As people are becoming more aware of their footprint on the environment, most of them are trying to contribute to realize their dream of living an environmentally friendly lifestyle. Over the last few years, furniture manufacturers have embraced this type of consumer group and the benefits of catering to their demands. Now people want eco-friendly alternatives to standard furniture to have greener homes and offices, and there has never been a better time to jump in.
What is eco-friendly furniture?
Just because furniture is labelled as eco-friendly doesn’t mean it’s dull, unstylish or cheap. There have been much advancement in the materials used, craftsmanship, function and ease of use and style, which has allowed environmentally conscious consumers to stay green while also filling their spaces with unique office furniture.
Eco friendly furniture is built with minimal negative impact on the environment. Renewable and sustainable materials are used wherever possible, and any chemicals that might have been used in the construction of traditional furniture are not considered when creating the eco-friendly equivalent. Additionally, eco-friendly furniture is not shipped to distant places as to reduce the use of fuels for transporting it.
Furniture manufacturers are striving to expand their green furniture offerings due to consumer demands. They are happily taking advantage of the demand in the form of increased sales. Government offers subsidies and incentives to companies to produce a certain percentage of green products as well.
How you can keep a nice green office?
There are several ways to ensure that your home or office furniture is in line with your values when it comes to help protect the environment. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Work hard while using less energy
Using your computer’s energy saving settings is usually the first thing to do for anyone, but turning computers off and unplugging them when not in use can go a long way. In fact, most electronics consume energy even when they’re turned off, so disconnecting them from their power source is the best way to ensure that energy is not trickling away (plus you’ll save money too!).
- Redesign where you work
Using furniture that is made from recycled materials is a great place to start. They’re functional, flaunt great use of space, and look fantastic and stylish. But don’t forget that by opening the blinds or curtains in your office, you’ll be using free lighting from outside instead of energy wasting bulbs. If you have to use artificial lighting, use compact fluorescents or some LED lamps that work well and use very little energy to light the room.
- Work from home
If you’re able to work from home, you’ll do less driving which means you’ll be contributing less to the deterioration of air quality and reduce vehicle emissions as well.
- Reduce paper use
As we now live in the digital age, our use and reliance on paper has never been higher. The personal computer and the internet were supposed to have done away with our need for hard copies, but so far we haven’t seen a significant downward trend in the amount of paper being used at the office. However, as the use of cloud storage becomes more prominent and widely accepted, we could finally live the days of the paperless office. Less paper used means fewer trees cut down.
- Buy a plant
Add a little green to your office by including a plant or two. Not only do they look great, but add oxygen to the air aside from purifying it by absorbing carbon dioxide. They also help keep us in a better mood.
You can do many things to keep your home or office workstations green and welcoming. In fact, it’s becoming less difficult to find the products that help you achieve this goal. Look for semi local manufacturers of eco-friendly furniture, as you will be helping out the environment more than you realize.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
