Many people begin home renovations when summer rolls around because that's when they have the most free time. A fresh coat of paint, clean carpeting and some new furniture are a few ways to achieve a new look at home, and there are ways to do it by keeping the environment in mind. Below are a few tips for picking out green furniture for your home.

Where to shop:

Believe it or not, Craigslist and E-bay are great places to look for furniture. A simple way to keep the environment in mind is to purchase used furniture and keep it from ending up in the landfills.
If you're not into recycling used items, major retailers like IKEA use eco-friendly practices at their facilities so you can purchase their products guilt free.
You can also check your local area for smaller, locally-owned retailers that offer unique furniture options.
A great example of a good place to buy furniture is Herman Miller. Companies such as Herman Miller have energy efficient facilities and use recycled materials when making their products.

What to look for

When shopping for furniture, it's a great idea to do a little bit of research before buying anything.
Make sure you look into the manufacturing processes of the companies you want to buy furniture from: Do they use recycled materials? Where are they getting their resources from?
Look for furniture made with materials like bamboo and cork, which are more environmentally friendly than other alternatives that require destroying forests.

Be creative

Sometimes when you think it's time for a new coffee table, all you really need is a spruce up.
If you're into being crafty and trying new things, give your furniture a fresh coat of paint or a new staining. Using low-VOC products, you can easily transform your old furniture and save money at the same time.

Jennifer Griffin is a writer for http://GreeningDetroit.com, an online directory of green products and services. She writes various news articles pertaining to green events happening in the metro Detroit region. She also writes for the company's Green Grassroots Blog, in which she writes about people, companies and organizations in Michigan that are "going green." Jennifer is currently pursuing a degree in Journalism and English from Wayne State University, and she is also a contributing writer for WSU's student newspaper, The South End.