When selecting furniture for education institutions, administrators often consider durability and ergonomics as givens. The furniture they select must be comfortable for a variety of age groups and body types, and be able to withstand heavy use and last into the future. But many school officials are adding sustainability to their furniture selection criteria. Thanks to education furniture manufacturers rising to the occasion, specifying green furniture doesn't mean a sacrifice in comfort or quality. Although some school and university administrators have jumped right on board at the idea of specifying green furniture, others are reluctant. They think that it will cost too much or just isn't necessary. However, furniture and furnishings are a source of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions in schools, and controlling the sources of the VOCs is one of the most effective ways of improving indoor air quality. Fifty percent of all schools have indoor air quality concerns, which can lead to illness, increased asthma and allergy attacks, absences, productivity loss, poor student performance, adverse employee/student relationships with school administration and negative publicity. A foolproof way education administrators can ensure they are selecting sustainable furniture products with low VOC emissions is by choosing products certified by independent sources, such as GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI). If a GREENGUARD-certified product isn't available for a furniture product, school and university administrators still can find sustainable options by thinking green before they make a purchase. By asking the right questions, they can ensure the furniture products they select are sustainable, even if they don't carry a green certification. This article presents some questions to consider before purchasing education furniture. The effort put into specifying green education furniture can result in better student health and green building certification for a facility.