Choosing a new mattress is a daunting task. Gone are the days when you chose from four different sizes in soft, medium, or hard. Today’s beds come in all shapes, densities, and flexibilities—from water beds, to air mattresses to high-tech foam, to . . . organic?

While we were sleeping, turns out a July 1st 2007 California law went into effect to require all mattresses including cribs to be flame resistant in order to be sold in the United States. Of course, fire protection is a good thing, but consumer advocates are up in arms against the new law, because they claim that flameproof mattresses contain harsh and dangerous chemicals.

According to the January 2006 Risk Assessment from the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), “the average adult will absorb a daily dose of .802 mg of Antimony (Arsenic), .081 mg Boric Acid (Roach Killer), and .073 mg DBDPO (Deca) from flame proof mattresses, every night.”

If you suffer from allergies, are chemically sensitive, or simply fear exposure to mattress chemicals, a natural mattress is a great choice. If you lose sleep over the environment also consider an organic mattress-natural latex, wools and cottons turn to dust in landfills and leave virtually no eco-footprint.

While sleeping is essential to survival (regularly overlooked, but you can’t survive without it), bedding is often considered a great luxury. Yes, bedding can be lavish, comforting, and opulent, but in my book it is still a compulsory necessity. Considering we spend 1/3 of our lives “in bed” it makes sense that we should invest in bedding that will provide us with the most restful and healthful sleep possible. Often times, the most “healthful” bedding comes from organic sources. Harmful pesticides, fire retardants, and chemical blends should not be inhaled night after night. If you look in the right places, it’s easy to find green and affordable sheets, quality comforters, mattresses, and colorful spreads.

Lets start with sheets. They’re the easiest to replace and can offer a simple makeover and refreshment to any dowdy room. Sheets are also a great way to make the transition into green bedding. Organic cotton and bamboo sheets are easy to find and come in a variety of blends, weights, colors, and sizes.

Bamboo Sheet Set In Sage
Pure bamboo fiber’s sensual smoothness, wicking and ventilation make it the ultimate eco choice for bedding. Bamboo, though a somewhat hard stalk, is actually extremely comfortable and snugly in fiber form. Made of 100% bamboo fiber, this set from Viva Terra is soft and plush. My favorite point, they don’t slide loose when tucked in and they resist wrinkling when laundered–ideal for any college student. All that from a renewable, pesticide-free resource–a great combination of good value and environmental values.

Aspen Organic Sheet Set In Stone
This 100% organic cotton sheet set is perfectly washing machine and dryer safe. The organic cotton, grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or genetic engineering, is SKAL certified and completely free of all chemical treatments. Part of the Aspen Organic Bedding Collection, known for excellent quality and long-lasting softness, these sheets come at an amazing price.

Q:
UnleBob Writes: I’ve thought about switching to CFLs, but I don’t know what bulbs to get. When I get bulbs now, I just go to grab the first 60 watt bulb I can find. I know if I were to buy a 60 watt CFL, it would probably be twice as bright as the sun. How do I know what wattage to get with a CFL?

A: Thanks for the comment UncleBob. That’s great that you’re considering switching to CFLs. The conversion is pretty simple. A compact florescent bulb uses about one-quarter the energy an incandescent bulb uses to produce the same amount of light. For example, to replace a traditional 60-watt bulb, look for a CF bulb in the 15-watt range.

I hope you’ll consider making the switch. Really, there’s no reason not to. Yes, energy-saving light bulbs are more expensive than conventional bulbs, but you’ll save money in the long run. Within a matter of months your electricity bill savings will surpass the original cost of the bulb. Energy-saving bulbs last years longer, so you won’t have to buy, re-buy, and buy bulbs again. Above all, the quality of the light is exactly the same, if not better than a conventional light bulb.

Despite the pros many of us shy away from purchasing energy-saving bulbs because—well, quite simply—we fear they won’t fit in our lighting fixtures. Au contraire . . . energy-saving light bulbs come in all shapes and sizes to fit a range of fixtures, lamps, and lighting configurations—not to mention your personal mood preferences.

