If the mention of green office furniture has you imagining office chairs fashioned from dried corn husks and desks made out of old cans of Mountain Dew, think again. These days green furniture is not only great for the environment, it can also be super chic.
We found examples of furniture that leaves a small carbon footprint, while making a huge style impression.
Furniture from the Legare's Sustainable line is made from rapidly renewable bamboo, which is also a super sturdy building material, harvested only from Forest Stewardship Council-approved mills. The pieces get their rich amber hue from a non-toxic, eco-friendly carbonized finishing process.The furniture ships flat, which means you'll have to assemble it, but the company promises that the totally tool-free assembly process is easy and fun, and that the finished product is strong. All that and it's stylish, too!
Vermont-based furniture makers Beeken Parsons is behind this beautiful hickory office chair. Tree-obsessed Bruce Beeken and Jeff Parsons are committed to using wood that is not only sustainably harvested, but also that has a lot of character which highlights the natural beauty of the wood for their thoughtfully designed pieces. In addition to winning style points, purchasing furniture from this company could help you qualify for material and resources points toward your LEED certification.
Form 3, based in northern California, designed this mid-century modern-inspired lounge chair using FSC-certified plywood, natural latex foam cushions and Greenguard-certified fabric. Guests who have the pleasure of sitting in one of these will be impressed with your company's aesthetic and your commitment to sustainability.
This sleek conference table from Krug's Revo line is made with recycled and recyclable materials, providing credits on LEED projects, and it can be made with materials that comply with FSC and indoor air emissions certifications, as well. The modular tables are also easily to move and have state-of-the-art technology interface, perfect for all meeting situations.
Herman Miller says the carbon footprint of its Embody chair is the size of a baby's. The chair is made from 42 percent recycled materials and is 95 percent recyclable at the end of its life. The facility that it's manufactured in is powered solely by renewable energy and it produces just 77 pounds of waste a month (and, by the way, that waste is not hazardous). The spine-like design of the chair was created to adapt to your movement, adjusting automatically as you shift positions and keeping your spine aligned. Plus, it looks really cool.
Finally, there's a way to combine your love of wine, green living and need for reception seating. This chair made entirely out of wine corks makes a huge statement (though hopefully your clients focus on your ingenuity and not your obsession with vino). Its sleek rounded lines almost make you forget about the building material. Plus in the event of a flood, we're guessing it could be used as a?flotation?device. We'll drink to that!
It's not just office furniture that can be green. Often the office building itself is both eco-friendly and unique, like this London Tube Car turned into an office. "What's so green about that?" you ask. Well, for one, there's one less Tube car headed for a landfill, plus the small size and ample natural light means this business doesn't use as much energy.
