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Selecting Eco-friendly Office Furniture

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Global warming is a proven fact, and to help in reducing it, everyday more companies and their eco-friendly employees and principals are switching over to energy-efficient appliances and environmentally-friendly products. Offices are one of the main consumers of furniture and they can be an integral part of the green revolution by carefully selecting eco-friendly office furniture and energy saving devices. The primary concerns to be considered when choosing eco-friendly office furniture are the choice of wood, the fabric materials, and the chemicals involved in the manufacture of the furniture.

Traditionally, hardwood has been the material of choice for most office furniture. However, with increasing pressure to save precious natural rainforest resources, the new earth-friendly trend is to manufacture furniture only from recycled woods or obtained in an environmentally friendly manner. Many furniture makers are now committed to sourcing their wood only from lumber companies that are known to indulge in reforestation and sustainable forestry practices.

Many companies like thegreenoffice.com and overstock.com offer eco-friendly furniture and supplies, but when buying office furniture, look for those that have been certified by recognized authorities such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). These certifications guarantee that the wood has been sourced from well-managed forests that meet the principles of environmental conservation including maintenance of ecosystems, conservation of biological diversity and establishment of long-term management practices.

Recycled materials are also gaining track and beginning to find favor in the offices across the country. Office chairs are now available that are being constructed of material that is made from recycled soda bottles and recycled fabrics. The Velica Series High-Back Swivel/Tilt Chair is a good example.

It is equally important that office furniture should also meet indoor environmental pollution standards. Certain finishes, glues and stains create emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) that are largely responsible for indoor air pollution. Eco-friendly office furniture includes powder-based finishing coats that require less energy to manufacture, create less waste and are VOC- free. Greenguard, a non-profit organization evaluates the effects of various products on the indoor air quality. Opting for furniture with a Greenguard certification ensures that only low-emission materials that are non-polluting are used in the product.

More and more business owners have recognized the importance of buying eco-friendly office furniture. With furniture-makers acknowledging the need to comply with the ever-increasing demand, many creative designers are crafting fabulous eco-friendly pieces of furniture for the environment conscious buffs who care about their actions, and office furniture is now easily available in a wide range of designs and eco-friendly materials.

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How to Become an Earth-Friendly Consumer

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April is Earth Month, a time for people to stop and think about how they can do their part to help the environment.

According to Environmental Defense, a leading nonprofit organization committed to protecting the environment, the United States is ranked the No. 1 global warming polluter. What can you do to help change that? Here are some small steps that you can take every day toward becoming a more conscious consumer:

* Buy in bulk. It’s cheaper in the long run, and you buy more of the product and less of the packaging.

* Look at the businesses you buy from. Does your coffee shop recycle? Does your rental car agency have hybrids? If you’re in doubt, ask. Businesses take note of consumers’ questions, your inquiry could be the one to tip the scale and make a change.

* Make an appointment to celebrate Earth Day and make sure you support an eco-friendly cause or company . One of our very favorites is ReJAVAnate.com, their program takes discarded burlap and jute bags from the coffee industry and reuses the material for accessories made by individuals with developmental disabilities.

* Support your local farmers. Farmers’ markets are where some of the healthiest and freshest food can be found. By supporting farmers in your own community, you’re doing your own body good and cutting down on carbon dioxide emissions of food transportation.

* Recycle! Plastic comes from crude oil and paper comes from trees. By recycling just these two items in your household, you’re helping to save two of the Earth’s valuable resources and reducing your home’s carbon dioxide emissions.

* Pay your bills online. It saves stamps, paper, fuel for mail transport and ultimately saves you money.

* Purchase thoughtful gifts. BuyGreen.com carries a wide variety of earth-friendly gifts like their Pure Beeswax Aromatherapy Pillar Candles made with  high quality essential oils, pure filtered beeswax, and no lead or metal 100% cotton wicks.

* Think eco-fashion. A number of designers are now using clothing materials that go beyond organic cotton, such as biodegradable fabrics and fibers made of recycled plastics. We recommend GreenCouture.com as one of the very best sources for eco-friendly clothing and accessories.

* Spread the word. If you find a green product or company that you like, tell your friends. Consumers can use their collective purchasing power to spearhead change.

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Green Furniture – Beneficial or Just a Hype?

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As soon as you enter almost any house today, an infinite number of air-borne pollutants that you cannot even see, will immediately get into your lungs and attached to your skin. This happens in any home, modern or old, at any office or reception area and at any other space where furniture and fabrics are used or displayed. Fortunately, over the last few years, a new method of furniture making has been occurring.

Eco-friendly furniture or green furniture is a new buzzword for a modern type of furnishing product. Environment friendly furniture not only aids and promotes a good cause; this type of furniture is specially crafted in such a way that it has minimum negative impact on the environment.

Green furniture is obtained from renewable natural resources and there are few or no chemicals used in their production, resulting in a very low impact to the environment and the user’s health. Furniture crafted from recycled materials and which also can be recycled falls under the same category.

Those who make and manufacture green furniture are committed to producing non-toxic, environmentally friendly and safe enough products to live without contamination. Herbal oils and polish are used in the finishing process to minimize the toxic levels.

One of the first steps towards manufacturing green furniture is to use wood that comes from a sustainable forest. Gone are the days of exotic woods found only in the few remaining rainforests, instead these woods are now found in areas managed by modern reforesting techniques. For every tree taken, another is either planted or left to grow to full maturity.

The second step is the use of non-toxic bonding agents. Many types of glue, especially those used in imported furniture, are known to release formaldehyde gases and other air-borne chemicals into the home or surrounding area. By utilizing non-toxic glues, green manufactures provide their customers with a safe product that produce no off-gasses in their homes.

