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.

How to not be a slave to technology

    Schwartz, CEO of The Energy Project, shared four of his most important tools for applying technology more productively, and building a work life that supports—rather than wastes—your energy.

    Build daily rituals (习惯).{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Build highly specific behaviors that you do at precise times over and over again until it becomes as automatic as brushing your teeth at night. The best way to prioritize (优先考虑) what's important to us and make sure we actually do the things we care about is to create highly specific habits.

    Take a “first things first” approach to your mornings.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Ninety-five percent of people have more energy early in the morning than they do as the day wears on, and they also have fewer distractions(干扰). So if that's the case, why wouldn't you do the most important thing when you have the most energy?

    Use technologies selectively. If you expose yourself to different forms of technology continuously, they will pull you in the way a drug would, even when you know it is not serving you well. Keep technological temptations (诱惑) away when you find yourself getting too distracted—or as Schwartz puts it: “{#blank#}3{#/blank#}”

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Many of us live our lives in a gray zone—were not fully focused on work when were working, and during our leisure time, we're not fully relaxed. This leaves us feeling distracted. Schwartzs advice? {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Applying less than your full focus doesn't just make you less productive; distraction keeps you from being fulfilled by and connected to your work. Distraction is the enemy to meaning.

A. Be intentional with your energy.

B. Do the most important thing first every day.

C. Taking breaks throughout the workday is a nice thought.

D. If you're trying to lose weight, don't have cup--cakes in the fridge.

E. We've crossed the line of being able to effectively manage all of the information coming at us.

F. When you're working, you're really working; and when you're relaxing, you're really relaxing.

G. The only way to ensure that things that aren't urgent but are important happen is to develop habits.

    It's said that people travel to see the world. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} You walk down different streets, hear different accents, and see different views. All of this is a great way to absorb a new location and learn as much as you can.

    But there's another reason why people travel to experience something new. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} So what kind of person are you? To tell the truth, you'll learn about yourself no matter where you go.

    If you're a bookworm: Anyone studying English literature will love being on the soil of where such rich literary tradition was born. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Maybe you'll run into one of your favorite characters during the trip.

    If you're a Disney princess fan: Head over to Prague and you'll find the setting of every fairy tale you've ever dreamed of. Prague's study abroad programs are in English and are flexible.

    If you're a history lover: {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Sure, that's a lot of places. But you've never felt quite as absorbed in the ancient world as walking around Athens and Rome.

    If you're an adventure seeker: Consider going to Australia.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    If you're indecisive: Just choose them all and take a Semester at Sea. You'll have your classes on a ship as it sails around the world, making stops at 15 cities in 11 countries.

    The environmental group Heal the Bay organized a beach clean-up. And I was one of the volunteers. We went to Venice Beach to clean up the trash.

    At first glance, the beach didn't look dirty at all. But then I saw a Styrofoam(泡沫)cup half buried in the sand on the beach. I pulled hard and finally got it out. As we moved farther, we found pieces of Styrofoam spread all over the sand. The Heal the Bay representative had told us that these little pieces of Styrofoam and other small pieces of plastic are what actually harm sea life most. Sea animals eat the plastic. After eating it, they think they are full. As a result, they can die of starvation as they are cheated by their feeling and don't think they need to eat any food.

    We kept on picking up the trash. Then I saw someone with a full Heal the Bay trash bag and I went to see what was inside. When I opened the trash bag, I found everything from a pair of old jeans and a brown belt to headphones and some plastic bags. It made me very angry with the people who left their things behind without thinking what effects they might have on the ocean.

    It is really important to protect the ocean. The ocean covers 70 percent of the Earth's surface. A clean ocean not only helps animals in the ocean survive but also helps us survive.

    By noon, the sun was shining and the temperature was rising. The volunteers that had spread out across Venice Beach were coming back to throw the trash they had collected into the truck. I could not believe how much trash there was. All together we collected more than 135 bags of trash. I do hope that next time people go to the beach, they will stop littering.

    There was a man named Ken Nwadike who wanted desperately to run this year's Boston Marathon. But the Boston Marathon is different from most marathons: you have to qualify in order to enter it. Namely, you have to have completed your previous marathon in a certain amount of time, depending on your age category.

    Well, the man in question was 23 seconds short of the qualifying time he needed in order to enter the marathon. He had a number of options. He could get angry. He could blame someone. He could get depressed. Any of them could easily have led to his turning tail(逃走) and going home, angry or depressed.

    Instead, Ken Nwadike attended the Boston Marathon in his own way. He made a " Free Hugs" sign, and with that had a camera on a tripod (三脚架), he gave out hugs and smiles to the runners that passed him by, his way of encouraging and supporting them. From that humble beginning, Ken began his widely acclaimed Free Hugs Campaign, which states its purpose as follows: "continuing the movement of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the mission of the Free Hugs Project is to spread love, inspire change and raise awareness of social issues." His campaign, which quickly became a huge success, got the widespread compliments.

When things go wrong in our lives, as they do from time to time — sometimes seemingly all the time — we have a choice. We need to take a deep breath, judge the situation, and find a positive direction in which we should go. Whether it's something relatively small, like missing a marathon, or large, like losing a loved one, let Ken's story inspire you to take that breath, re-orient(重新调整)yourself, and move on to doing something worthwhile with the experience.

    Should I live in the city or the suburbs?

    There are three different kinds of areas you can live in: urban, suburban, and rural. You can describe living in a rural area as living out in the sticks or the county This type of living is seen as idyllic(田园生活的)for those seeking reprieve(暂时缓解)from crowds. Rural areas generally have small, self -sustaining populations.

    Urban living is city living: active nightlife, full of noise, sophisticated public transit system and sometimes small and expensive city apartments. Urban areas tend to be densely(密集地)populated and have more intense traffic and pollution as a result.

    For those seeking an intermediary between urban and rural living, the suburbs might be just the thing. Suburbs are large residential areas away from the core of town yet close enough to the city center.

    Can you afford to live in the city?

    Choosing whether to live in the city or the suburbs is often a matter of budget—where can you afford to live? By and large, living in the city is more expensive than living in the suburbs, though that's not always the case. For instance, in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and a few other cities, suburban living is not always better on your wallet.

    Your lifestyle influences your happiness in the city or suburbs.

    For someone who enjoys five-star restaurants, vibrant(充满活力的)nightlife, and fast-paced living, residing in an urban hub is a dream come true. On the other hand, if you find crowds and tons of noise unbearable, then a large city might feel like purgatory(炼狱).

    Your lifestyle is one of the primary considerations in deciding where you ought to live. If you are into fishing, hiking, and spending time outdoors, then realize that you may have to drive several hours to enjoy your hobbies if you choose city living.

Is your career better suited for the city or suburbs?

    Your career should also strongly influence your choice about whether to live in the city or in the suburbs. For example, if your job is in landscape, you might find it difficult to find work in the city because there is not a high demand for landscape artists. The fact of the matter is that most city homes don't have large yards with grass to cut, and competition for landscaping contracts is probably fierce. Similarly, a business executive(主管)may find that the suburbs do not offer the convenience afforded by city living.

    The debate of whether to live in the suburbs or the city is long lasting and never-ending. When it all boils down to it, it is a matter of preference and budget, so go with your gut(决心)and you'll make the right choice.