organic materials when it comes to purchasing your bed sheets, sofa covers, pillows, etc. like cotton and wool. The Eco Shop at PotteryBarn.com has amazing Eco-friendly home furnishings. Stay away from these words when you are looking for cushions, sofa throws, blankets, etc.: stain-resistant, Teflon, artificial anything (especially leather), vinyl, and anything inflatable (yes, put the blow-up chair back).

All in all, going the green route might mean you have to spend a little more green than usual, but helping prolong Earth’s life is priceless. A happy Eco-friendly furnished home is priceless too.