7 ways to a green home

Saving the planet, starts at home

1. Buy vintage
Vintage and second-hand furniture requires no additional resources to manufacture, is pre-off gassed and eases loads on landfills. Quality vintage furniture also has excellent resale value. Often its age, rarity, condition, utility, makes it a desirable collectors' item and thus termed an antique.
2. Buy local
By sourcing furniture and more importantly, food from closes to home, you support the local artisan community and small businesses and reduce the carbon footprints for shipping products in from far off places.
3. Recycle and upcycle
Lately, global manufacturers are using reclaimed wood, recycled metal, and recycled plastic and adding a chic spin to it. If you are the crafty type, lots of furniture can be repurposed with a bit of paint and varnish. Before you dump that worn out side table or chest of drawers- upcycle, and customize it the way you want it. It's economical, creative, and easier than you might think. Armed with low- or zero-VOC paint, a tool box and some upholstery, anything old can be made to look swanky. Or hand down furniture to someone who needs it. 800-JUNK is a great option in the UAE.
TOP PICK: Hug Rugs is a British brand that creates eco-friendly mats composed of 100% recyclable raw materials - recycled drinking bottles and caps, discarded tires and recycled cotton. Available at Wysada.
4. Buy low-toxicity furniture
All new home décor offgasses or release substances into the air, many of them toxic. VOCs, are the most common family of chemicals that are offgassed and have been linked to birth defects, endocrine disruption, and even cancer. When buying soft furnishings, choose organic cotton as conventional cotton is heavily treated with pesticides. Some fabrics are treated with stain repellants, which can cause adverse health effects. Stick to untreated natural fibres and eco-friendly dyes.
There is no dearth of eco-friendly retailers in the country. Leading online furnishing store Wysada has placed sustainability at the heart of their creative designs by partnering with companies that focus on eco-friendly products, and strive to encourage the use of non-polluting raw materials.
TOP PICK: Curioo is a British toy brand that aims to teach children from a young age to always consider the health of their environment. Apart from toys that encourage discussion of environmental matters, Curioo manufactures all of its educational toys from sustainably sourced solid rubber wood.
5. Buy sustainable woods
Industry experts say customers in the UAE are making informed decisions when it comes to choosing products for home and aren't always driven just by colour, trend or design. Danny Powell, general manager, Dubai Garden Centre says the trend of green furniture is catching: "We sell a lot of furniture made from recycled teak and hardwoods, cane and rattan. In recent years a trend seen in trade shows has been of recycled products, which could indicate that the eco-friendly movement may have had some influence on the manufacturers".
There are around 1500 species of bamboo and it can be harvested in just 3-5 years compared with 10-20 years for other softwoods. It's so versatile that it can be used for scaffolding, fences, bridges, furniture, flooring and bricks.
TOP PICK: THE One's EUREKA range, part of their Good Wood collection, features a host of dining tables, entertainment units and sideboards made from wood from managed forests or plantations. Independently audited by TÜV Rheinland, documentation of each piece of wood ensures that it can be tracked back to its source, so tree lovers can rest assured the entire process is all above board.
6. Switch to LED
Making the switch to energy-efficient lighting alternatives also ensures homes consume less energy and reduce the pressure on non-renewable energy sources. LED lighting has created many new design opportunities because the bulbs can be built into the lamps, allowing unique shapes that were not possible with traditional incandescent bulbs. LED bulbs produce a warm, white light, are cool-to-the-touch and can be more pleasing on the eye than many conventional energy-saving bulbs.
"The new LED light bulbs that are being launched today are premium ambient lights for the home environment that enable people to enhance the decor and ambience of homes through high quality lighting," says Rami Hajjar, general manager, Philips Middle East. "Lighting consumes a significant part, almost 25 per cent of all electricity in the UAE. Switching to energy-efficient lighting directly contributes to reducing carbon emissions, as it lowers the energy consumption and eases power demand. Besides the reduction of carbon footprint, improving on energy efficiency is also relevant for the Middle East specifically, as energy consumption in our region is amongst the fastest growing worldwide, putting strain on the supply side and requiring substantial investment in power plants."
Hajjar believe governments in the region are actively working to switch to energy saving devices to achieve sustainable results. "Of late we have seen so many initiatives happening locally and regionally towards raising the awareness and encouraging a greener approach in both public and private sectors. The ban on incandescent bulbs that came into effect mid-2014 and enforced this year is one such example where the government is developing strategies to raise awareness about energy efficient lighting and encouraging residents to make the switch."
TOP PICK: IKEA's range of LED lampshas versatile options for every part of the home - from nurseries to outdoors.
7. Use less water
Experts say that less than three percent of the water on Earth is fresh water. We can all contribute to conserving this precious, shared resource. Install water-saving devices in kitchens and bathrooms, and only buy dishwashers and washing machines that meet modern energy and water efficiency standards. Says HBA senior Designer, Sarah Hamid: Bathrooms and kitchens make up a significant proportion of your home's water and energy consumption. There are numerous new technologies and products that can contribute to sustainability by minimizing the water footprint of the home owners and conserving this liquid asset.
Follow these rules:
.Install toilets with high-jet performance and low flow flushing systems
.Use grey water recycling systems that treat waste water from the shower and bath tub for reuse in toilet flushing or road cleaning water
.Fit faucets with low flow limitation and special spray jet technology allow the mixing of water with air to keep water consumption down. This is also an energy technique, since less water needs to be heated
.Use ceramic bath ware with hygienic and easy-care innovations such as nanotechnology, in which dirt residue and limescale can no longer secure a hold and run off more easily.

• Inspired Living