Outdoor - Thomasville Nature's Retreat

The last thing you want to worry about when sitting at your seven-piece outdoor dining set is whether the wood used to build the furniture came from a clear-cut wasteland or from a responsibly and sustainably-managed forest.

You can rest easy sitting around Thomasville® Nature's Retreat dining set, built from FSC-certified Eucalyptus and all-weather wicker. Logging companies that want their wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) must respect the rights of indigenous peoples, preserve biological diversity, protect fragile ecosystems, monitor the health of the forest and use plantations to promote the restoration and conservation of natural forests. That's just the tip of the iceberg really. You can to go the FSC's website to read all about the 10 principles and 57 (!) criteria needed to get FSC-certification.

(Note that the FSC itself has come under criticism by some environmental groups as being too friendly with logging interests. The FSC responds by arguing the demand for timber makes logging inevitable and that the best solution is to use market forces to try to prevent deforestation by finding common group among business, social and environmental interests. It's a nuanced and complicated issue, but you can read an excellent analysis at environmental conservation and news site Mongabay.com.)

As for Eucalyptus, since they are fast-growing trees, they make a good renewable resource. The Greenfeet website has a nice summary of why Eucalyptus furniture is an eco-friendly choice. Since Eucalyptus is an extremely durable wood, Greenfeet says that Eucalyptus furniture can look beautiful for 50 years or more with proper maintenance. Of course it's better for the planet to buy one piece of furniture that lasts 50 years rather than 10 sets of furniture that last only five years each.

Where to buy:
You can find both Thomasville Nature's Retreat Dining Set at The Home Depot. Order online for $899 (with free shipping!) or pick up at your closest store.