【推荐2】Green is not always referring to the color. In some cases, it is the term used for being environmentally friendly. If you’ve been looking to replace your furniture, consider going green because environmentally friendly furniture offers many benefits. Here are a few tips to get you started on your hunt for the perfect eco-friendly furniture.

First, environmentally friendly furniture isn’t harmful to your health. Also its manufacturing process doesn’t cause damage to the environment in any way. Besides, by purchasing eco-friendly products, you prevent deforestation and global warming to some extent in your own way. You do your part in protecting the environment. Environmentally friendly furniture is cost-effective as well.

The materials that are used in furniture are what make them green. Materials can be good for the environment either because they are materials that are considered renewable resources or they are all natural. A lack of chemicals and toxins (毒素) in green furniture also means it is a better choice for the environment. It may be hard to imagine that a sofa or a table could actually be a green product but they really can be depending on what they’re made of.

There are a lot of renewable sources that manufacturers could use when building the furniture, so you should be keeping an eye out for them. Bamboo can be an excellent replacement for wood and can also replace plastics and metals in some furnishing. Cotton is a sofa fabric that is safe for the environment and it can be replenished (补充) often. Hemp is also a renewable source that can be used for fabric and twine.

Recycled materials also can be made into green furniture. Metals can be recovered and remade into new things such as frames and foundations for sofas. Recycled plastic can also be made into furniture such as tables and chairs. Touching up old furniture instead of buying new items is very cheap way to be green. Yard sales and second-hand stores sell furniture too and buying the used means new things won’t be made, so no more damage has to happen to the earth.

Therefore, when you want to hunt for the perfect environmentally friendly furniture, you should try to know the type of materials which are used in building the furniture.

【推荐3】Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment.

Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses (球场)in good condition. This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas．

There are many environment-friendly sports. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control．

Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be “green gyms”. They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it's free.

【推荐2】The next time you are tempted to order takeout or buy food and drinks on the go, you might want to hold off. The results of a major new study may be enough to startle you to adjust your consumption habits, as they reveal significant amounts of global plastic litter linked to takeout food products.

The study analyzed 12 million pieces of litter collected from oceans and rivers, shorelines, the sea floor, and open waters. Researchers found that 80% of items were plastic, and nearly half (44%) was related to takeout food and drinks—specifically, single-use bags, plastic bottles, food containers, and food wrappers. Other items included plastic caps and lids and disposable cutting tools. Lead study author Dr. Carmen Morales said, “I was shocked to find out that bags, bottles, food containers and cutting tools together with wrappers account for almost half of the human-made objects on a global scale.” Deserted fishing nets and ropes were another problem researchers noted, although more so in the open ocean, not along or near shorelines.

Based on their analysis, the researchers made three suggestions: First, replace takeout food and drink containers with materials that are more readily biodegradable; Second, introduce bans on avoidable plastics; Third, use deposit refund schemes to incentivize reusable products.

Until that day comes, however, it’s up to us as consumers to change the way we choose products in order to avoid unnecessary plastic packaging—and there is a better time to get started than now, as Plastic-Free July kicks off. If you have not yet heard of it, Plastic-Free July is an annual month-long challenge to reduce one’s use of single-use plastic and to discover alternatives to purchasing, consuming and transporting food (among other items). Keeping this new study in mind, here are some practical suggestions for reducing takeout-related single-use plastics in one’s day-to-day life.