Mill will host green weekend

Lafayette — The Lafayette Mill Antiques Center will present Going Green on Saturday and Sunday, July 9 and 10. This will be a special weekend spotlighting green and glamorous living with antiques. According to the Mill’s Debbie Santos, a 30-year antiques veteran, antiques and collectibles leave an environmental footprint that is a small fraction of the impact of their contemporary counterparts. A recent Product Footprint Comparison by Carbon Clear Ltd., commissioned by several professional antiquing organizations, including the British Antique Dealers Association, notes that antiques are routinely sold several times during their extended lifespan. That lifespan frequently ranges upwards of 100 years. From the sourcing of raw materials, through their manufacture, shipping, storage and eventual disposal in landfills, antiques and collectibles provide an exceptionally green lifestyle alternative, which grows exponentially with each cycle of restoration, resale and re-use. Contemporarily fabricated items, on the other hand, enjoy a projected lifespan of only 7 to 15 years and are often created in environments which are environmentally unfriendly and insensitive to the needs of the local work force. They create a much higher level of greenhouse damage and tend to reinforce impoverished conditions. To many consumers, antiques and collectibles are more desirable, as they have been more carefully crafted with higher quality materials and represent a wide variety of styles and tastes. They can significantly reduce imports, not to mention that their commerce can help fuel local economies. Perhaps most importantly, they represent the unique taste and style of individual collectors, and can preserve a heritage which can be handed down for generations. For information on the Going Green Weekend, visit www.millantiques.com or call 973-383-0065.