Eco-friendly tools and advice for environmentally responsible living

Wood is a ubiquitous substance.  While home remodeling is probably the largest use of wood products, it is also used in furniture, decorations, dishes, and many other items.  What are some of the things we should look for to make the right and sustainable choices when buying wood and wood products?

I've done some thinking (and researching), and put together a list of guidelines to help you make the right decision when purchasing wood products to ensure that the wood and wood products you buy are as sustainable as possible.
 

   1. Choose products made from reclaimed wood, which is wood that has been salvaged from old constructions, even retrieved from lakes and rivers, and remilled.  Flooring is one example.  Responsibly reclaimed wood can be certified by SmartWood Certification Systems, a sister organization to the FSC (see below). 
Here is a great product made from reclaimed wood: custom hand made memento boxes.

   2. Look for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification -- from your dealer, and also find out who their supplier is - to ensure that the supplier of your wood product is FSC certified as well. 
FSC has developed internationally respected standards for responsible and sustainable forest management. FSC certification ensures that responsible practices are applied when harvesting trees (for instance, cutting a few trees only as opposed to destroying the whole forest and it's eco-system).

In addition to FSC, which has the strictest criteria, there is also Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Canadian Standards Association's Sustainable Forest Management certification systems.

   3. Find out where your flooring or furniture was harvested
Due to transportation energy costs wood harvested locally from managed regional forests has a smaller ecological footprint than wood harvested in faraway places (such as teak and mahogany) and transported to your area (look for wood from FSC-certified forests if you require imported wood).

   4. Ask whether the manufacturer contributes to local forestry endeavours and if they ensure the protection of the wildlife that lives in the harvesting areas.

   5. Avoid engineered products -- a veneer of hardwood is applied to a foundation of plywood, particleboard, or fiberboard which is held together with adhesives that can contain formaldehyde and high levels of VOCs (volatile organic compounds -- can cause/contribute to 'sick building syndrome' which has a variety of symptoms).  If you must use this type of product, look for composite wood products that are labeled as formaldehyde-free or that contain phenol formaldehyde, which only 'offgases' at high temperatures, instead of urea formaldehyde. For instance,  Kirei offers products that are formaldehyde-free and are made from rapidly renewable resources.  These may cost a bit more up front, but that cost is offset by better health and avoidance of doctors' visits associated with bad air quality.

   6. Consider the finish -- try to find wood that has been air-dried and look for woods with water-based finishes with low or zero VOCs, such as UV-cured or acrylic-urethane.

   7. Consider alternatives:  Cork is a durable, resilient material made from the bark of cork oak trees -- the outer layer is harvested every decade or so with no harm to the trees, which can live hundreds of years. 

Bamboo is a sturdy monocot, not a tree at all per se, that is a rapidly renewable resource which can be harvested every 5 to 7 years.  It begins growing again immediately and requires little fertilization or maintenance, including pesticides, and is great at absorbing nitrogen and carbon dioxide while producing oxygen! (Read more about selecting the right bamboo products.) 

  Harder-to-find products that are made from other rapidly renewable materials include wheatboard and strawboard, which are made from compressed agricultural waste products.

 
We also suggest the following links:
-- Sustainable flooring and harvesting practicies

-- Recycled lumber products and information

-- Eco-friendly furniture

-- Play EcoRanch - a game with FSC certified materials and a 'pay it forward' philosophy. EcoRanch is designed to make you feel empowered and excited about protecting the planet.