The bamboo plants grow rapidly, even 4 to 5 feet per month, therefore they grow in very tall forests, and they are biodegradable. There are no contaminants added, and bamboo shades are processed in low emissions factories, so they are truly a “green” product. Add to that benefit their good looks, and they are a winner all around!

You will enjoy quiet contemplation as your eyes enjoy the beauty of bamboo shades. They are made by weaving sticks of natural bamboo into various patterns and styles. Privacy is provided, but with the interweaving, you can still have light enter the room, which highlights the patterns. If you want more privacy, you can order your window shades with a fabric lining. This helps you manage lighting but still allow light to enter the room. Room darkening blinds are also available, for complete privacy and light control.

A natural material, bamboo also looks wonderful when accented with room plants, and other natural decorations. Add a small water fountain, and you will have created your own tropical paradise right at home. The window shades can be a focal point in the room, or they can blend into the background, as you desire. They are a natural product, non-treated, and as such, will have interesting variations in color and patterns.

Most bamboo shades are in the horizontal style, but there are vertical ones available also. You can get roll up window shades, roll down shades, Roman shades (layered), and traditional matchstick styles. Patterns include braided, woven, tortoise shell, and wide slats. Their light-weight is an advantage when ordering through the internet to save on shipping expense.

Bamboo shades are available in many natural hues and some colors. They are easy to manage, and are controlled by a cord or continuous chain control system. Some even have motors to assist in balanced lifting. They are nice for newer neighborhoods where houses are large and lots are small, so you will obtain more privacy from close sitting neighbor homes. As a wood, the bamboo is also good for insulation effects, and heat control. You can get lower energy costs by keep hot sunshine out and winter heat in the room.

Vertical bamboo shades are nice for older homes, as they give them a more modern look, yet cover large old window spaces with style and protection. There is some noise control when they are completely shut. One nice benefit from this type of blind is that you can have privacy but still catch a meshed view of the outdoors. Window shades come with a top valance to cover the lift mechanisms.

EcoFriendly homeowners can choose bamboo shades for their natural beauty, and for their inherent contribution to earth friendliness. These shades are durable, to provide long lasting beauty with greater cost benefits in the long run. They are easy to clean, and with smooth surfaces, less dust is caught on the horizontal slats, and much less on verticals.

Bamboo shades are available in stock sizes and colors, or you can order custom sizes, lengths, designs, and colors. These excellent and hard working window shades look beautiful alone, or with added window shades and accessories. It is hard to go wrong with a product that is so right, and so environmentally beneficial. It is no wonder that the history and tradition of bamboo shades goes back for centuries.

Judith Persit works from her store in a design studio, which is planned beautifully. She writes articles about bamboo shades. Learn about window shades at her website.

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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.

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Window treatments, available in a great many styles, including those we are discussing here, can help control light and heat from entering or exiting a room. There are three main types of environmentally friendly blackout or sleep window shades, light filtering roller shades, and solar window shades. These can be functional or decorative, or both.

Blackout, or sleep window shades are made of thicker fabric or vinyl coated materials or they are made of wood. Wood roller shades offer the greatest insulation and moisture control, and cost the most. The lightweight vinyl coated fabric window shades that are dark are also used for blackout window shades. The roller shades can be adjusted to allow any amount of light into a room, or to fully darken the room for sleeping. They are great for night shift workers, the elderly, and children, who all need to have darkened rooms for better sleep conditions.

The light filtering roller shades are translucent, allowing light into a room, and many are very light colored or decorator fabrics. These provide privacy and light control, but do not darken the room. They fit well into many decorator schemes, and make rooms look lighter and friendlier.

Solar window shades are precision screen window shades, which are light controlling, yet you can see the outdoors view through them, as with regular screening materials. They cut glare, and give some privacy, but do not eliminate the view as the other two styles do.

All the window shades can fit inside the window frame or outside it, depending on how much light control the homeowner desires, and what fits best with room decor. All have a steel headrail system for valence and to hide the workings of the shade. Slats generally are two inches deep, although some are only one inch deep. For deep window frames, mounting inside the frame is recommended. Slats are very thin, about an eighth inch thick. They can close tightly and provide insulation and full light control when closed.

The ecologically minded homeowners can use roller shades to save money and cut electrical bills. Adjusting the slats to allow bounce lighting is one way to multiply the amount of light entering a room. You can set the slats to reflect light either up against the wall or down on the flooring. Light colored ceilings multiply the light, sending rays around the rest of the room. This means you do not have to run electrical lighting as much during the darker hours of the day.

Using roller shades to keep hot sunlight out of a room can reduce air conditioning costs. Direct sunrays can heat up a room to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and actually can be used for passive heat in the winter, which is good. That is a time to have the window shades up and let that sunshine into the room. But, in summer heat, keep rooms cooler with your roller shades down.

The modern roller shades have advanced technology for the mechanisms used to raise and lower the window shades, so the homeowner does have better control for setting the level of the window shades, and it is easier to use. Some heavier wood roller shades even have motorization lift systems. All around, using roller shades fits right into an ecologically minded lifestyle very nicely.

Judith Persit is a featured speaker of interior design in a large school. She began in this project after a hunt for design choices in window treatments. Ms. Persit writes regarding roller shades. Roller shades can be interesting, you can learn more about window shades at her website with many design ideas.

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