Whether you live in a house, apartment, or dorm room, you’ll need furniture to provide a place to sit, eat, and store your stuff. You’ll naturally consider materials, color, quality, and cost. You may also want to use furniture to express your personal style. But what if (as evidenced by your coming to this site) it’s your style to create a healthy home that’s contributing to a healthy planet? Well, then you’ll want to do some research. You’ll need to think about the entire life cycle of the piece, taking into account the resources used to make it, the energy costs associated with transporting it, and the ease of disposal. You’ll want to know whether it’s going to pollute your indoor air.

There is an increasing array of beautiful, dynamic furniture that is good for the planet and you. And it's becoming more widely available and more competitively priced. It's still often true that showpiece "green furniture" tends to be a bit more expensive than what you can find at discount outlets. But the product at fine eco-boutiques isn't really more expensive than the high-end designer furniture that's always been around. There are less expensive lines coming out—and remember that you don't need to replace every piece in your home all at once (who can afford that these days?). Start with one piece when you need to replace something old or furnish a new space. Remember that a quality piece of furniture can last a lifetime (or even be passed down through several lifetimes), so the expense gets averaged out over time. And part of the price tag is going to support sustainable industries and better air quality.

So what does green furniture look like? The possibilities are nearly endless! You can find it as rough-hewn pioneer furniture made from logs hand sawed from broken or dead trees, or cutting-edge contemporary designs that stretch the imagination. Fresh new materials are becoming more widely used, such as cork, harvested sustainably from tree bark, and bamboo, which is fast growing and requires little water and no pesticides. There are exciting advances with non-toxic composites made from agricultural wastes, such as boards made from discarded wheat chaff, or recycled newspaper. And there is a resurgence in reworking already used wood, collected from old barns, homes, fences and the like, or salvaged from driftwood or fallen trees. Green furniture makers are doing exciting things with recycled metal, and are getting innovative by employing reused seatbelts, reshaped tools, reclaimed glass, bicycle parts, skate and surf boards and much more. Manufacturers are eliminating toxic products in favor of VOC-free glues, paints, stains and so on (many are water-, milk- or plant-based). Pieces are being assembled without any glue: just fasteners, which make assembly and disassembly for recycling easier, and which allow flat packing, which means less transportation costs. New green mattresses are being built with comfy memory foam made from plant sources instead of off-gassing oil. Even large furniture makers are starting to offer pieces made with sustainably harvested new wood. One good way to ensure a company's claims have merit is to look for a third party certification, such as the Forest Stewardship Council. The industry-backed Sustainable Forestry Initiative is generally less rigorous.

We don’t recommend that you try to do this research while standing in the middle of a furniture store. But green furniture is a fast-growing retail segment. If you know the lingo and the basics principles of green design before you go to the store, you’ll be able to make good choices with a minimum of head scratching. 

At Home:

- Reuse. In your effort to go green, you may be tempted to throw out your existing furniture. But keep in mind that every new couch, bookshelf, or table takes a toll on the environment, from the resources used to make it to the energy consumed to transport it. So, before you buy new, reuse what you’ve got. Be creative. Can you repaint using a low- or zero-VOC paint? Can you cut off legs or re-upholster? Can a dresser become a baby changing table?  Of course, keeping your furniture for many years is a great way to go green, since you won’t be contributing to the production of new materials. There are many ways to get great used pieces for cheap, including asking friends and family, hitting garage and estate sales, frequenting flea markets, thrift stores and auctions, and checking out the antiques market. There is some concern, with mattresses in particular, about the resurgence of bed bugs, so you do need to exercise some caution. Luckily, there are some prevention steps you can also take, such as using plant oils and barrier covers as repellents.

- Recycle. If you are going to part with some existing furniture, don’t just dump it in a landfill. Sell it or give it away. If you don’t know anybody who wants it, try websites such as Craigslist or Freecycle.

