By Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home & design writer
With the eco-boom of the last few years the ultimate kick-start motivator for consumers’ green marketplace decisions is a simple relationship: The choices we make to preserve the environment affect our personal health.
Case and point: Because we spend one-third of our day head nestled in a pillow, it’s in our best interest to choose the most natural bed products possible—ones whose materials and manufacturing processes are as light on the planet as they are on our skin.
Personally, I've never been as affected by research for an article as I was when reporting for our story about "the green bed" which appears in our December issue (on newsstands later this month).
Yes, bedding products can be pricey, but fortunately the marketplace has caught up with consumer interest in a greener lifestyle, so choosing bed linens, mattresses, pillows, and even bed frames made of organic, sustainable, and environmentally-friendly materials (good for you and good for the environment) doesn't have to cost more than your standard, conventional options.
Now, you may gawk at my suggestion of a $1300 mattress; but take a look at prices at major retailers (some super cheap; some upwards of $5000), consider the toxicity of things like flame retardants—bad for you and bad for the environment—which come standard in many conventional mattresses, and you're sure to be an eco-bedding convert.
You may say, "But I sleep great" or "My health is fine" or "Why would I change what works?" The thing is, if your bed has always been made up of conventional materials, you have no idea that you could be sleeping better than you do.
Your homework: Find an eco-home store near you, talk to their knowledgeable sales people, and take a little nap. Then, rave to me about it by clicking on the comments link below.
(Linens pictured in shot above: Raksha Bella (blue print pillow), Indika Organics (printed sheet), Loop (green sheet), Plover Organic (blue quilt and lilac pillow), Under the Canopy (blanket))
A special shout-out:
Amenity's gorgeous products (organic cotton linens and reclaimed douglass fir bedframe pictured) didn't fit into our printed article, but we love them!
And they just so happen to be offering 30% off their entire home collection for the month of November. Enter "season" at checkout.
And a list of some of our favorite shops. Email me to tell me about a favorite near you.
San Francisco area
Green Fusion Design Center
Earthsake
Reclaim
Branch (online only)
Eco Boutique
Spring
Seattle area
Greener Lifestyles
One Earth One Design
Los Angeles area
Green and Greener
Kelly Green
