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Dear
EarthTalk: Is it true that traditional mattresses
and bedding can cause environmental and health problems,
and if so, what alternatives are out there?
-- Jay &
Aubrey Gillespie, via e-mail
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Traditional
mattresses and bedding contain a slew of potentially
harmful chemicals that can "off-gas" from
fabrics, padding and framing. Fortunately there are
many alternatives now available, such as this organic,
chemical-free mattress from Lifekind.
© Lifekind
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With
all we know today about synthetic chemicals and their effects
on our health, going green in the bedroom—where we
spend a third of our lives—makes more sense than ever.
Traditional mattresses
and bedding contain a slew of potentially harmful chemicals
that can “off-gas” from fabrics, padding and framing
and get inhaled or ingested. One of the most harmful is
formaldehyde, which is used in many adhesives and can cause
eye and throat irritation, headaches and nervous system
disorders. And carcinogenic flame-retardants known as PBDEs,
many of which are now banned in Europe and some U.S. states,
still turn up in some sleep products. Most people fare just
fine on their mattresses despite proximity to such offensive
substances, but those with sensitivities to synthetic chemicals
might want to consider greener bedding options. Luckily,
there are many varieties to choose from.
Some very affordable
green mattress options are available from manufacturers
like Lifekind, Cozypure, Vivetique/Dreamlite, Royal-Pedic,
Greensleep/Vimala, EcoChoices and Keetsa. Most of these
companies make mattresses with natural latex cores, wrapped
in naturally flame-retardant cotton and/or wool. Online
retailer Gaiam carries some of these brands, and Ikea also
now offers PBDE-free mattresses that just about anyone can
afford. Also, many independent green stores are sprouting
up in communities around the country and are probably the
first place to look in the interest of supporting local
merchants and minimizing the need to ship products long
distance.
As for bedding,
environmentalists’ main bugaboo is the use of traditional
cotton, which requires huge fertilizer and pesticide inputs
to grow and causes pollution during the industrial bleaching
process. But with consumer demand for greener products through
the roof, organic unbleached cotton is becoming more widely
available. Some leading organic cotton bedding labels to
look for include Cozypure, Lifekind, Holy Lamb Organics,
Mary Jane’s Farm, The Green Robin, Jan Eleni, Kushtush
Organics, Native Organic, Northern Naturals and Under the
Canopy, among many others. Most environmentalists embrace
wool blankets for their warmth and breathability, although
sustainably harvested down in organic cotton duvets provides
a viable green alternative as well. Online retailer Greenandmore.com
has a wide selection of environmentally friendly and hypoallergenic
down comforters, as do many local green stores.
Once you’ve
banned synthetics and chemicals from the bedroom, no doubt
you and your whole family will rest a little bit easier.
CONTACTS:
Lifekind;
Cozypure;
Greensleep/Vimala;
EcoChoices;
Keetsa;
Gaiam;
Ikea;
Holy
Lamb Organics; Mary
Jane’s Farm; The
Green Robin; Jan
Eleni; Kushtush
Organics; Native
Organic; Northern
Naturals; Under
the Canopy; Green
and More
Dear EarthTalk:
My global warming guilt is starting to catch up with
me, and I’ve heard that I can buy “carbon offsets”
to help make things right. How do they work?
-- Miranda Snavely,
Milton, WA
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Wind
farms, like the one pictured here, are just one of
many alternative energy projects that carbon offsets
pay for.
© Getty Images
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Carbon offsets
are monies that consumers and businesses pay voluntarily
to compensate for the greenhouse gas emissions they generate
directly by driving, flying, running the air conditioning
and otherwise using non-renewable energy. Companies and
nonprofit groups that sell offsets use the dollars generated
to fund alternative energy and other projects that will
ultimately eliminate greenhouse gas emissions (such as wind
farms that can replace coal-fired power plants in generating
electricity).
“Carbon
offsetting is one of many economic actions you can take
to address climate change, and it is a powerful one,”
says the nonprofit Co-op America, “Many promising projects
that would help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions lack
the capital they need to get built; by directing your offset
dollars to these projects, you can help finance new wind
farms, solar arrays, and more.”
Dozens of carbon-offset
vendors have sprung up in recent years. Consumers interested
in buying offsets should do their homework, as some firms
have better reputations than others. Co-op America recommends
offsets that support specific projects that wouldn’t
have happened otherwise and that have measurable near-term
goals. Legitimate offset providers should also be able to
back up all claims and show a clear money trail to the projects
being funded. Co-op America urges consumers to avoid tree-planting
programs, which are hard to quantify, and “climate
exchange allowances” (also known as “pollution
trading” or “emissions trading”), which many
consider to be veiled ways of letting companies buy the
right to pollute.
Co-op America
lauds the Climate Trust (non-profit, funds wind farms in
Oregon), TerraPass (for-profit, funds methane gas capture
from landfills and farms), Native Energy (for-profit, funds
new wind farms and solar arrays) and Sustainable Travel
International’s MyClimate (non-profit, funds clean
energy in developing countries) as some of the leading offset
providers with reputable business models.
Those looking
to dig deeper into the ways different offset providers operate
should check out Clean Air-Cool Planet’s Consumer's
Guide to Carbon Offsets. The free 44-page PDF download assesses
the strengths and weaknesses of some two-dozen carbon offset
programs. The guide gives highest marks to Climate Trust,
Native Energy and MyClimate, although other providers are
also praised for specific programs. Another good free online
resource comparing various offset programs on one page/chart
is on the Carbon Offsets Survey page on the EcoBusinessLinks
Environmental Directory.
Consumers should
understand that offsets may be convenient, but are essentially
only icing on the cake of an otherwise diligent effort to
reduce emissions by using energy less and more efficiently.
“All the offsets in the world won’t help us,”
warns Clean Air-Cool Planet, “if we in the U.S. don’t
make big reductions in our overall greenhouse gas emissions
and effect a transition away from wasteful use of fossil
fuels.”
CONTACTS:
Co-op
America; Climate
Trust; TerraPass;
NativeEnergy;
Sustainable
Travel International; Clean
Air-Cool Planet; EcoBusinessLinks.
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