Wouldn’t you love to feel both comfortable and at peace knowing that you are making a difference in the world as you eat, relax, work, play, and sleep in your house? We have many opportunities to go green in our home, but one of the areas that is often overlooked is purchasing eco-friendly furniture.
Buying furniture is an area where we can make some important choices to have an impact since our homes are filled with furniture-tables, chairs, sofas, beds, dressers, and more.
Actually, the majority of what we purchase for our home is furniture, and these items can last a lifetime. By investing in sustainable furniture now, we are investing in our family’s future as we help minimize the impact these products have on our natural environment.
The Problem With Traditional Furniture
Unfortunately, there are many health and safety issues lurking in furniture. Most sofas, chairs, beds and other upholstered items contain potentially carcinogenic formaldehyde and/or toxic flame retardants and stain resistors that have been linked to health problems including infertility, neurological problems, developmental delays, cancer, and hormonal issues. In fact, extremely high concentrations of fire retardants were found in American babies’ blood compared to children in other countries, according to a study sponsored by the Environmental Working Group. On top of that, when these chemicals burn, the fumes are highly toxic and dangerous.
In addition, much of the wood used in desks, chairs, tables, and other pieces comes from unsustainably harvested lumber that contributes to the deforestation of tropical rainforests. This results in problems for our environment including biodiversity loss, increase in greenhouse gases contributing to climate change, and soil erosion that affects the water cycle.
A More Sustainable Choice
We no longer have to be stuck with those types of traditional products that are harming our planet and our health. Arhaus is one company that believes in doing what’s right to make our homes as eco-friendly and safe as possible. They have made a commitment to the earth by developing unique, yet functional, pieces from recycled natural resources. Here are some examples of the amazing work they are doing:
- Recycling copper into tabletops.
- Harvesting tree roots and transforming them into chairs.
- Finding forgotten antiques and giving them new life.
- Using natural materials in many of their products: their dining room tables and sectionals sofas are just a few of the many products that are constructed using recycled natural resources.
- Producing 100% organic cotton fabrics.
- Avoiding wood from endangered rain forests.
Arhaus also has an amazing partnership with American Forests called “One Purchase, One Tree” that allows the company to plant a tree for every purchase made in the store. This is a powerful way to make a difference by bringing more meaning to each purchase.
They also play a huge role by educating their customers about how to green their homes. In partnership with American Forests and Happy Science Mom, they created this amazing infographic with tips to help you make your home more environmentally friendly.
Involve Your Kids
Kids do not enjoy being dragged around to furniture stores, so when you are shopping for sustainable furniture try turning the otherwise boring experience into a fun educational opportunity for your family. Ask them to help identify the green benefits of the furniture compared to traditional pieces. Talk to them about how furniture production is linked to deforestation, which impacts animals and our planet’s climate. Watch this video with yours kids and discuss the importance of planting trees to help restore and regenerate forests. Then go home and plant a tree together in your own backyard or look for a community planting program.
Want to learn more ways to green your home? Check out these posts:
- How To Make The Easy Switch To Clean Energy For Your Home
- How To Go Green While You Clean Your Family’s Clothes
- How To Design A Gorgeous Eco-Friendly Bedroom For Your Children
What steps will you take to green your home?
I love interior decorating and feel that our homes shouldn’t only look good, but should also allow for a healthy environment. There are so many chemicals in our homes that spread to us via touch and in air that we breath. It’s hard to believe, but the air inside our homes is more polluted than the air outside. I am glad there are companies out there who are care enough to make their merchandise more sustainable. Thank you for sharing about Arhaus, I liked their furniture, but I had no idea about the tree for purchase partnership.
Yes, thankfully more companies are stepping up to the plate to go green. I just wish I was aware of this when we decorated our home a few years back. Next time!
Hannah says
Thank you! I never knew my furniture could be toxic! I LOVE Arhaus furnitureand never knew how eco friendly they are.
Great article, you really put things into perspective. I too also am very involved into interior decorating and I believe making your home more environmentally friendly and sustainable is essential. I plan on designing most of my furniture and having locally made products in my home. Also to save money I will be making all my dishware out of pottery.