As consumers, we are always making choices.
What compels you to choose one product over another? Is it the brand? Or perhaps the price? Do you make your purchasing decisions based on reputation, quality, necessity or desire? Our world is changing.
As the population grows, so does the demand for natural resources.
Industry and manufacturing practices of the past have done severe damage to the environment, polluting the air and water and destroying delicate ecosystems.
In fact, the environment has been affected so much that most scientists now believe the Earth is heating up, global warming.
If this continues, it means big trouble for us all.
So what can we as consumers do? Two things for a start.
First, try to educate yourself on what it means to live a green lifestyle.
And second, think about purchasing goods that are produced by companies and manufacturers that are eco-friendly.
One such company is Padama's Plantation.
Padama's Plantation uses renewable resources to produce their furniture such as bamboo, rattan and abaca and plantation grown government certified hardwoods.
These materials are considered sustainable because harvesting or cutting them down actually promotes rapid regrowth.
They work with manufacturers in Indonesia that share similar goals of protecting the environment.
Padama's makes a concerted effort to maximize the amount of space used on containers in order to make transporting their products as efficient as possible.
Padama's Plantation is a founding member of the Sustainable Furniture Council, a non-profit industry coalition with the goal of educating manufacturers, retailers and consumers alike on how to make green choices.
For manufacturers, it would be the materials they use to produce things, for retailers, the products they stock and consumers, the products they buy for their homes.
Another company that is using the many benefits bamboo has to offer is Pure Fiber.
They manufacture luxury bath towels made from 100% bamboo fiber yarn.
They chose to work with bamboo for several reasons.
In addition to being a renewable resource, bamboo is naturally hypo-allergenic which helps repel odors and resist bacterial growth.
It has natural softness and sheen eliminating the need for a chemical treatment that can compromise functionality, and its temperature adjusting properties help keep skin cool in the heat and warm when in cold environments.
To avoid the effects of conventional manufacturing practices, Pure Fiber uses low impact textile manufacturing.
The goal is to reduce the impact their manufacturing has on the environment by being energy efficient while using less water, careful selection of raw materials to eliminate impurities and reduce waste and using reactive dyes for overall efficiency.
Making a product that is environmentally friendly has to also have solid personal benefits as well.
The next time you decide to buy something for your home, ask these questions: What are the products made of? Where and how were the products made? If made of wood, was it legally harvested? What was the environmental impact? Can it be recycled? Maybe going green takes a little more effort, more thought, more planning.
Don't you think our beautiful planet is worth it?