Antique iron beds have grown to be one of the most preferred furniture items being used today with “Green” interior designers. As we all know, there are no better sustainable eco-friendly items than antique furniture. Their “atomic footprint” has previously been determined and subtracted from the environment. It’s affect, whatever it may have been, has been lessened over the previous 150 to 200 years to the point of next to absolutely nothing. Yet to try and create that same merchandise today, would leave a horrible impact on the environment and air we breath.
Iron beds have gone from generation to generation and still maintained their original strength and splendor. They take nothing at all from the environment to create, as do reproductions that are at this time being made and require new steel production and all the energy necessary to generate them. New York, Texas and Florida designers seem to be at the forefront of “green decorators” and iron beds seem to be one of their favorite decorating items.
When man can put back into use an item that was employed over the years, he has helped put us back on a steady course that we need to be on, if we’re ever going to save our planet for our children and generations to come. For us to keep creating items today that take away from our world more than we’re able to give back, puts us on an eventual collision course with extinction. As remarkable as that sounds, it’s not that far fetched. Certainly not for generations to come………but eventually. For those who choose not to believe in the “Greenhouse Effect” , you have only to look at the empirical data compiled on the melting Polar Ice Caps. The production of steel and all metals, has devastating effects that enhance global warming. So working with iron beds, antiques and anything else that was constructed back in the 1800′s, is as responsible as we can ask people to be…….. when thinking of our planet and what we can do to help protect it.
So when choosing the next furniture item for your home, consider using something that may have been made years ago, and continues to have lots of use to it…….. before going out and shopping for something very similar that is just newly made. We all need to be more responsible.
I’m not recommending living in a tree house because the construction of new homes and the products needed are not eco conscious. But what I am suggesting is the use of possible recycled construction materials that have already left their atomic “footprint’ on the earth years ago. Recycled wood, siding, roofing materials and imitation wood products that help preserve the forest, instead of the deforestation loggers have continued to use over the years. We can’t afford to continually lose our forest at a faster rate than we’re replanting. Much of the world’s rain forests have been eliminated since the 1960s, due to economic reasons. While logging is the main cause, agriculture, mining, cattle ranching, oil exploration and the developing of dams also play a significant role in deforestation. These actions destroy indigenous plants and cause the extinction of native wildlife as well. It is feared that the reduction of rain forests will elevate CO2 levels in the atmosphere and result in global warming.
Lets all do our part in saving our planet. I’m old enough to have stood in the audience with my parents when John Kennedy gave his inaugural acceptance speech and said “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”.
We can all do more………
I hope you’ve found this blog informative . I invite you to revisit my website
to answer any and all questions you might have about antique iron beds.
I also invite you to take a look at our company Face Book page for multiple photo albums on Custom Finishes, Canopy Conversions and a comprehensive “Before & After” King Conversions album.
