Climatefriendly way to furnish your home

Our efforts to tread lightly on the planet often revolve around how we commute, what we eat and where we set our thermostats. But the way we furnish our homes has a surprising impact, too. According to the National Wildlife Federation, furniture manufacturers are the third largest consumers of wood, behind the construction and paper industries. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates Americans disposed of 12 million tons of furniture in 2018 — 80 percent of which ended up in a landfill — up from 2.5 million tons in 1960. That’s a lot of old couches left on the curb.

In recent years, the furniture industry has begun to resemble the “fast fashion” industry — encouraging consumers to buy cheap items and replace them within a year or two. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

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. Repurpose your old furniture

The first thing to consider when shopping for new furniture? Not buying it at all, says Laura Hodges, a Maryland designer with certifications from the Green Building Council and Sustainable Furnishings Council.

“When I meet with a new client, we always start by asking if anything even needs to be purchased,” she says. “If we’re not [buying] anything new, there’s no energy used to make it or ship it, there’s no need to harvest materials, and there’s no waste — and if you can save an old item from a landfill, even better.”

Margot Guralnick, an editor at the eco-friendly blog and publisher Remodelista, also nudges homeowners to re-use: “You may have furniture in your basement or your attic, or a perfectly good sofa sitting unused in an office,” she says. “And remember, a desk doesn’t have to be labeled a desk — a big table could work as a desk, and a stool could become a nightstand.” (You might even ask friends or relatives if they’re willing