Sweet Green Dreams

Sleep…it rejuvenates us like nothing else. It can sometimes be hard to attain, but it’s easy to indulge in. It’s almost always comforting, and definitely essential for good health. We all love our sleep!

But a good night’s rest has a lot to do with comfort, which means having the right bedding. Stick with natural fibers for your bedding needs… you can benefit from the comfort, breathability and environmentally- friendliness of products made from natural rather than synthetic materials. With more and more retailers introducing environmentally- friendly bedding, being green is so easy that you can now do it while you sleep.

Although cotton is the most affordable and easy-to-find fiber for your sheets, you can also purchase linen, bamboo, hemp, modal (a type of rayon made from beech trees) and silk (a little pricey, but looks pretty). The good thing about bamboo linen is that it’s soft, durable, and eco-friendly. Sheets made from bamboo are hypo-allergenic and far more breathable than cotton.

Rest your head on natural pillows filled with cotton, wool, kapok, and even milkweed. For the fillings of quilts and comforters, your main choices are cotton, wool, down, silk, and hemp. For the mattress itself, look for organic cotton, chemical free wool, natural rubber latex, and hemp. If you’re getting rid of your old mattress, be sure to donate it to a local shelter or charity.

When shopping, look for:

- Organic cotton. Conventional cotton uses even more pesticides per acre than growing food, so look for organic cotton.

- Sheets and pillowcases with no added formaldehyde.The main health concern associated with bed linens is formaldehyde. In high concentrations, though, it can cause asthma attacks, nausea, a burning sensation in the eyes, nose and throat, and even cancer. Look for formaldehyde- free linens.

- Breathability. Synthetic bedding tends to be less breathable than natural products, so some people find it less comfortable.

- Cut back on the washing and drying. Too many trips to the washing machine-or leaving it too long in the dryer-wastes water and energy and wears out the fabric.

Most green stores carry eco-beddings, but also check out these Canadian sites for some great selection on greening your sleep :

Willow Natural Home- www.willownaturalhome.com
Grassroots- www.grassrootsstore.com
Earth Shine- www.earthshine.ca
Obasan- www.obasan.ca

Good night and sweet green dreams!

(Tips borrowed from Adria Vasil’s Ecoholic)