If you’re like me, then you prefer to decorate with antiques (ahem, junk from the thrift store) and unusual furnishings (ahem, my mother’s hand me downs). I thought it would be a challenge to find energy-saving bulbs to fit my mixed bag of rare fixtures, but I found plenty of options to fit a range of lamps and mood swings. Hope you find what you’re looking for UncleBob and please check back again with questions or comments on your new CFLs.

7. Get Smart About Lighting

Offices with large windows, beautiful views, and blaring artificial light bulbs often puzzle me. If an office has uplifting natural light, why block with blinds and replace with severe florescents? I understand if you are nocturnal, the midday sun happens to create a glare on your computer screen, or 3:00’s rays come into your cubicle at a retina-piercing angle. Sporadic annoyances aside, natural light is by far better for your soul and the environment.

To quote Conservation International, artificial lighting consumes some 40% of electricity in a typical office building, and close to one-fourth of all electricity generation in the U.S. In fact, lighting consumes the equivalent of nearly half of all coal burned in the U.S., or the equivalent of all the hydroelectric power in the country! Natural daylight will save energy and is a free source of lighting for the office. it has been proven to improve worker productivity and satisfaction (as well as boost sales in retail settings). So open up the blinds, move your desk to a sunny spot, and get productive.

If natural light is not an option, consider buying compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) to reduce energy use. Switching from incandescent bulbs to energy-efficient compact fluorescents delivers outstanding efficiency — up to 75% energy savings for Energy Star qualified lights. That translates into significant cost savings as well as waste avoidance since compact fluorescents can last over 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. These bulbs fit standard fixtures and deliver excellent natural light.

Above all, turn off your lights when you’re not in the office or conference room. Take a walk around your office, I dare you, and you’ll be sure to find that the majority of conference rooms are well lit . . . when nobody is even in them. Just one 100 watt light bulb left on for one hour every day consumes 36.5 kilowatt hours of energy per year. Save a watt and switch the lights off when leaving that terribly boring meeting.

6. Turn it Off. No REALLY Turn it Off.

Did you know your office appliances are using power even when you’re not using them? Yes, you think you’ve done right and powered down, but no, simply by being plugged into an electrical outlet you’re appliances are still sucking power faster than Count Dracula on a dark and stormy night.

The United States Department of Energy estimates that up to 75% of the electricity used to power office electronics is consumed while the devices are turned off. Seventy-five percent! Yikes . . . that’s a huge percent we can easily prevent! The simplest way to avoid such wasteful energy expenditure is to plug office equipment into a power strip or surge protector that can be shut off as you leave the office each day.

A surge protector/power strip with an on/off mechanism makes turning off electronics just as easy as turning off the lights. When you leave your desk just give the on/off switch a good tap you’re your toe. That simple off tap will not only help you build rock solid ankles, but also you’ll be saving a lot of energy . . . energy that you didn’t even know you were wasting. How’s that for “feel good?”

5. Use Better Computer Technology

In this information age, computers have revolutionized the way we eat, sleep, play, and work. It’s now impossible for any business, large and small, to remain competitive without the help of computers. For many businesses, keeping up with state-of-the-art technology is top priority. From banking to design, manufacturing to agriculture, insurance to music—industries now spend billions equipping their employees with the latest in computer technology.

If your business is looking to upgrade, consider getting computers that are better for the environment. There are many options to choose from, but make sure you look for computers with Energy Star 4.0 certification. To receive the Energy Star 4.0 badge, computers must have 80 percent efficient internal power and use less than 14 watts (for a laptop) and 65 watts (for a desktop). The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that over the next five years, 4.0 certified computers will save American businesses $1.8 billion in energy costs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the emissions of 2.7 million cars.

Some computers wearing the 4.0 Energy Star seal of approval are Apple Mac and the Apple MacBook Pro either in a 15.4 inch screen or 17 inch screen. The 15.4 inch MacBook Pro, is “especially green” because, it’s the only model that uses LED backlighting in order to eliminate the use of mercury and extend battery charge.From Hewlett Packard try the Compaq 6515b Notebook and 6715b Notebook.

