Buying Environmentally Friendly Furniture
It's likely that by now you've heard the term 'green living.' It includes recycling, using fewer disposable goods, composting waste and many similar habits. But have you considered that certain office furniture pieces are more 'green' than others? Most office furniture is made from solid wood or other types of composite and pressed wood. While composite woods can give off harmful vapors called volatile organic compounds, the manufacture of solid wood furniture contributes to the destruction of rainforests and wildlife habitats. Fortunately, if you are committed to creating a green office - whether at home or at your place of work - there are a variety of things you can do when purchasing wood furniture.
If you love the look and feel of old wood, you can buy furniture made of dismantled barns, ships, warehouses and other structures. These old pieces of wood can be remade into quality office furniture. The practice is called reclaimed lumber and it even extends to finding wood from the bottom of lakes or trees that have blown down in storms. Additionally, you can buy office furniture made of recycled materials that are turned into poly-wood. Believe it or not, dairy containers and soda bottles destined for landfills can be washed free of contamination, and ground into flakes that are combined with UV-inhibitors and a pigment system to make a wood-like product that has exceptional resistance to moisture and corrosive subsances. Finally, research which old growth forests are most endangered and steer clear of those types of woods, and support office furniture manufacturers and suppliers that subscribe to forest stewardship practices.
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Build Your Office With Green Materials
If you are renovating an office or building a new one you have the chance to make a significant positive impact on the environment. Eco-friendly building materials are now so popular that some companies are getting certified as green builders. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a program run by the United States Green Building Council. Builders who follow LEED standards consider not only energy efficiency when designing a building but also insulation, air sealing, drought-resistant landscaping, alternative energy sources like solar panels, and other environmentally friendly building products.
Eco-friendly building initiatives include a wide range of materials, including: Natural flooring such as tile, organic wool carpeting, cork, linoleum made from linseed oil, or bamboo, a relatively new choice for flooring that is made from a quickly renewable resource. Floor tiles can be made fom recycled glass and porcelain. Walls can be made of recycled gypsum. Roofs can be made from recycled shingles, metal and rubber instead of asphalt.Interiors can be made of responsibly harvested or salvaged lumber.Green insulation can be manufactured from fire-retardant recycled newspaper, cotton and soy, eliminating the need for energy-draining fiberglass or petroleum-based products.
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Biodegradeable Furniture Saves Landfill Space
It might be exciting to get brand new office furniture, but have you ever thought about what happens to the chairs, desks and tables you no longer need? Chances are they stay in a landfill for many years to come. Furniture at a landfill slowly rots and any plastic components may endure for centuries and leach toxic substances as they slowly break down. But one type of environmentally friendly furniture, called biodegradeable furniture, breaks down naturally after it's discarded.
Since most people tend to get rid of office furniture not when it can no longer be used but when they simply want to upgrade a workplace, biodegradeable furniture production greatly reduces landfill space and pollution. It's almost like composting your unwanted furniture just like coffee grounds and apple peels! Biodegradeable furniture, when exposed to water, ultaviolet radiation (from the sun) and climate elements begins to decay.
Biodegradeable furniture is also typically made in factories that utilize environmentally friendly manufacturing processes and earth-friendly materials. This type of furniture has its naysayers, however. Some people believe that high-quality, solid wood office furniture from a manufacturer that uses earth-safe logging practices is a better choice than furniture designed to be thrown away relatively soon. Also, biodegradeable furniture cannot utilize the substances typically used to make upholstered furniture fire-resistant.
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"Green Shipping" of Office Furniture
Green has become well known as the color of earth-friendly practices. There's green living, green office furniture, green cars, even green flooring products. But did you ever think about all the packaging that's used to ship products? It can often contribute significantly to harming the earth. If packing materials end up in a landfill, the time it takes for them to break down is beyond your lifetime. While green office furniture may currently cost a bit more, if enough offices patronize office furniture companies that employ green practices, the cost of such products is likely to diminish.
