Finding ?green? or Eco-friendly material can be pretty tough, especially when there are times when you?ve bought something that claims to be environmentally friendly, but it then turns out it?s not really that friendly at all, and the whole Eco-friendly certificate was a gimmick to get you to buy. To help you out I have researched a list of materials that are either reliably green or where the certification is trustworthy enough so that you can at least know that the harvesting was ecologically friendly. Here are the top five reliable and green materials that you can use for your home improvement projects:
1. Bamboo
Bamboo has been proven to be the greenest resource, and as a result many products have a bamboo version of themselves. This, of course, makes your life a whole lot easier, as it is guaranteed green material. It can be used to build houses, wooden blinds, sheds, and even clothes. Bamboo grows at an exceptionally fast rate making it a highly renewable resource. This also means that pesticides and fertilizers are obsolete to assist its growth. Because of its variety of uses, fast and resilient growth and its cheap growing value bamboo is number one of this list.
2. Abaca
Abaca is one of the lesser known green materials, but shares the fast growth rate of bamboo. It is a variety of banana, but unlike the better known banana it is inedible. When it is harvested, the entire plant is used, another reason why it is an important green resource. Abaca fibres are traditionally known as manila hemp, after the Philippines? capital city and were originally used for ropes and paper. It is most famous for its use in envelopes and folders, but abaca is now predominantly used for clothes, fans and rugs. An abaca rug can make a great addition to your living room.
3. Seagrass
Arguably, this is probably the most unexpected plant to be used for green materials. Seagrass is used for making rugs and wicker work including wicker baskets and wicker chairs, even wicker tables. This underwater plant is naturally resistant to stains and is a strong as well as durable material. A wicker rocking chair made out of seagrass is therefore ideal for a nursery. Cultivation and harvesting seagrass actually supports the creation of ecosystems, stabilizes the seabed, and protects against coastal erosion. This is a very advantageous green material, and I?m sure given time it will be the No1 green material of our time.
4. Hemp
Although highly controversial hemp is a very useful green material out of which clothes, sacks, rope, bricks and even paper can be made. It is another fast growing plant meaning again no need for fertilizers or pesticides. Another positive attribute of hemp is that it is a ?mop crop? meaning it removes contaminants from the soil. The main disadvantage of hemp (apart from its misguided reputation) is that clothing made from it tends to be uncomfortable.
5. Wood
Although the most well-known and strongest of green materials on the list, wood isn?t top of this list, as it is over exploited and has a slow growth rate. Illegal and unregulated logging has led to massive deforestation which in turn has led to a reduction in bio diversity as well as releasing more carbon dioxide and causing greater soil erosion. There are, however, ethical and environmentally friendly options. Look out for FSC certificates when buying wood, as this means that it has been ethically harvested, so all trees used are replaced to maintain forests and biodiversity.
If you look out for these 5 green materials when buying furniture or material for DIY projects, then you?re not only going to get a good deal, but you are doing something for the environment, too.
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Source: http://chakru.com/top-5-green-materials-home-improvement/
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