Countless ways to go green for Cardi's

The Rhode Show recently visited Cardi's Furniture Superstores to see how Cardi's was living green.

"A lot of our furniture that's eco-friendly furniture is manufactured from trees that are grown on plantations. So it's eco-friendly. They replace these trees as soon as they cut them down. We also use water-based finishes, which is eco-friendly. The cushions on a lot of the upholstery is natural fibers, and the cushion core inside is biodegradable. And then the furniture is sustainable. It lasts a lot longer, so we throw away less of it," said Nick Cardi.

But their eco-friendliness doesn't stop with their furniture. Each one of their locations is programmed to consume minimal energy.

"Our lighting is controlled by a computer system that brings it up and down, when we open and close, there's no wasted time. We also have reduced the light load by installing 70-watt white metal lamps which have lowered the load by approximately 30%. The heating and cooling system is pretty much the same deal. We bring it up and down just when we need it, so we don't waste any energy at all," added Ron Cardi.

You can't see and feel all of Cardi's efforts. In their loading area, they make sure to recycle whatever packaging is left over.

"Cardboard used for case goods, living rooms, dining rooms, occasional tables, plastic used for upholstery...everything is recycled everyday. We package up the cardboard separate from the plastic. We'll do about 18 tons of recycled cardboard a day, and approximately four tons of plastic," said Pete Cardi.

Cardi's Furnitures Superstores is doing their part to be green by using countless tons of material that are recycled to help conserve the planet's resources.