The third step to green furniture is in the finish. Many chemicals known to cause cancer and other health problems are used in lacquers, varnishes and other methods of furniture finishing. By using natural approved herbal oils and water based finishes, green builders guarantee non-toxicity of the woods surfaces.

For those concerned about any of the above problems, replacing your old furniture with eco-friendly green furniture in your home may be the perfect solution. True, green furniture may cost a bit more, but the safety and health benefits for your loved ones and the peace of mind you receive is priceless.

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Tips to Host and Enjoy an Eco-friendly Party

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Who doesn’t love the good times of family reunions and gatherings with friends?  Yes, almost everybody loves to have a party; unfortunately most of these parties are just toxic attacks on our planet. The solution is to have and host an eco-friendly party. By using the right supplies we can enjoy great green parties which are entertaining as well as eco-friendly. Try to use eco-friendly supplies as far as possible to throw green parties that are not harmful for the environment. Planning for green parties start right from the beginning:

To begin with, try to purchase all your green party supplies locally, this will save fuel thus reducing pollution and emissions and will also support your local economy. If your local party supply store doesn’t offer green supplies then try to use a single online retailer that does.

If your party settings involve candles for decoration, try to use soy based or pure beeswax candles with a no lead or metal cotton wicks, which do not emit toxic materials when burned.

Try to avoid paper invitations, instead you can use other services like e-mails or text messages to invite your guests or if you really need to send invites, you should consider making use of eco-friendly supplies like homemade or recycled paper for making cards for your green parties. This will not only save you money needed for postage but will also save trees and other precious natural resources. Many stores offer eco-friendly supplies of recycled cards, some of these cards are made up of materials not furnished by trees.

Your eco-friendly presents can be wrapped with recycled paper and even newspaper. Remember, our planet and the gift are more important than the wrapping paper. You can use old-fashioned colors to brighten up your wrapping papers. In addition, you can mention in your eco-friendly invites that your guests must try to bring only eco-friendly presents and wrap them up in eco-friendly supplies keeping in mind the theme of green parties.

In regards of party accessories, you should use green party supplies like table clothes made of linen rather than plastic and use dishes and plates that can be washed and re-used rather than use disposable ones. If using disposable plates is unavoidable, stay away from plastic and Styrofoam, and use paper plates that can be recycled and biodegrade quickly.

Eco-friendly goodie bags should be made up of green party supplies and you can even try to hand out healthy snacks and fruits and eco-friendly toys made up of sustainable materials in an eco-friendly way.

At www.xxxxxxxxx.com, you can find innovative ideas about eco-friendly goodie bags, eco friendly toys and eco friendly presents and get some of the best green party supplies in the market. The site will also teach you how to make eco friendly goodie bags and eco friendly presents.

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Investing in Green & Eco-Friendly Stocks

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The socially conscious investor will find a wide range of Eco-friendly stocks and mutual funds to choose from, both small and large. Due to the influence of world-wide concern over global pollution and carbon dioxide, the investor will find many large corporations are snapping up green companies to add to their list of products.

A recent acquisition by Royal Philips Electronics (headquartered in the Netherlands) of Color Kinetics, trading on the NASDAQ as CLRK is a great example. Color Kinetics was a ten-year-old company that produced environmentally friendly lighting through its enhancement of the LED (light-emitting-diode) technology to create a new type of illumination.

Color Kinetics utilized digitalized technology to create a new source of controllable illumination. The merger between the giant Philips and Color Kinetics will enhance its Philips Lighting Solutions market in the LED technology. Color Kinetic has existing installations world wide and a huge customer list, with relationships in China and the UK. Philips, in turn will, provide its 60-country-presence to the Eco-friendly technology of Color Kinetics. Investors should not rule large conglomerates in their search for Eco-friendly stock.

Small Cap Companies:

For investors that enjoy investing directly in small cap companies there are numerous opportunities for investors in AMEX. These stocks are very reasonable in price and may provide future gains as going green becomes an integral part of business and not just a slogan. I have watched some Eco-friendly companies grow over the past several years and the following is a highlight of some interesting stocks.

Environmental Power Corp. trades under the ticker EPG on the AMEX exchange. This stock currently sells in the 5 range. The company and its subsidiaries engage in the ownership, development and operation of renewable energy facilities in the United States. EPG owns 83 leasehold of land. It has plants that utilize animal and food industry waste to produce bio-mass and other forms of alternative fuel that utilize their renewable energy biogas. A good reason to give this company a good look is that it filed a notice with the SEC that it has a firm commitment from an underwriter to make and offering of over four million shares of his stock. If the offering goes forward the company could realize a gain in the price as well as an infusion of over 22 million dollars.

There is another stock that has great promise in the fuel cell area. This area has room to grow. I particularly like Fuel Cell Energy. It trades under the stock ticker FCEL. The company has a market cap of approximately 650 million. The company is in the development, manufacturing and sale of fuel cells power plants for use in electrical power plants. Its pipeline products are geared for use in health care facilities, hotels, hospitals, universities, governmental offices and water treatment centers. The company is located in Connecticut with office in Korea, Japan, Canada and Europe. This 9 stock has no where to go but up in the long term. Another reason to think twice about this company is the major holders of stock in the company. Wells Fargo Bank, Barclays, Deutsche Bank and other prominent funds are invested in FCEL.

A stock that is a good value, but lacks appreciation is Calgon Carbon Corp. in Pennsylvania. The company trades under the ticker CCC. The company is in the business of providing means to clean the air and water.

The company has been around for a good period of time and it appears that 2007 may be its year to take a solid place in Eco-friendly stocks. It currently sells in the 13 range and deserves a good review.

There are numerous ways to get into the green, Eco-friendly stocks. There are mutual funds and indexes available. In addition there are segments in wind, health foods and solar energy that have opportunities for investment.

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