Recycle furniture. Although there’s plenty of cheap furniture available, it’s not always possible to find cheap furniture with good green credentials. If you want to buy new, make sure you check with the retailer about the supply chain used to make the sofa or table that you are thinking about buying. Check whether the wood used has been forested responsibly, and find out whether any fabrics used are produced without using pesticides and toxic dyes.

Alternatively, check online for swap shops and second hand furniture depots. Many people now get rid of unwanted furniture at this kind of outlet rather than taking it to the local tip. And what may be perceived as junk by one person might be just the thing to suit your taste and style.

Often, it’s worth asking around as friends of friends may have pieces of furniture they no longer want, and that you can find a use for.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for second hand, then check out a local sofas sale and see if you can get a bargain price on a good quality sofa that has all the right environmental attributes.

Read the labels. If you’re planning on repainting as well as buying new furniture, take careful note of the ingredients in the paint you choose to use. There are many organic and earth-friendly paints available now and these come in a range of finishes. However, traditional household paints often contain Volatile Organic Compounds, which are harmful for the environment. VOCs have also been linked to problems like bronchitis and asthma.

While decorating and refurbishing in a green manner may take a bit more time and effort, it can be done!

Many of today’s cushions on things like recliner sofas are greener than they used to be – thanks to the development by sofa manufacturers of using a blend of soya foam and polyurethane foam. Obviously, soya foam on its own would be better than mixing it with polyurethane, but so far, the manufacturers have yet to find a way to disguise the rather strong odour that soya foam has.

The best green option for sofa cushion filling is latex foam, as this is derived from the rubber tree, so it’s the most natural material. However, it is also the most expensive as rubber trees are relatively scarce. Most inexpensive furniture, including things like a cheap dining table, will not be made using the greenest materials, which explains the better prices. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to buy green, but any gesture that you can make in other ways to help the planet is a way of offsetting areas where you can’t.

For instance, just by planting a native tree in your garden you will increase the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by 2,268 kg a year. Plant two and you double your contribution!

Another way you can help the planet while remodelling your home is to buy second hand furniture or ‘antiques’. Go to any boot fair or second hand furniture store and you’re bound to see a few wooden pieces at bargain prices. They may not look great when you see them, but check if they’re made with real wood, and with a little elbow grease you can restore them to their former glory. Re-using old furniture means that you are not contributing to the demands on our limited resources of new wood, thus helping the earth’s forests just a little bit more than simply going to buy new.

However, the cushions on an average fabric sofa for sale today have a bit of catching up to do on the environmentally-friendly front. Pretty much any sofa you think about buying will have one of the following three options under the fabric covering.

Polyurethane foam

This is the most common material for sofa cushions. It’s comfortable and long lasting – the cushions made out of it can last for a number of years without going saggy in the middle. However, as it is petrol-based, it is highly flammable, and anyone with a dust allergy will be able to confirm that the dust from polyurethane foam is irritable to the eyes and airways. It has lots of flame retardants added to it because of its flammable nature and these contain chemicals like polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), which also pose health risks.

Soy foam

A far better green choice is the sofa cushion produced with a blend of polyurethane and soy-based foam. Soy foam is a more natural and healthier choice, but unfortunately has a pretty strong odour that manufacturers haven’t quite worked out how to neutralise yet. Hence the reason for blending it with polyurethane rather using pure soy foam. Still, it’s a step in the right direction, and one can only assume they will soon find a way of dealing with the smell!

Natural latex foam

The best environmental choice for sofa cushion filling is natural latex foam. This is sourced from rubber trees, and has the advantage of being mould and mildew resistant as well as repelling dust mites, so it’s great for allergy sufferers. Unfortunately, it’s also the most expensive material for sofa filling, so in order to make the greenest choice, you’ll have to dig deeper into your pockets!

Many of the world’s natural forests are being destroyed by our ever increasing demand for timber. In its natural state, almost half the surface area of the world would be covered by forest. But as the world’s population has exploded to over seven billion, human beings have used up half the forests for wood only one-fifth of forests remain completely untouched.

Global wood consumption expected to more than double over the next three decades, so it’s vital that the human race acts now to preserve the remaining forests – particularly the rainforests.

By making recycled timber choices at our favourite furniture store, we can all do our bit to help preserve them. These forests are home to an array of wildlife that simply can’t survive elsewhere. Already, various species have become extinct. The forests are the main basis for a delicately balanced eco-system supporting life.

The rainforests also play a vital role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – a gas released when fossil fuels and wood are burned. This contributes to the greenhouse effect and so to global warming.

It is often said that the rainforests are the lungs of the world. This is a very accurate description which sums up our collective need to save them for today, and for the sake of all species for the future – including our own.
Reclaimed wooden furniture both helps reduce the need to destroy more trees for manufacturing purposes – and reduces the amount of waste wood that is often disposed of by burning.

Wood is a durable resource, so it makes sense to recycle it wherever possible. So the next time you see the tempting furniture sale sign going up – first ask if there’s really a need to be using up new wood and whether there’s a recycled alternative.

Once you have built the basic frame into floor, walls and ceiling to attach the door fronts to you will really start to see the wardrobe take shape. There are many options available on the market for ready-made doors which can be anything from glass, mirrored, wood or metal. The economical options are recycled doors or MDF which can actually be beneficial for the amateur as it is often easier to cut and deal with than natural wood which can flex and expand.

