So Herman Miller’s trying to go totally sustainable, I found out watching “Furnish”, an episode of Sundance’s 14-week series called The Green.

With its Mirra chair — 40+% recycled and 96% recyclable — and many LEED certified buildings, Herman Miller’s a big company planning to make more big changes.

The companies in “Furnish” that really interested me, though, were the ones created with sustainability as a core mission. Mio Culture, for ex, with its cool, totally recycled 3-D wallpaper (left), wants to make eco-design affordable for the masses. Scrapile‘s created a business by rescuing scrap wood headed for the landfills (a side table, right).

A common thread running through this show: Instead of thinking of furniture as disposable, buy good-quality, beautiful pieces that’ll last a long, long time. This way, you avoid weird chemicals from off-gassing in your home, save forests from getting clearcut forests, and prevent stuffing more crap into landfills.

“Furnish” airs on the Sundance channel Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 29, at 9 pm. Don’t have cable? You can download the episodes via iTunes.

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