One way you can evaluate an office furniture company's green commitment is by its packaging. Choose companies that use shipping cartons made of recycled paper that can, in turn, be recycledChoose companies that have a variety of sizes of shipping cartons so the smallest box is always used Consider getting office furniture unassembled, as it will use a smaller shipping carton Choose companies that imprint boxes with water-based ink Choose blanket-wrapped office furniture whenever possible as these blankets can be reused
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Creating an Eco-Friendly Office
Creating an eco-friendly office can be achieved through a combination of environmentally-conscious furniture and instituting environmental practices. Eco-friendly office furniture may be purchased from online retailers that provide information about which products are environmentally-friendly. However, consumers are encouraged to contact customer service representatives for information regarding products that are the most environmentally-friendly.
Another effort that office managers can make to create an eco-friendly office is to institute policies which are environmentally-friendly. This can be as simple as switching to paper products manufactured from recycled materials or providing recycling bins in the office for paper, plastic and aluminum. Companies can also offer incentives to employees who utilize mass transit to promote environmental awareness.
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Environmentally-Friendly Designs for the Home Office
Homeowners who wish to create a home office with minimal impact on the environment may want to consider a variety of different design options. Some of the environmentally-friendly design options for a home office include green products, such as carpeting and office furniture.
Furnishing a home office with carpeting and furniture that is environmentally-friendly is an excellent start to creating a green office. Wood furniture which is manufactured from domestically-grown wood which has been logged according to forestry guidelines for sustainability. This helps to ensure minimal impact on the environment. Recycling existing carpeting and selecting environmentally-friendly flooring options also prevent the office from having a significantly negative effect on the environment.
Once the home office is furnished in an environmentally-friendly manner, the owner can make the office even better by using green office supplies, such as paper created from recycled materials. Recycling used office supplies also helps to make a home office a green environment.
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Furnishing an Office with Wood File Cabinets
Furnishing an office with wood file cabinets can help to create an environmentally-friendly workplace. However, it is important to note that not all wood file cabinets are considered green alternatives. When selecting wood file cabinets for environmental purposes, ask about the logging and construction practices. Green office furniture, such as wood file cabinets, will likely be constructed from domestically-grown wood which has been logged according to sustainable forestry guidelines. These guidelines are designed to not deplete the forests. Additionally, the wood file cabinets are carefully constructed to be incredibly durable which will help to minimize post consumer waste.
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Office Tables for a Green Office
Business owners hoping to minimize their impact on the environment might want to consider purchasing green office tables. These tables are environmentally-friendly, utilize recycled materials in construction and have little or no consumer waste associated with them. In making the decision to purchase this type of furniture, the business owner not only provides the employees with quality furniture, but also has a positive impact on the environment.
One of the popular options for green office tables is a table which consists of a laminate particle board surface and a base constructed of steel. Ideally a percentage of the steel used in the base will also be recycled. Many retailers offer green office tables which are constructed of 30 percent recycled steel.
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Environmentally-Friendly Carpet Options
Utilizing environmentally-friendly carpet options can have a substantial impact when used in an office environment. This is especially true for large offices, but even the smallest corporate offices and home offices can have a positive effect on the environment by electing to use environmentally-friendly carpet options.
One of the simplest ways to help the environment is to have your existing carpet recycled before replacing it with new carpeting. Most carpet installers will remove the existing carpeting before installing the new carpeting and many of the installers will also offer to have the existing carpeting recycled. Making this simple choice will help to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills each year.
Business owners can also make environmentally-friendly choices with the new carpeting they choose to install by selecting carpeting which is created from recycled materials. Another option to consider is using carpet tiles instead of rolled carpet because it can reduce the amount of waste generated when it is necessary to replace or repair a portion of carpet as a result of stains or damage.
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Environmentally-Friendly Flooring Costs
Homeowners and business owners who are considering environmentally-friendly flooring options may be concerned about the costs associated with these options. Some of the environmentally-friendly flooring options include wood, cork, linoleum and even carpeting constructed of recycled materials. In some of these cases, the environmentally-friendly options may be higher priced than options which are not environmentally-friendly. However, it is also important to consider durability because some green flooring options may be more expensive, but will last longer.
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