It’s always fun to update your home to match the season at hand, and if you can do so with green goods it makes the whole process that much more fun. You don’t need to spend a lot (or spend anything if you’re inventive) to update your home with sun-inspired finds that help bring the outdoors inside. With so many companies jumping on the “green” bandwagon these days, you can find the perfect set of sheets or fun frame to fill with this season’s memories for every price range. So check out some of my favorite finds, sit back and get ready to welcome summer in to your home!

If you’re looking for attractive mainstream furniture and accessories with a green twist, you need look no further than your local Pottery Barn. For the past few years Pottery Barn has focused on the impact their business has on the environment and has started operating under a series of Environmental Commitments.

From increasing the percentage of recycled post-consumer waste in their packaging to developing products that use sustainable materials and manufacturing processes, Pottery Barn has restructured their business to reflect a growing corporate concern for the environment. Look for the “Earth Friendly” logo on the Pottery Barn website – products marked with this label have been designed and developed using reclaimed and sustainable materials that include FSC-certified wood and organic fabrics.

OK, let me start by admitting that yes, I love luxurious sheets and I also love the color green. I can’t help it, but when I see bedding like these Tonal Stripe 400-Count Organic Sheet Sets (to the left), I want to run out and buy them immediately. And while I can’t afford to drop $119 on a Full Sheet Set, I’m hoping that someone out there reading this can! If you’re a sheet fan like me, you might also like Pottery Barn’s Boathouse Stripe Organic Duvet Cover & Sham, or their Botanical Embroidered Organic Quilt & Sham in Porcelain Blue.

It’s also no secret that I am a big fan of Viva Terra – an eco-friendly store that sells clothing, jewelry, furniture, garden goods and accessories to beautify green-loving homes. If you’re looking for something quirky and different to display on an end table or desktop, consider these granite Owls. You can get a set of 2 for $75, or buy 1 large owl for $95. I also like the Porthole Mirror Collection (comes in a set of 5 mirrors). With frames crafted from naturally aged, sustainable sheesham wood, these funky mirrors will light up your house with their shine. While pricey at $369 for the set, these mirrors are sure to last a lifetime and have been manufactured in a manner that hasn’t harmed the Earth.

If you’re looking for something to serve your summer visitors, try tea – and use Gaiam’s Pressed Leaves Tea Set to do the serving. This handmade celadon pottery set comes from Thailand and includes a teapot, 4 teacups and a wooden tray to pull it all together. This $40 tea set is finished with lead-free glaze, and the product is manufactured under guidelines established by the Fair Trade Federation. And if you really want to set the mood while you sip your tea, check out these Handblown Glass Lanterns for $18 apiece. Handcrafted in Georgia, these one-of-a-kind lanterns come in blue, ruby or amber.

I know how challenging it can be to wade through the masses of stuff available online – there are so many well-made, eco-friendly, interesting products out there that deciding exactly what to buy can bring about a certain paralysis when it comes to making decisions. I hope that my pointing out a few of my favorite goods here helps you make your own decisions, and that you’re able to pick up a few new pieces to really spruce up your home this season without breaking the bank.

Happy Eco-Shopping!

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After 9 months of writing for the Green Buy Guide, it dawned on me today that I’ve never actually defined what it means to be green! All this time I have been posting articles about green goods, green politics and lving a greener life with the assumption that there’s a single definition of what it means to be green, and that everyone reading knows what it is! The irony, of course, is that I don’t even really know what it means to be green – I have a pretty good idea, but when it comes to really promoting green living, I should probably be better informed.

Because of my lack of knowledge in this area, I’ve taken some time to research existing green standards and certifications, and hopefully shine a little light on what it really means when a company calls itself green.

Furniture & Home Furnishings

Green furniture manufacturers can apply for, and be awarded certifications by global not-for-profit organizations concerned with establishing standards for environmentally sustainable furniture production. The Forest Stewardship Council is an independent, non-governmental, not for profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world?s forests. According to their website:

FSC provides standard setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services for companies and organizations interested in responsible forestry. Products carrying the FSC label are independently certified to assure consumers that they come from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations.

The FSC is supported by all of the top environmental organizations from around the world, has certified businesses in 46 countries, and ensures the companies they certify comply with the highest social and environmental standards on the market. If a company wants to achieve FSC certification, they must conform with the 10 principles and 56 guiding criteria established by the organization. Once a company is certified, they can use the organization’s logos and branding in promoting their products, and sell their goods on the global markets (FSC certification removes all barriers to trading through the WTO).

Appliances, Electronics & Computers

If you’re in search of energy efficient household and business products, look for those that bear the ENERGY STAR label. A joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on 35 product categories including computers, appliances, home construction and electronics. While complying with ENERGY STAR standards is voluntary, the program has proven to be highly successful among both manufacturers and consumers.

In order to promote ENERGY STAR standards, the EPA has allotted funds to remove cost-prohibitive barriers to producing and building energy efficient products and buildings. By lowering the initial costs incurred in the development of green technologies, the ENERGY STAR program enhances the market for energy efficient products and reduces the risks involved in developing efficient products.

