As obvious as that statement is, people still treat Earth like there is another one on the back burner. The ocean levels are rising, the ice caps are melting and our ozone layer is disintegrating; we’ve left more of a carbon footprint in the last hundred years than the rest of history combined! The good news, however, is that the word “green” is becoming more ingrained in our social consciousness.

Thanks to environmental activists and supporters, the word “green” has taken on a whole new definition. Any attitude concerning “global environmental protection, bioregionalism, social responsibility” is considered green. The term has become a buzzword of sorts; restaurants, business, and manufacturers brandish the label to appeal to our ever-concerned society.

Every day, people are finding new ways to become environmentally-friendly, even investing in green furniture. Decorating your house furniture made from recycled materials is not only fashionable, but it reduces our carbon footprint and preserves our planet for future generations.

Bamboo is a very good material for green furniture. Technically a grass, bamboo grows quickly, it’s sturdy and it looks good in almost every interior. Plus, furniture made from bamboo doesn’t require any deforestation. Because you can lay it flat for flooring, mold it into furniture, or even cut it up to make blinds and window shades, bamboo has become the go-to material for environmentalists. Plus, there are very few pesticides involved during its production.

Trees make our planet livable. By absorbing carbon dioxide and converting into oxygen, they produce breathable air, which is why deforestation causes such an outcry. However, there are tree farms dedicated to the sole purpose of producing wood products; these trees are certified sustainable. The Rainforest Alliance, one of the largest certifier of sustainable wood, uses the industry-standard Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, which makes it easy determine safe wood. Some staunch environmentalists forget that no matter what something is made out of, there are earth-friendly options, even wood. It is very easy to find wood furniture made from sustainable trees, just look for the FSC label or inquire at your local furniture store.

The Rainforest Alliance also certifies any type of furniture made from recycled material: The Rediscovered Wood Certification. Sustainable forests are good sources of lumber, but wood lasts a long time, especially if it’s taken care of. Reclaiming wood from old furniture makes more sense than using precious land to grow sustainable wood. Using old furniture, houses, and even drift wood are good examples of how innovative people have been in creating green furniture.

Green furniture also releases fewer toxins than synthetics. Many people don’t even consider this, but nothing in your house just sits there; everything produces airborne substances. Toxins released from furniture have been traced to birth defects and other health problems. Make sure that any new furniture you purchase has the Greenguard certification, which ensures the product has low toxicity.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for Web sites on solar energy, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background also includes teaching, gardening, and health and fitness. For more of her useful articles on ecologically friendly furniture, please visit Green Furniture.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anne_Clarke

What are the reasons for considering bamboo to be ecologically friendly? Experts state these major factors to decide whether a product is eco-friendly or not.

The first is, called the renewability of the product. The exact definition of the term renewable would be ‘relating to or being a commodity or resource, such as solar energy or wood, that is inexhaustible or replaceable by new growth’. In other words, it should be a source which can be easily renewed or replenished in a relatively short time and should not take hundreds of years to replenish. When we consider bamboo, it is basically a grass not a tree, grows very fast, matures in about 2 to 6 years. Bamboo has a robust root system that generates multiple new shoots for every culm (mature stalk) that is harvested. Hence, bamboo can be harvested many times from the same plants or in other words, the original plant is not killed when the bamboo is cut down. This is a very important factor for preserving environment, unlike when furniture is made of wood, a whole tree needs to be cut down and it takes about 60 to 100 years to grow the tree back.
The second defining point is that it prevents erosion of the soil, and reduces amount of carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere. Further it can grow practically in any condition without too much water and it is not a threat to any other trees growing nearby.

The third factor is the amount of chemicals that are needed to grow the plant, process it and finish it so that it is ready for sale. Bamboo doesn’t need too much pesticides or chemicals to either grow or process.

Considering all these factors and the factor that bamboo is completely bio-degradable, it is no wonder that bamboo is becoming the rising star of the eco-friendly world.

Gnana Ramanathan is an internet entreprenuer specialising in elegant home decor items like Bamboo Rugs [http://www.eleganthomedecors.com/bamboo_rugs.html], Hammocks, and Home Decor accessories like vases, lighting etc.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gnana_Ramanathan

Some resources, such as solar energy, fresh air, winds, fresh surface water, fertile soil, and wild edible plants, are directly available for use by us and other organisms. Other resources, such a petroleum, iron, groundwater, and modern crops, aren’t directly available. They become useful to us only with some effort and technological ingenuity. Petroleum, for example, was a mysterious fluid until we learned how to find, extract, and convert it into gasoline, heating oil, and other products that could be sold at affordable prices.

Solar energy is called renewable or perpetual resource because on a human time scale this solar capital is essentially inexhaustible. It is expected to last at least 6 billion years as the sum completes its life cycle.
A potentially renewable resource can be replenished fairly rapidly through natural process. Examples of such resources are forest tress, grassland grasses, wind animals, fresh lake and stream water, ground water, fresh air, and fertile soil. One important potentially renewable resource for us and other species is biological diversity, or biodiversity, which consists of the different life forms that can best survive the variety of conditions currently found on the earth.

However potentially renewable resource can be depleted. The highest rate at which a potentially renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing its available supply is called sustainable yield.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Erick_Juanich