|
Simple Tips Help Turn
Homes Forest Green
(Family
Features) Did you
know your dining room
table and your daily
newspaper may be helping
the environment? Find out
how by visiting
Plan It Forward
to “tour” a virtual
renewable home and
discover easy tips to
help make homes more
“forest green.” You’ll
also find surprising
information that reveals
how forest-friendly your
home may already be.
Many people are aware
of reuse and recycling
efforts to help our
planet, but this site
informs about the
little-known virtues of
using products made from
renewable resources, like
forests, instead of
nonrenewable resources –
those which exist in
limited amounts. In
addition to many helpful
family-friendly reuse and
recycle tips, the site is
also a wealth of
information about the
benefits of using
renewable resources, like
wood and paper, in our
homes.
Wood and paper come
from one of the Earth’s
greatest renewable
resources, our forests,
which continually
replenish themselves,
especially with proper
management and care. The
site recommends choosing
wood and paper from
certified sustainable
forests, which are
carefully managed by
forest industry
professionals. In fact,
certified sustainable
forests are one reason
there are 12 million more
acres of U.S. forests
today than there were 20
years ago.
 Just like the trees
they are made from, the
renewable resources of
wood and paper continue
to benefit the
atmosphere. Wood and
paper products, such as
wood furniture or
magazines, store carbon
and keep it from being
released into the
atmosphere as long as
they are in use. Plus,
they can be recycled. It
is also good to know that
millions of new trees are
planted every day in the
United States, more than
making up for what is
harvested to make these
products.
The site suggests
these easy ways to make a
home forest green:
* If you can't re-use
a box, recycle it. More
than 75 percent of all
corrugated packaging used
in the U.S. is recovered
for recycling.
* Save paper bags. You
can reuse them for school
lunches or turn them into
book covers. Re-purposing
and recycling paper saves
money and energy.
* Plant a tree.
Besides adding beauty and
value to your
landscaping, trees act as
natural air conditioners
and windbreaks to keep
your indoor climate more
comfortable.
Find out more at
Plan It Forward.
All materials courtesy
of
Abundant Forest Alliance
Courtesy of Family
Features |