When shopping, look for:

- Certified wood. The core of much of our furniture continues to be wood, which is beautiful, strong and versatile. But of course, wood also has to be harvested, and it takes years to grow. Deforestation is still a rampant problem around the world, leading to desertification, damage to water supplies, loss of habitat and loss of carbon sequestration. It is still true that furniture contributes to loss of valuable forests. It's also true that illegal logging remains a major problem in tropical countries, where gorgeous hardwoods like teak and mahogany are removed surreptitiously from protected preserves, then quietly mixed into the mainstream market.In addition to wood, much furniture is made from metal, plastics and various chemicals, all of which must be sourced from somewhere. Mining of metals remains one of our most toxic enterprises, while plastics and many other materials, from paint to glue, are typically made out of petroleum— with it's massive environmental and social footprint.

- Other eco-friendly options. Some bamboo processing options are less environmentally friendly than others, but, on the whole, bamboo is considered one of the greenest materials because it’s fast growing and doesn’t require pesticides. Other eco-friendly options include metal and glass.

- Reclaimed or recycled materials. Lately, furniture is being made of reclaimed wood, recycled metal, and recycled plastic. Keep in mind, however, that furniture made before 1978 may have lead-based paint or finishes. And, polyurethane foam may emit more flame retardants and other chemicals as it ages, so an older piece of foam may have higher emissions. 

- Go local. Do your best to find materials that weren’t transported long distances. 

- Low or no VOCs. It may be obvious that the quality of your mattress can affect your back and sleeping patterns. But did you also know that your furniture could be slowly poisoning you? That's because furniture is a major emitter of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), those chemicals that are largely responsible for indoor air being more polluted, on average, than what's outside. VOCs released from furniture include formaldehyde, benzene, acetone, toluene, xylene, 1,3-butadiene and many more. They can take years to dissipate, and result in common symptoms like fatigue, headaches, skin and eye irritation, tingling or numbness in the extremities, drowsiness and dizziness. Over time they may increase your risk of cancer and respiratory problems.Where do the VOCs come from? They are found in many industrial glues, paints, solvents and stains. They are a major factor in conventional plywood, particleboard and other materials with binding agents. They release from petroleum-based fabrics, plastics, vinyl and materials that have been "treated" to resist rot, wrinkles, stains or fire. That's why it's a good idea to ventilate your home or office as much as possible, to avoid adding extra VOCs in the form of treatment chemicals or toxic cleaning products, and to go with antique or natural alternatives when possible.  

- Certification. Several organizations offer air-quality certifications for furnishings. Greenguard is the most widely recognized. 

Other Considerations:

- Inside your soft furnishings, including padded wood chairs, is often foam that has been treated with flame retardants. Usually, one of the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) is used, although other flame retardants are on the market. PBDEs escape from foam and can be found in household dust. North Americans have concentrations of PBDEs in their bodies that are 40 times higher than those in Europe. The chemical can disrupt thyroid hormone levels and slow brain development, among other health effects. Sales staff will often tell customers that chemical flame retardants must be used to meet federal and state regulations. Not true. Yes, federal and state standards exist to prevent the ignition and spread of fires, but brominated and chlorinated flame retardants are not required. Other systems can be used to meet the standards.

- Another important factor is fabric. Conventional cotton is heavily treated with pesticides. Heavy metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are often used to treat and color the fabric. Plus, some fabrics are treated with stain repellants, usually perfluorochemicals, which can cause adverse health effects. Choose untreated natural fibers with eco-friendly dyes.

- Before you buy, consider how you will dispose of the furniture down the road. Materials that can be recycled are the best choice. 

Benefits:

…to your health: Choosing furniture that will not taint your indoor air with noxious chemicals will improve your health.

…to your wallet: Green furniture has come down significantly in price, with options at almost any price point. If you go the reuse or recycled route, you’ll save even more.

…to the Earth: Choosing green furniture protects forests and reduces the amount of toxic chemicals used in manufacturing. Using recycled or reclaimed materials saves resources and requires less energy for processing.

Getting Started:

Figure out what you need in terms of function, and then choose the type of material. Then it’s time to research what green options are available.

Excerpted from Sierra Club's GreenHome and E-The Environmental Magazine