Buying wood furniture while doing what's best for the environment and your home is tricky. There are a bunch of factors to balance: forest depletion, how the piece will affect your home's air quality, and price are just a few of them. We found a great article from National Geographic that outlines the basic principles for buying wood furniture responsibly...
National Geographic's Suggestions for Buying Eco-Friendly Wood Furniture:
Problem: Deforestation. At this point, almost half of the world's forests have been cut down. Deforestation releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and contributes to global warming.
Problem: Poor forest management. When timber harvesting is placed above the needs of indigenous people and native species, it can cause serious problems for the area.
Problem: Air quality. Particleboard, plywood, and other pressed woods contain formaldehyde, a possible carcinogen, which can off-gas for years in your home.
Solution: Avoid pressed woods. Buy second-hand solid wood, or FSC-certified new wood pieces. Shop at antique stores, garage sales, and thrift stores for furniture made from solid wood. Avoid wood veneers over pressed plywood or particleboard.
Solution: Look for FSC-certified woods, which are researched and designated as socially and environmentally harvested by the non-profit Forest Stewardship Council.
Solution: Buy reclaimed and recycled wood products from manufacturers that reuse discarded furniture and lumber.
Solution: Avoid endangered woods and choose furniture made from "secondary species" which are less depleted. Secondary species include sweetgum, madrone, and California oak.
Solution: Buy lower grade woods. Many low-grade woods are rated below high-grade lumber simply because they show knots and streaks. Less timber is required to produce a low-grade wood product than a high-grade one.
Solution: Avoid products certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). This program is associated with the timber trade and does not hold the same credibility as the FSC certification.
Solution: Find out from the manufacturer where and how the wood was harvested. FSC-certified products can be found through the Forest Certification Resource Center. National Geographic also lists suggested retailers here.
To read the full National Geographic article, click here.
Photo: EL: Environmental Language Kitchens. For more information on buying eco-friendly furniture, see our interview with EL founder Jill Salisbury here.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
There was a recent article in the Seattle Times regarding the issues of what "green building" really is
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=green12m&date=20080312&query=green lumber
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I would add that it makes sense to buy local wood, North American wood, which is more likely to be sustainably harvested instead of tropical woods from the rain forest.
view Vanessa in New York's profile
What is the cabinet on the right?
view jenzoe's profile
Check out the site--there is a PDF that said it was Neopolitan Bamboo. I thought it was cool, too!
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We use only old teak for all our teak furniture, often more than 100 years old. We buy old whole teak houses, then resurfacing and refinishing the teak for use in our teak furniture. Old teak wood does not "move", expanding or contracting which is often what happens when young teak is used for furniture. Old teak also has more elaborate, more beautiful grains than young teak, is harder and more durable, offering our customers a lifetime of maintenance free beauty in all our teak furniture. We measure all our teak with a wood humidity meter. The teak we use has moisture content of no more than 3%.
Our customers include home builders, hotels, resorts, furniture wholesalers, importers, retailers, architects, interior designers and individual customers.
We manufacture contemporary furniture and decor items primarily in teak, natural and synthetic rattan/wicker, water hyacinth, bamboo, leather, stainless steel, granite/marble, glass, fibreglass and various metals.
We can custom manufacture to our customersâ designs and specifications. Sample sets can be produced at short notice.
Due to the availability of quality raw materials and skilled workmanship, our prices are consistently lower than our competitors, comparing product material, quality and finish.
No compromise in workmanship and quality of materials, ensuring life long durability that will always come with an Indochine product.
Our markets include the USA, Canada, Japan, UK and the EU.
Indochine Decor Limited Partnership
Skype Address : indochinedecor
sales@indochine-decor.com
http://www.indochine-decor.com
Fine Contemporary Furniture and Interiors - Manufacturer
Get used to quality.
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You are definitely right here, it's getting really difficult to solve this dilemma. Thanks for coming with a solution for this, now I know what I have to do in order to get the long waited eco-friendly kitchen furniture.
view gordman's profile