the low down on green living
February 4th, 2008
How To Tuesday: Green Your Bedroom
Stumble it!
Are you looking to embrace a green home room-by-room? Here we offer suggestions on how to make your bedroom eco-friendly and more healthy. You spend a third of your life in your bedroom, so making sure it’s green is pretty important.
1. Use organic bedding. Most conventional bedding is made with fibers that are either synthetic or cotton harvested and treated with extensive use of chemicals. Chemicals are not good for the land where the cotton is grown, nor are the healthy for your family to breathe. See organic bedding here.
2. Also consider an organic mattress or futon. See options here.
3. Use natural or energy-efficient lighting. Lighting is one of the major uses of energy in a home. You can save money and energy by either using natural light or energy-efficient lighting like compact fluorescents or LEDs. Also, do you know about solar tube lights? They are an easy-to-install alternative to sky lights.
4. Do you have good insulation? Insulating your ceiling and walls will cut your energy bills and make your house more comfortable throughout the year. Find an insulation resource near you.
5. Consider getting a ceiling fan if you do not already have one. Ceiling fans circulate both hot and cool air, thus saving energy and money - and they’ll make you more comfortable. See Energy Star ceiling fans here.
6. Make sure your windows don’t leak air – you could be wasting energy and heat. Use weather-stripping or caulk.
7. Use non-toxic paints. Expecting a new member of the family, and converting Dad’s dark den into a cuddly nursery? Make sure you use low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints. They are healthier for you and your family, and they are bright, beautiful and durable as well! See healthy paints here.
8. If you’re replacing any of your bedroom flooring, be sure to look at eco-friendly options like bamboo, cork, and reclaimed wood. See a full range of green flooring options here.
9. If you are looking for any furniture for your bedroom, consider getting either used furniture or furniture made from recycled and sustainable materials. To learn more about the benefits of used furniture and where you can find it, click here. To see many examples of new, eco-friendly furniture, please click here.
Comments
Life Less Plastic
February 4th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Thanks very much for this info.
In terms of your list, you might want to add “redecorate less often.” To be truly green, people just need to learn to enjoy the way their home looks and not be pressured to always buy, buy, buy.
For the points you do have, I think number 9 is the most valuable suggestion of all. Thrift stores, vintage stores, and antique shops, often have amazing furniture that is way higher quality than any stores offer at all these days.
James Polk
February 5th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Nice list of healthy options for “everyday” living.
Buying less, but targeting your purchases to make the greatest impact, is a very effective way to live sustainably.
The point is well taken about recycling furniture. Manufacturing new furniture frequently demands a great deal of energy usage. The exception, hand crafted pieces. Generally, these are more expensive than “factory made” items, but tend to have a much greater element of craft and contain fewer toxins.
The links to specific choices and options is very useful as well.
Thanks, Jessica.
James Polk, Architect
ps…for a discussion that complements Low Impact Living, take a look at my blog on sustainable communities: http://newamericanvillage.blogspot.com/
Melissa
February 5th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
In addition to bedding and paints, drapery fabrics can be toxic to your health as they frequently contain formaldehyde, and toxic to the environment through their creation. My boyfriend is a drapery installer and is trying to help clients go green with natural fibers and bamboo, etc. It’s a product that hasn’t yet gone green as much as other natural home products, but it’s important!
Stacy
March 7th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Make sure to research the products that you buy. It’s not only about what components are in products, but whether those products are made in a wasteful manner. While made in China products may be advertised as “green” , one can’t assume that that’s always the truth.
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