Furniture > Ever Thought of Buying a Piece of Eco or Ethical Household Furniture?

Ever Thought of Buying a Piece of Eco or Ethical Household Furniture?

Ask yourself this - Do you own any eco friendly furniture, or anything that is made from an ethical source or bought from an ethical retailer? The majority of Western
consumers may say they don't, and probably most of them are not even familiar with the concepts. So what is eco friendly furniture, an ethical source or ethical retailer and why should you consider buying such products?

Increasingly we find ourselves beset by problems that seem beyond our control; global warming, GM Foods, animal testing, the spread of factory farming, the arms trade and human rights abuses, to list but a few. Shoppers are often left feeling helpless, the typical response being there's nothing I can do.

But you can by shopping in an Ethical way. Put simply, this is buying things that are made ethically by companies that act ethically.

Buying ethically means buying a brand or from a company which doesn't exploit labour, animals or the environment.

Eco friendly furniture is defined as furniture made by nontoxic, sustainable, renewable materials. An example is garden furniture made from recycled wood. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international network to promote responsible management of the world's forests. FSC brings people together to find solutions to the problems created by bad forestry practices and to reward good forest management.

Why buy ethically?

Due to a world population of 6 billion and the demand for wood that follows, forests have been clear-cut throughout the equatorial regions of the world.

From Indonesia to Africa to the Americas, deforestation has robbed the world of nearly half of the original tropical forests. Often this deforestation has been fueled by multinational timber companies who came in, cut everything in sight, and moved on.

Although we are beginning to hear the term Carbon neautral more and more. (What this means is that in terms of timber, for every tree they cut down. They plant another in either the same place or a different place.

That way they remain neutral) Everyone needs to go shopping in one way or another. As an ethical consumer, every time you buy something you can make a difference by choosing an ethical furniture product or by buying from an ethical business.
For example, when you buy from a company that doesn't exploit its workers and provides them with decent working conditions, you are giving the company the funds to continue its ethical behaviour. At the same time, you are no longer buying from a company that exploits its labour with poor pay and often a dangerous working environment. That company then loses business, which may encourage it to change its ways and to look after its workers.

Shopping for ethical and eco furniture has never been easier with companies such as GuideMeGreen that lists 100s of relevant companies.
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Paul Haris works with the Green and Ethical directory GuideMeGreen.com .This growing green resource lists 100s of Organic, Fairtrade, Eco and Ethical companies, Jobs and Articles

Secrets of Discount Patio Furniture ? An Easy Way to Get the Best

By: Buying discount patio furniture can be a very economical way to obtain quality furniture for your patio ... if you know how. Many department stores offer patio furniture at discounted prices towards or at the end of the summer season. Many people can obtain quality teak or cedar furniture to enhance their patios by watching the advertised sales from department and hardware stores. You can save yourself hundreds of dollars by just waiting a month or two for that special piece of patio furniture you have always wanted.

You don't have to buy the cheapest furniture just to be able to enjoy your patio. There are disadvantages to buying discount patio furniture. Ensure the quality of the workmanship of the pieces you buy so that you are not buying junk furniture that will fall apart the first time anyone sits on it. When shopping for discounted patio furniture, you should always look for chairs or benches made from solid wood. This kind of patio furniture is durable and well worth...

Secrets of Discount Patio Furniture ? An Easy Way to Get the Best

Furniture > Secrets of Discount Patio Furniture ? An Easy Way to Get the Best

Save money on furniture

Buying furniture can be very expensive. After all, next to your house and your car, furniture is one of the priciest things in your home. So any time you can save money, you should! Here are some tips to buying furniture inexpensively.

Look in the Yellow Pages for a furniture wholesaler or a liquidation or discount store. Often, their furniture is as good as the kind you will get in a retail outlet, but usually cheaper because of a minor flaw (and usually you won't notice that flaw!).

You can also buy from a furniture warehouse where the salespeople are paid by commission. Using a number of purchasing tactics you can often get it at a better deal.

For example, if you buy a couch, but would really like to own a couch and a chair, ask if you could get a deal if you buy both.

Another good way to save money when you're buying furniture is to go in toward the end of the month. Most retail companies operate on a month by month basis, measuring...