This weekend – in a burst of spring fever and massive procrastination – I decided to completely rearrange my living room. For the past few months I’ve been working on a large project (with an impending deadline), and constantly staring at my computer screen was starting to take a toll. I figured it wouldn’t take too long move my office to the dining area, and the dining area to the office area – no big deal…

Clearly, it was a big deal…

In the 24-hours since I decided to pick up everything I own, clean it all, and put it all in new places, I’ve come to realize the following:

1. If your floors are uneven and make your furniture wobble, you can use the cardboard from old shoe boxes as coasters. I like to cut the tops off of boxes (since the tops are thicker than the boxes), and add layers to steady my furniture exactly as needed.

2. Fondue forks can be used to support floppy plants. You can also use chopsticks, old silverware, and sticks (you know – the kind you find on trees).

3. Old bookshelves (not the cases, but the actual shelves) are great for creating flat surfaces. Even if I toss an old bookcase, I always keep the shelves. I have one old bookshelf underneath the legs on one side of my desk (the floors in this place are really uneven), and have used another as a makeshift table top.

4. Old folders can last forever. To spruce them up (and hide random doddles, musings and notes), I taped photographs and cool cards on their covers, than filled them up with my project notes.

5. Pint glasses make excellent pen holders. So do coffee mugs, mason jars and vases. Really, is there ever any reason to buy a pen holder…

6. Reusable shopping bags (the kind we should all be using for groceries and other goods) are great for storing recyclables. They have the added benefit that, when full, you just pick them up and dump their contents into your outdoor bins. And if the bags get sticky or smelly, you can always throw them into the wash.

7. Instead of buying new pots for your plants, turn vases, bowls and ceramic dishes into cool planters. If you need to put your plants on trays, use old plates and platters to catch the runoff.

8. With a little imagination, you can transform almost anything. Instead of tossing a shoddy filing cabinet (purchased at Staples and made of corrugated cardboard), I covered it with a table cloth and turned it into an end table.

9. If you have walls to cover and are lacking in the art department, hang up maps of your favorite places. If maps don’t suit your tastes, you might consider using album covers (vinyl album covers that is), pictures from old calendars, and postcards instead.

10. When lovingly cared for and well maintained, antique, hand-me-down and used furniture will last indefinitely. My desk chair, filing cabinet (turned end table) and mattress are the only “new” pieces of furniture I own – everything else has been passed down or somehow scavenged. I have 2 comfortable hand-me-down couches, bookcases from yard sales and a dresser bequeathed to my parents 40 years ago – and all of it works. And while nothing really “matches,” when put together, everything basically works…

Don’t get me wrong, there are times when I would love to go out and buy pre-made coasters to fit beneath my desk, pot all of my plants in new planters, and find a desk, bookcases and end tables that all match… I think we all feel this way sometimes, but the point is that we all need to start letting those feelings pass without rushing out and snatching up more stuff.

Look around your house – chances are good that you already own most of what you need – it may just be that you have to think about using what you own in different ways. I’d love to hear your tips on reusing household items, and welcome tips on how you ruse goods to reduce consumption.

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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.