“Going green” is becoming much more popular, as awareness of our impact on the environment rises.  There are many ways you can go green in your own home.  Here are a few ways you can even decorate “green.”

• Buy secondhand and antique furniture.  A lot of modern furniture has chemicals in it that is bad for your health as well as the environment.  Plus, buying secondhand reuses perfectly good furniture, reducing the demand for new furniture that results in more trees cut down and supports greedy corporations that send manufacturing jobs to other countries.
• Decorate with soy candles.  Scented jar candles can be made from soy, which burns more cleanly than normal paraffin candles.  Paraffin wax tends to produce a lot of soot, which a soy candle does not.  Also, paraffin wax is made from petroleum, which is surrounded by huge political and environmental controversy.
• Buy local.  When buying blankets, wall art, and other decorations for your home, try to buy from local artisans as much as possible.  In addition to putting your money into supporting the local community, this also benefits the environment because it cuts down on the gasoline used — and the pollution produced — in shipping merchandise over long distances.

When it comes to going green, the theory is that every little bit helps — even small things like the types of jar candles you buy.

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