Building & Construction

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit organization committed to expanding sustainable building practices, and to advance structures that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work. Comprised of 15,000 organizations from the building industry, the USGBC has developed the LEED Rating System to encourage sustainable building and design practices in commercial, governmental and residential construction. Although the LEED Rating System is a voluntary program, federal, state and local governments have started incorporating LEED standards in their new construction and working with LEED certified builders.

Within the building industry, there are organizations who have developed their own sets of green standards. While the development of green standards by industry groups is honorable, there could be conflicts of interest involved if the regulatory body is comprised of those being regulated.? One organization that has created their own standards is The Sustainable Furnishings Council, a non-profit industry association founded to promote sustainable practices among furniture manufacturers, and retailers. Comprised of 250 industry organizations, the Council is launching a public advertising and in-store tagging program for consumers to identify retailers and products which exceed their threshold of sustainability standards.

General Household Products

Green Seal is a non-profit organization that provides science-based environmental certification standards for cleaning products, paints and coatings, lodging properties and other household goods.? To gain certification from Green Seal, a product, service or property must be evaluated at every stage of its production – from the extraction of materials used in production, to the manufacture of the goods, and through the disposal and recycling of waste produced during manufacturing. The federal government’s green procurement program is closely aligned with Green Seal, and works with the organization in identifying and selecting environmentally preferable products.

A Note About Organic

The Organic Label is a whole different kind of green certification that really desearves its own article. I will write about the ins and outs of organic certification and labeling in a future post. If you’re interested in learning more about how the US Department of Agriculture certifies farms, crops, and foods, you can visit their website here.

In researching green standards, certifications and the organizations that oversee the programs, I’ve come to realize that we are still a long way from having a universal definition of what it means to be green. While the EPA is responsible for protecting the environment, they aren’t involved in the wholesale regulation of green goods, services and companies. I’m interested in learning more about this issue, so drop me a line if you are aware of certifications I may have missed or standards that I haven’t listed here.

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When it comes to using my consumer dollars to make purchases, I actually don’t buy all that much stuff. For years I’ve been too poor to buy much more than I really need, so most of what I own is limited to the essentials – books (yes, books are essentials), plants, clothes & shoes, and household goods like dishes, and towels. I inherited most of my furniture from family and friends, and I go without things (like wine glasses) that most people just wouldn’t live without.

Part of why I live so minimally is poverty – I was in school and unemployed for years, and just couldn’t afford to buy anything. And since I started making real money, I’ve had to apply most of it to paying off bills accrued while in school and unemployed. Another part of why I don’t buy much stuff however, is the environmental impact of personal consumption. By living low on the consumer chain, I feel that I’m taking part in the 1st “R” of conservation – Reduce. When I don’t upgrade my hand-me-down couches or replace my overwhelmed bookcases with sturdier models, I don’t contribute to the manufacture of these goods and I keep my own carbon footprint low.

It’s not as if limiting my purchases is difficult – I am fiscally frugal, I don’t like clutter, and my apartment is small and lacking in storage space. At the same time, there are items I would really like to own and just can’t bring myself to buy – because they’re expensive, impractical or just not enough of a priority to justify the purchase. Topping the list of stuff I wish I owned are all kinds of green furniture that would work well in my home and replace the well-worn items I already own.

For my living room…

I really like the looks of the Babylon Sofa by RC Green. Founded by designer Robert Craymer, RC Green designs, manufactures and retails eco-furniture, bedding, clothing, shoes and accessories. With an eye toward minimalist design and a sense of responsibility towards the environment, Craymer is working toward an all green, all natural, sustainable and organic way of living. Furniture crafted by RC Green is made with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) wood, recycled steel (for springs and screws), non-toxic and formaldehyde free glues, and a range of eco-fabrics including cotton, linen, bamboo, and hemp. Additionally, all RC Green products are made in the US and built out of local resources.

I also like the clean lines of the Hect Chair by Greener Lifestyles, a Seattle-based design and manufacturing company that specializes in creating sustainable furniture . Constructed out of FSC wood, the Hect Chair is finished with organic hemp, cotton and wool fabrics, and held together with eco-friendly adhesives.

To show off my new couch and chair, I could always light my living room up with a few of these Bleu Nature Tropique Lamps. Offered by environmental retailer Eco-Terric, these lamps are hand crafted in Northern France,? and made from all natural products.

For my ever-growing expanding book collection, I like this Tetrad Shelving unit from Brave Space Designs. Consisting of 4 interlocking squares, this modular shelving unit is constructed from either ash or wood and built using paints, stains, adhesives, and sealants with low or zero VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Brave Space Designs also finishes all of their products with either hand-applied organic-herbal oil or water-based spray finishes.

To finish off my room, I would add this hand-knotted Jardin rug offered by Cotswold Furniture Makers. Headquartered in Stowe, Vermont, Cotswold is committed to producing environmentally sustainable furniture, and ensures that their products are never constructed by children or with abusive labor practices. Hand-tied in Tibet, the Jardin rug is crafted from 100% wool.

If you are in the market for eco-friendly, sustainable furniture, check out some of the companies listed above. These designers and manufacturers have all committed to producing products that use local resources, non-toxic chemicals and organic fabrics. Change happens one person at a time, so next time you’re in the market for new furniture, consider buying green.