Of course it’s always better to use laptops over desktops—on average desktops use twice the amount of energy as laptops and require a disproportionate amount of packaging and hardware. If your job requires a desktop, then go for the HP Compaq rp5700. It is made of post-consumer recycled plastics and all packaging exceeds requirements for hazardous material reduction. Most of all, the computer’s S3 power management, power efficient Intel processors and 80 Plus power supplies work together to reduce power consumption and help save energy costs.

4. Work Smarter with Energy Star

Impress your boss with your efficiency . . . energy efficiency. Office equipment and electronics use energy even when idle or on stand-by. So turn on the power management features on your computer, unplug laptop power cords when not in use, and turn off equipment and lights at the end of the day. If that sounds like too much work, use a power strip to shut down with one quick switch.

The next best way to save energy is with Energy Star certified gear including computers, scanners, and monitors. Energy Star qualified office equipment can save up to 75% of electricity compared to standard models, translating to big dollars back on your office’s electricity bill. If you have a small business and need to cut costs this can make all the difference.

For those that don’t know, Energy Star is a government certification program, which exposes consumers to make the most energy efficient and environmentally conscious purchases. An Energy Star certified product (stamped with the blue energy star label seen here) meets strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy.

If looking for new office products, look for ones that have earned the blue ENERGY STAR approval. There are many office products to choose from. And don’t think you’ll have to sacrifice quality, features, style or comfort for energy saving. Energy Star certifies some of the best office equipment available ranging from up-to-the-minute computers to the hottest cordless phones.

Yesterday, I encouraged you to use post-consumer recycled paper. Turns out, an even better option exists—take office greening to the next level by avoiding paper all together and digitizing your documents.

“Going digi” gives you the opportunity to not only cut costs and save some trees, but also you’ll streamline your business and get rid of that clutter—the more you store on your computer, the less you have to store on your desk.

I therefore recommend making a comprehensive filing system on your computer. It’s also helpful to review emails, docs, etc on screen than printing them out. For those documents that are not available on your computer, just make a simple scan and they’ll be up on your desktop in no time. There are a range of Energy Star Scanners. I prefer the ScanJet 5590 Flatbed Scanner from Hewlett Packard. The innovative design makes it easy to store in small spaces.

Don’t just hug a tree . . . save a tree, by using Post-Consumer Recycled Paper.

In the past, recycled paper may have been of poorer quality than non-recycled. But now, many large office supply companies stock recycled papers that are just as bright and work just as well in printers and copiers as bleached paper. If you’re not convinced, Office Depot asks you to do a test. This sounds like a fun office activity—get your coworkers involved, blindfold them, spin them around, make them jump on one foot, then ask them to distinguish Post Consumer Recycled paper from regular paper . . . we bet they won’t be able to.

In addition to workplace activities, Office Depot offers a wide range of recycled papers classified into the following 3 categories:

“Just Green”: Paper contains 10% post-consumer recycled content.

“Light Green”: Paper contains 35% post-consumer recycled content, and is bleached using an “elemental chlorine free” process. EnviroCopy paper is Greenseal certified and exceeds most state and federal government standards in its environmental attributes.

“Dark Green”: Paper contains 100% post-consumer recycled PCR content, is a high-bright 104, and is bleached with a process chlorine free bleaching method.

I recommend aiming for the highest post-consumer content possible for your office’s budget.

1. Buy and Use Environmentally Conscious Office Supplies

Obviously the greenest purchase is no purchase at all, but lets be honest, you’re going to need quite a few essentials at the office. Though it would be nice to not have to use post-its, folders, and that maddening fax machine they’re necessary to workplace survival.

As the environmental movement continues to grow and big business realizes the dollar signs behind my favorite eco-catchphrases (eco-cool, eco-chic, eco-yada-yada-yada), many large office supply companies now offer eco-alternatives to workplace essentials. In addition to recycled paper, organic pens, and biodynamic stress balls, you’ll find recycled portfolio’s and reprocessed steel folder dividers.

With so many greener options to choose from, there is no reason to get anything but green for your office. Furthermore, environmentally preferable products are typically equal in performance to traditional products, but can result in lower waste, energy use, fewer chemicals, and less material use.

Fax Machine Attack Scene From the movie Office Space.