It’s easy to take the little things for granted. When’s the last time you paused everything for a song that really spoke to your soul, or went outside to just soak up some sunshine? It’s never too late to start truly living, and Earth Day is a great excuse to appreciate those not-so-hidden treasures once again.
Every April 22, we take a moment to appreciate all of the amazing things our planet provides for us (sunny days, beautiful flowers, coffee beans—the list is limitless!) and give back. So what are you going to do? Sure, you could go with a classic Earth Day activity: plant a tree or compost last night’s dinner scraps. But what if you could thank Mother Earth with something a little less messy and a little more long-term?
Read on to find out why choosing to rent furniture can help reduce your environmental impact, not just now, but for decades to come!
Renting furniture means…
Less furniture waste.
Americans tend to throw out a lot of furniture, as much as 9.8 million tons of it according to the EPA! That’s 9.8 million tons of wood, fabric, and enamel wasting away in landfills instead of artfully decorating your living room.
When you rent furniture, you reduce this wasteful practice in two ways.
- You avoid the need to dispose of furniture. If you need to move or change your tastes, you can easily return the furniture or swap pieces out. Things are returned or swapped, not trashed.
- You help others avoid wasting. Renting furniture gives good furniture a second life. Floor models or gently used pieces can decorate your apartment at a great price, instead of getting needlessly discarded.
Less processing of toxic waste.
From wood finishing to brush cleaning, furniture manufacturing can produce toxic waste at almost every stage of the manufacturing process, says Nebraska’s Pollution Prevention Infohouse. While states implement a variety of guidelines to minimize how much waste and pollution is produced, they can’t stop it all. You, however, can. With every piece of furniture you rent, another doesn’t have to be produced. That’s the only way to cut processing waste completely.
Less packaging waste.
Packaging accounts for approximately one-third of all waste produced in the U.S., reports Save On Energy. Fortunately, furniture rental doesn’t require much of it.
Have you ever unboxed a piece of furniture? Whether it was a table you picked up at the store or a bookshelf you ordered online, odds are it came wrapped in plastic, cushioned in styrofoam, and boxed in cardboard.
When you rent furniture from a company like CORT, there’s no need for wasteful packaging! Movers will deliver and set-up your furniture, making the whole process less draining on the environment and your schedule.
It’s so easy to take everything around us for granted, from flowers to furniture. This Earth Day, make a change that makes a difference. Learn more about the benefits of renting furniture from CORT and learn how you can go green in your apartment today!
