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Bedding Ideas from National Geographic's Green Guide

coyuchi-jacquard-blankets.jpg

We recently discovered National Geographic's online Green Guide with its eco-friendly recommendations for home and garden, local green resources, and more. While checking out the bedding section in the Buying Guide, we were struck by the assertion that turning down the thermostat and adding extra bedding can have such a large impact on the environment; for every degree the thermostat goes down, 320 pounds of greenhouse gases are kept out of the atmosphere over the course of the season...

 
 

In order to help reduce the impact of that temperature drop, the Green Guide offers some suggestions for eco-friendly blankets to offset the chill. The shopping tips from the guide include:

  • Avoid textiles labeled permanent press, no-iron, crease-resistant, shrink-proof, stretch-proof, water repellent or water-proofed. Some finishes, such as those to prevent stains and wrinkles, can release formaldehyde into the air.
  • Look for products that are machine-washable to keep dust and allergen levels at a minimum (wool is naturally inhospitable to dust mites).
  • Allergy sufferers and asthmatics should also avoid bedding and comforters stuffed with down feathers, which may cause allergies to flare up.

More detailed recommendations about materials and dyes can be found here. The Jacquard blanket pictured above was the Green Guide's choice for greenest product, and is available online from Green Nest.

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green ideas, bedding

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Comments (3)

do people sleep with the heat on? I've never do! on the few occassions I've forgotten to turn it off, I woke up feeling absolutely ill and dehydrated. even when I'm awake I'd rather have the heat lower and wear a sweater around the house.

posted by foodefafa on January 21st 2009 at 12:24pm
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I definitely turn the heat down very low at night. If it is below zero outside I have to leave the heat on so that the pipes do not freeze. I definitely love having a cold room and warm blankets at night

posted by Hollie on January 21st 2009 at 1:12pm
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I have to have the heat on when I sleep--I get cold. Sometimes I turn the heat UP when I go to bed, because I can't fall asleep if I'm cold, and blankets aren't enough.

posted by jooly on January 21st 2009 at 2:02pm
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