What better way to show Mother Earth your appreciation than to decorate your home with an eco-friendly twist. With a variety of ways to reuse materials and reduce emissions, environmentally conscious interior home design has never been more popular. In this post Metro Atl. Floors touches on a few ways that you can give your home a fresh look while also limiting your carbon footprint.
Upcycle
Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or otherwise useless products into something of better value and use. “Trash to treasure” is a popular euphemism for the hobby. The beauty in up cycling is that as oppose to using new materials for a coffee table, a table could be made using wood pallets. This helps the environment by reducing waste in landfills. Not to mention, the act of restoring an old piece of furniture can be a fun endeavor.
Local Artisans and Designers
Supporting your local community is always a great way to redecorate with an eco-friendly theme. By purchasing furniture and other pieces from local dealers you are stimulating the local economy, as well as reducing carbon emissions with the short delivery distance.
Stay Away From Synthetic Materials
When using synthetic products there are significant environmental and health costs. Production requires excessive energy consumption and pollutes the environment and atmosphere. Pretty much all of the materials that are used in synthetic production come from non-sustainable and non-renewable resources. Another aspect to be aware of is that synthetic materials can release toxins into the atmosphere that can take years to dissipate.
Natural Products
Natural products are a great choice because of their eco-friendly properties. They are made from substances that are grown and harvested in a sustainable manner and they are biodegradable. From a health standpoint, natural products do not emit any harmful volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere. The natural look of wood products is unmatched, with a beauty and quality that is unattainable with synthetic materials. Some of these best sustainable materials are bamboo and eucalyptus, and this is because of their ability to rapidly grow and be harvested on a consistent basis.