Help me in purchase eco friendly furniture?

[jennyr]

I love elegantly designed teak and rosewood furniture and personally have no problem till the time Mike visited my home. After a few hours, when he was about to leave, he appreciated my taste of furniture but said “Jenny – you know, the good looking furniture in your home might not be so good for the health of your family”.

I know Mike, he speaks less but always have a reason if he speaks.

Is really by using traditional furniture, I am taking health of my family for granted as Mike (my friend and scientist) believes? I want more opinion before I opt for eco friendly furniture?
Jenny R, Social Activist
Pennsylvania

[gmark2000]

Furniture that is recycled (refurbished/reupholstered) and re-used is great for the environment. Breaking the chain of consumption is best for the environment.

[the free guy]

Well, it may be wise to search garage sales and your local Freecycle group for any solid wood furniture. Solid wood, as the name implies, is furniture made of solid pieces of wood, not splinters of wood held together as in pressed board furniture.

[nelsonmp5]

Is the environment what he really meant? Or is it the varnish or other potential VOCs from the furnishings?
If you have already bought the furniture, then replacing it would be more harmful for the environment. What's done is done but don't do more... kinda thing.
What about bamboo? It grows like grass!

[brunes]

First of all, who is Mike?

Secondly, if you already have a bunch of good furniture, buying all new furniture to replace it, no matter how "green" that new furniture is, is a huge useless impact on the environment.


Reduce, reduce, reduce consumption, this is the single best way to help the environment. This includes not buying new furniture just to go with the current "fad" of needlessly replacing everything in your house with a green equivalent and in the process creating a bunch of more junk for the landfills.

[gordholio]

Have trees on your property. Go out and cut down a tree by hand and make the furniture yourself with no power tools. Walk to a fabric store and buy the fabric and hand sew it.
If you want "eco" furniture, you can go to all extremes if you are crazy enough.

By the way, don't worry; keep your furniture. It's traditional furniture - probably better on the environment than the cheap stuff they build today.
Most of all, use some common sense.