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How many sick days do you have left?

11.10.2006

Submitted by idealbite on Fri, 11/10/2006 - 6:00pm.
The Bite:
We owe your boss an apology. As home improvement week draws to a close, your house is looking so good you're probably practicing your best fake cough, just so you can stay home to admire the recycled countertops. But keep your job: you'll need it to buy some sustainably-made furniture to round out your new digs.
The Benefits: 
  • Forging the doctor's note is somehow easier on top of awe-inspiringly designed tabletops.
  • For the planet. Almost 1/2 of the world's forests have been lost to logging, so go for Forest Stewardship Council-certified (read: the wood comes from managed forests) or antique home furnishings.
  • Make sure that cough isn't caused by your furniture. The formaldehyde and other chems used in treating conventional furniture continue to off-gas throughout the furniture's lifetime.
Personally Speaking: 
The most sustainable furniture of all? "Recycled" pieces from antique stores, fairs and garage sales. Jen "rescues" most of her furniture this way, giving it a fresh coat of eco-paint where necessary.
Wanna Try: 
  • Steelcase - their stylish Greenguard-certified furniture incorporates recycled materials, perfect for home offices ($250-$3,000).
  • Vivavi - modern with a conscience - plus they donate 1% of their profits to the planet.
  • Eco-Terric - home furnishings hand-selected by a discerning proprietor... we all wish we could afford the custom couch ($3,398).
  • VivaTerra - check their Twisty Stool, great as a side table ($195). Their beautiful furniture products are always from reclaimed wood or US Forest Stewardship Council-certified sources.
  • Ikea - inexpensive and easily accessible, Ikea avoids toxins like the flame-retardant PBDEs and only purchases wood that meets FSC criteria.
  • Ideal Bite's Green Mattresses Tip - you spend 1/3 of your life asleep, so make your dreams sweet with a greener mattress.

Cocktail Fact

The most expensive item to appear on Antiques Roadshow: a Navajo blanket appraised to be worth as much as $500K.

Bang For The Bite

Easy on the eyes and the planet, but we sure can't say the same about the wallet.

2 comments
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mary kaplar  on March 25, 2009 at 09:21 AM 1
I have heard that with some or all of the foreclosed homes, the mortgage holders are going in with a dumpster and trashing everything left in the house. Many owners have walked away from their homes and furnishings when forclosed. It is such a waste to send all these items to a landfill when someone could use them. I don't know how to go about changing this.
wdf  on November 04, 2009 at 12:54 AM 2
We are providing all kinds of louis vuitton handbags, wallets and purses in ourgucci Online Store, all items of which have the most popular styles and are the newest and at discounted prices.

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