The best bit, however, is deciding what the interior space is going to look like. You can hide anything away from a television, to a complete mini office and I have even seen a washbasin and vanity unit behind a wardrobe door! For many people the hanging space for clothes is important, plus drawers and shelves to tidy away smaller items and accessories. Shoe racks are very useful too, keep everything in pairs from your men’s sports sandals to your best ‘going out’ high heels and have everything to hand when you need it. A good range of fitted units in your bedroom will make all the difference to the look and feel of the room and you will wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.

Doing the work yourself will mean that the project will cost less than paying a professional, and you will also have all the job satisfaction too. What are you waiting for? Get out those power tools and give it a try!

Photo: chotda

If you are looking for the best of green summer meals to feed the family or impress your guests then look out for green recipes combining fruit flavours in savoury dishes as the ideal way to add a wow factor. A few essentials in your kitchen cabinets will go a long way too: a good quality olive oil, black peppercorns and sea salt for grinding and of course some delicious balsamic vinegar. Salads such as feta and watermelon or spinach and orange will come alive with a touch of balsamic – and I have even known people to put it on strawberries; however I think I will stick with the traditional cream option.

A green herb garden is also a delicious addition to your kitchen in summer, whether a full grown bed in the garden proper or a simple window box, being able to add freshly cut herbs to a wide variety of dishes will add a depth of flavour and a bright edge. Mint is a particular favourite of mine and is a lovely fragrant plant to have around too. Add to a pea risotto for a clean bite or simply dress new potatoes to accompany any green salad or fish dish. Fitted kitchens come alive with the smells of inventive cookery so embrace your creative side and experiment with some tasty combinations you may never have tried before.

It doesn’t have to be green leaves, leaves, leaves either: cooked dishes can be wonderful in summer when eaten al fresco. Chicken with lemon, homemade pizza to delight the children and don’t forget the barbecue either – get Dad involved and raise the bar above the basic burger and sausage level!

1. Kitchen paper or kitchen towel is a huge waste of the world’s resources. Think how much you get through and what it costs you: switch to washable fabric tea-towels for mopping up messes and it is a step in the right direction. Reinstate the cloth handkerchief instead of paper tissues too and that’s a clean sweep – pardon the pun.
2. Put a lid on your pans. Simple but very effective as food will cook quicker, using less energy and less water too – you only need enough to cover what you are boiling, avoid the temptation to fill the pan right up as it will take longer to boil, again wasting more energy.
3. Clean kitchens with white vinegar instead of chemical based cleaning products. Kinder to the environment and very cheap. Don’t think that your house will smell like a chip shop either, it wont – the smell evaporates very quickly and the resulting shine is impressive.
4. Don’t immediately throw food out on the ‘best before’ date. I am not suggesting you take a chance on a week old packet of prawns, but with fruit and vegetables use your eyes, your nose and your sense of taste. We can all tell the difference between a mouldy black strawberry and one which is just very ripe. Don’t be brainwashed by the packaging and eat what you can.
5. Dust off your microwave. You might only use it to defrost things at the moment but have another go at cooking with it. The microwave method is highly energy efficient and actually you can get great results – Google microwave chocolate sponge pudding recipes, that’s all I’m saying!

These are all easy changes to make, so keep up the good work and add a comment if you come up with any other ideas to share.

Travelling or taking a gap year is very common these days, and as I stand here looking at the postcards on the notice board in my kitchen the experience has not been as painful for me as I imagined it might be. One of the reasons is that I know my child is making a contribution to an emerging economic region by joining an organised volunteer group who are working hard to support the local community. It is ‘green tourism’ at its best, a great way to make a difference and learn something about the world. I am hoping that when my offspring returns with an older head on their shoulders they will appreciate how valuable this opportunity has been for them as well.

It won’t be long before we find out either as I am counting the weeks now until the prodigal return. Soon enough my house will be full of unwashed clothes, my kitchen worktops will be covered in precious nick-knacks from around the globe and the age old arguments between siblings will have resumed at full volume. What bliss!

Oh well, only a few months until September and the start of University, another grand upheaval leaving parents bereft, siblings frustrated and an altogether quieter home. I’m not sure whether I am looking forward to it or not – time will tell. One things for sure, I am certainly going to make the most of the summer when we are all together, who knows, it could be the end of an era.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that all green solutions will involve you making an initial financial investment either; there are simple things to change in the home which won’t cost you a penny. In the kitchen figure out better ways to recycle, perhaps give over more space under your kitchen units for separate bins to make it simple. Waste less energy when cooking where possible, and don’t leave your taps running endlessly. Turning down the temperature on appliances such as the dishwasher and washing machine is also a great way to reduce your carbon footprint – and your energy bill too.

Kitchens are a room we all spend a lot of time in and are probably the highest offender for wasting the most resources. It is not just the energy and water issues either, think about the impact of cleaning products on the environment, and then there is the food itself. How much food do you waste? Where and what do you buy? What could you grow yourself, and what could you compost? There will be changes to be made in this area too no doubt.

Make the changes you want to make at your own pace, and your whole family will feel the benefit. Remember, it only takes between 16 and 21 times of repeating a task to make it a habit – that’s 3 weeks to a greener home.

By the way, you could install a bench and mirrors to give you the feeling of being in a dressing room. When a walk-in closet is maximized in its storage capacity, these useful room can handle a whole lot of stuff in a personal area. This will creates a feeling of being in a dressing room. You could add sunroof or lighting so that you can see yourself from all thinkable angles.

However, if you want to make your walk in closet, there are many factories that will come in with professionally redesign your closets and I would like to suggest closets Richmond.