The environment is changing Rapidly. This change is occasioned by a cocktail of factors. However, the main culprit is believed to be greenhouse gases. These environmental changes are presumed to start off mild but are expected to snowball into a global calamity of epic proportions. That is, if nothing is done.
While politicians and policy makers are dragging their feet on this issue, you and I can take steps to do our small part to stop this mad rush to destruction. One way we can do this is by going green.
Going green is an uncomplicated way ordinary people can help alleviate the impact of environmental change on the planet. Here we will talk about how you can go green when you decide to change up your furniture or buy some furniture pieces for your home
- Rent Instead of Buying
Renting furniture instead of buying is becoming a major option for people looking to go green. In the same way you can opt to be traveling by Uber instead of buying your own car, renting furniture helps the environment.
Companies like Rent Feather are calling this new furniture renting “feather furniture”. And they are leading the charge on this. By offering furniture for rent, these companies make it easy for environmentally conscious individuals to make a difference. One of the ways renting furniture helps the planet is by ensuring each piece of furniture is used multiple times by different people.
This increases the utility of the item significantly, reducing the impact it would have had if it was disposed of after first use. As a furniture renter, you ensure that no new furniture was made to service your need.
There is an amazing feeling that comes with knowing no new tree died so you can have a piece of furniture.
- Look for Antiques or Used Furniture
Another way to go green while shopping for furniture is to look for antiques or used furniture. This goes back to increasing the utility of a piece of furniture. The higher the utility, the less impact the item has on the environment.
Buying antiques or used furniture also closes the sustainability loop of the furniture you are buying. Most furniture exists in an open loop where the item gets discarded and ends up as junk in a landfill somewhere.
When you buy used furniture, you change this. Once you understand and appreciate the closed sustainability loop theory, you are well on your way to increasing the utility of all the items you use, furniture and beyond.
- Pay More for Durable and Fixable Furniture
Planned obsolescence is a major problem we are facing today. Everything is manufactured to fall apart at the shortest time possible. In addition, they are made in such a way as to render any repair impossible.
This is true for almost every manufactured item on the face of the earth, furniture included. Chalk this down to rampant capitalism and profiteering. As a conscientious resident of this planet, this does not make sense.
Building things that last and/or are easily fixed is obviously better for the planet. Fortunately, there do exist such items although at a steeper price. When it comes to furniture, robust furniture that is easy to fix may not come cheap, but the investment is worth it.
Look around for simple yet durable pieces of furniture that have been built for sustainability, not pure profit.
Going green is something we must all embrace if we are going to save this planet. This is the basic premise behind the sustainable living movement. Taking time to understand how you can adapt your life to this new way of living is a fantastic way to play your part in saving the planet.
As you consider going green do keep one thing in mind. Going green should never be an event. It should be a lifestyle and choice you embrace every single day. This consistency if embraced by a large enough number of people is what can truly make a difference.
