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"Every furniture company wants to label its furniture &amp;quot;eco-friendly,&amp;quot; but only the cradle-to-cradle manufacturers truly deserve to hang this moniker on their products. Being green encompasses the production process from start (where you select your materials and how you put them together) to finish (what impact the product has on the environment once it&amp;#039;s made). Environmental Language, for example, is one such company. In our interview, company founder and designer Jill Salisbury gives tips on what to look for when shopping for &amp;quot;green&amp;quot; wooden furniture. She also shows us how eco-friendly furniture is made by offering up her recipe for the Lynx Side Table.  Tips for Buying Green Furniture The first thing to do when you see a piece of furniture labeled &amp;quot;green&amp;quot; is to ask: How so? If the sales rep can&amp;#039;t explain the why, that&amp;#039;s likely your answer. Still if you really love the piece, seek out someone higher in the company. If the answers hit some or all of the criteria in our How to Buy Green Guide, then go for it. Even if the piece is not green enough, you&amp;#039;ve still shown that company that environmentally-aware furniture practices are important to its customers. Even if you cannot find someone to explain the furniture&amp;#039;s manufacturing process, you can still make a green determination. When looking to buy green case goods, for example, the wood and the finish are the two most important considerations. Below, the qualities (in order of importance) that should help you determine whether a product passes the environmentally-friendly test. Wood Reclaimed or recycled means you saved an existing tree from being cut down. FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council) means the trees come from responsibly managed forests. Highly renewable means these woods, such as beech, bamboo and lyptus, replenish themselves at a rapid rate.  Local production means the item took less energy to make and created less pollution when transporting to you. Finishes and Adhesives Low VOCs (volatile organic compounds) ensures your furniture isn&amp;#039;t emitting harmful fumes. Water-based products have low VOCs. No Formaldehyde means this toxin is not found in the product&amp;#039;s core material, adhesives or finish. Stay away from core materials like MDF since formaldehyde is a main ingredient. Environmental Furniture&amp;#039;s Green Table Recipe Ingredients \u2022 8-board feet FSC (Forest Stewardship Councilcertified )solid rift-cut oak \u2022 Forest Stewardship Council FSC-certified core \u2022 4-square feet FSC oak veneer \u2022 Water-based glue\u2014Low volatile organic compounds (VOC) \u2022 10 wood dowels \u2022 Natural, non-toxic oil primer, stain and lacquer \u2022 8 recycled metal screws for corner blocks \u2022 Sandpaper Directions Take FSC-certified solid rift-cut oak, cut to desired size for legs and apron. Dowel and glue apron to legs; clamp to ensure a tight seam. Using the metal screws, attach corner blocking at each inside corner. Cut FSC-certified core to size of tabletop and apply FSC oak veneer; attach to top of base. Take FSC-certified solid rift-cut oak and cut to desired size and shape of tabletop perimeter; apply to tray top, glue and clamp to ensure tight mitered corners. Lightly sand tabletop and base. Apply natural, non-toxic oil primer and let dry for 24 hours; apply natural, non-toxic oil stain and let dry as directed. Lastly, apply natural, non-toxic lacquer and let dry as directed. Your green side table is ready to make an environmentally-conscious statement in any of your rooms.  Click here to see our slideshow of EL furniture (all pieces designed by Jill Salisbury) and discover what it takes to be called &amp;quot;green.&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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