MUSCLE BEHIND YOUR MONEY

As a consumer, making wise choices now can have far reaching effects in our future. Make an effort to ask questions about the products before you buy. Seek out designers/manufacturers that: ** USE recyclable materials, because itis much more important to know what will be done with it after than to feel good about where it was coming from before. **EXTEND product life, moving away from disposable products by creating goods that are durable, upgradeable, and repairable; and provide the product as a service or on a lease basis where the consumer keeps the product through its useful life, and the manufacturer reclaims it for disassembly or refurbishment.

**USE water based paints, finishes, and sealants **USE packaging materials and literature made from recycled paper products **ARE LEED certified ( Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design by the national Green Building Rating System) It is still a challenge to create affordable, beautiful pieces when the industry has been doing it one way for so many years. Sourcing sustainable materials is another uphill battle, but in the next 20 years it will be a requirement in international building codes rather than a movement some people see as trendy and/or radical. Wouldn't it be nice to tell the guests at your next cocktail party that the sleek sofa they're sitting in is made from discarded walnut shell husks?

courtesy: www.objectinteriors.com