There are many eco friendly style coffins around these days, but a lot of them are made from wicker, willow and other materials, these are fine if you like that sort of thing, but sometimes a traditional coffin is what’s needed.

When it comes to the traditional style coffin made from solid wood with no plastic fixtures or fitting then pine the natural choice as it can be sustainable. It is also recommended that a burial is preferable than cremation, as this can produce emissions.

Source [Wigan Today]

Bamboo is one of the most eco friendly materials on the planet, although there is always the worry that if this product become over farmed, then it may end on the endangered list.

In the mean time bamboo is safe to be used and will grow back faster than it can be harvested in some cases. This furniture sold by Stacks and Stacks is made by hand and uses glue and stains which have been certified as non toxic.

Features:

Lounge Chair Includes Ottoman

Environmentally Friendly Bamboo

Non-Toxic Materials

Unique, Modern Design

Includes 1-Year Warranty

This item ships directly from the manufacturer. Product usually arrives in 2-8 business days, depending on destination, including order processing and shipping.

Assembly level/degree of difficulty: Easy

International Shipping (except to Canada) not available

Express delivery not available

Colour: Natural

Size: 36″H x 19.75″W x 28″D

Price $489.00

Do you run a business? Are you an entrepreneur? Have you jumped on the green bandwagon yet? Well, you and your business stand to gain alot from incorporating some green ideas and practices, you just need to ask yourself a few questions.

Whatever kind of business you run - whether a clothing shop, a restaurant, even an online only venture - know that you CAN make it green. Start by looking at your operations, and ask yourself the following questions:

• how can we reduce, reuse, or recycle? what products are really just extra dressing (such as fancy packaging) and don’t need to be bought or used at all? (such as coffee sleeves) can you find creative ways to reuse paper in your office?
• what can be bought locally? looking at your supplier list are there local suppliers you have not thought of or looked at? is there food you can start using that is grown and sold locally?
• how can you conserve energy? is there any equipment that can be put on strip surges, instead of the wall outlets? are your computers left on all night, how about lights? why not draft up a plan for your employees to come up with ways to conserve, maybe even reward the employee with the sharpest green idea.
• can you sell more in one trip to a customer? with this idea, you are conserving in energy costs with less trips and less shipping from both suppliers and customers
• do you NOT want to set yourself apart from the competition? sure, when you go green you are saying so many things, you are saying hey, i care about the planet, hey, i care for the future sustainability of my business and hey, i care about the growing demand for eco friendly products and practices
• what eco friendly materials can i start using? from fsc certified wood for furniture shops to sustainable fibers for clothing retailers such as bamboo, hemp, canvas, organic cotton there are a number of different ways to add some green in your business
• any other ideas? there are tons more, share some of your own in the comments section below

If you stand back and take a good look, there are so many ways to go green in business, you just need to ask yourself some questions, and go from there.

Source: [Small Biz]

How long does it take for a milk carton to decompose in a landfill? How about a plastic soda bottle? Can anyone guess how long it takes for styrofoam to waste away into Earth? Great article from Great Green Shoes sparked this post, and subsequent contest. Big Clue Just Revealed!

I’m gonna be posting the results in an entry next week. But i wanna see what responses i get. Hit the comments section for your guesses. Maybe we should do a contest. How about a random draw? The winner receives a 12 pk of FSC Certified Cedar Pencils. These are really cool eco friendly pencils. See pics below. I can mail these off to ONE LUCKY WINNER. Sorry, but U.S. residents only.

Get your guesses in and good luck!

Contest Ends: Monday, the Oct 22nd, at Midnite.

Are you a pen and pencil freak like me? If so, you will love the eco friendly pencils i am about to feature. These #2 pencils are manufactured with FSC-certified incense-cedar which means they are fully sustainable and come from managed forests.

The look, feel, and especially smell of cedar is unmistakable, now imagine all that in a pencil. I think it would make a lengthy writing assignment, just a tad more pleasurable, also the shape of the pencil is hexagonal so it doesn’t slide around in your hand, or roll off your table. The finish of the pencil is all- natural unfinished and smoothly sanded cedar, no lacquer or varnish of any type is used.

To round out the vibe the packaging is made from recycled content. For a sublime and very detailed review of these earth-friendly pencils, check out the Pencil Revolution Blog.

Sources [ Forest Choice, Pencil Revolution]

What type of green building material should i choose when building a NEW deck? This is a question posed by a reader of Natural Home Mag, and it is great one, so i thought i would feature it here, for all to benefit.

Wood, Plastic, or Composite? 

Umbra Fisk who writes a column at eco site Grist, answers the question. The reader wants to know if when building his deck, he should choose wood, plastic, or composite? (a blend of wood and plastic) First Umbra advise to check with local shops like Home Depot and Lowe’s for FSC certified wood, which is certified sustainable wood. I’ll explain FSC at the end of the post. If the local shops don’t pan out, she then advises to look for reclaimed, salvaged, or locally milled wood. If that is not available in your area, then move on to composite and then finally plastic options. If going with plastic, choose recycled plastic versus new virgin plastic.

What is FSC Certified Wood?

The acronym FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council, and this organization created a  FSC label program to enable consumers to consider cabinet grade lumber that does not come from a decimated forest or threatened tree specie. The program ensures environmental responsibility.

To Recap:

• search local shops for FSC wood
• look for reclaimed, salvaged, or locally milled wood
• then move on to composite and plastic options
• if going with plastic or composite, choose recycled

Source [Sept/Oct Natural Home Mag]