Sustainability is all the rage these days, and rightfully so, considering that it makes the planet safer and greener. Bedrooms are arguably the one place in our house that need to be the most comfortable, relaxing, and safe, which is why we have curated this green bedroom ideas 101 to help you figure out how to make your resting space more eco-friendly.
What is an Eco-Friendly Home?
An eco-friendly home might sound vague as a concept, but it’s really not. It is an environmentally friendly home that’s been planned and constructed with resources and methods that minimize its carbon footprint and energy usage. Eco-friendly homes address sustainability issues such as water conservation, trash reduction through reuse and recycling, pollution management to slow global warming, energy generation and conservation, and a reduction in CO2 emissions.
What are the Benefits of Having Eco-Friendly Interiors?
The benefits of being sustainable are endless. Eco-friendly interiors have often been dismissed as being too expensive. However, their environmental, social, as well as economic advantages are hard to ignore, which is why so many people are now opting for them. Some of these advantages are listed below.
Green building designers make every effort to minimize reliance on non-renewable energy sources, such as coal. In order to do this, they employ solar panels to harness energy from the sun and windows that maximize natural light while minimizing the need for artificial lighting. These and other measures guarantee that the building consumes energy effectively. Due to the high cost and environmental damage of non-renewable energy sources, energy efficiency is crucial for both the user and the entire planet.
Less Water Usage
Green homes utilize water resources in a way that conserves water and guarantees that present and future generations have a steady supply of clean water. The utilization of alternative water sources, such as rainwater, the installation of water-efficient plumbing fixtures, and the installation of systems that purify water and permit recycling are all possible with green architecture. These practices also reduce water waste.
Reduces Maintenance Cost
Unique design elements are included in green buildings to guarantee the effective use of resources like water and electricity. For instance, green buildings greatly minimize the amount of electricity needed in lighting systems by utilizing task lighting strategies and lots of daylight; this enables customers to save up to a third of their water and energy costs. Reducing operation and maintenance costs would greatly boost the income of building owners who get rent from their properties because these expenditures may make up as much as 80% of a building’s lifespan costs.
Even while the initial cost of establishing a green building may be slightly more than that of a non-green structure, over the long run, green buildings are far less expensive to operate and maintain.
Minimizes Strain on Local Resources
Local shared resources like water and energy experience significant demand as the population grows. Green buildings may relieve this burden by utilizing tools and techniques that improve their users’ water and energy efficiency.
Material efficiency refers to the use of physical processes and materials in a way that enables the use of the fewest amount of materials while maintaining the quality of the results. Additionally, the processes should generate the least amount of waste feasible. Green construction firms employ durable materials, recycle and reuse some items, design structures so that fewer resources are needed, and more to achieve material efficiency.
Best Green Bedroom Ideas For Your Home!
Sustainability has limitless possibilities, which means you can get creative with the ways you want to make your bedroom more eco-friendly. However, for starters, these tips and tricks will surely be a great place to begin!
Don’t Use Leather and Suede Furniture
It goes without saying that animal cruelty is a big no-no. Leather and suede undergo a number of chemical procedures throughout production to try to remove their organic textures, smells, and other characteristics. Consider your options carefully before purchasing those stylish throw pillows made of leather or suede. These pillows have vegan counterparts that are available from both online and physical vegan retailers.
Choose Organic Mattresses
The ideal mattress is one that is so cozy that you nod off right away. The traditional mattresses, however, include several very unfavorable components. For instance, flame retardants, which are clearly bad for the environment and you. Choose eco-friendly mattresses made of natural latex, hemp, organic cotton, or hemp. Bamboo is a sustainable material, and many things are now made of it; therefore, bamboo mattresses are a fantastic alternative as well.
The memory foam mattress is the one that is most in demand right now. These mattresses have been treated with flame retardants, which also contain volatile organic compounds that are unhealthy. So use some caution while purchasing a mattress. Instead of memory foam, it is preferable to purchase environmentally friendly bedroom furniture and mattresses made of natural latex that also adjusts to the contour of the body. Or select mattresses made of organic cotton, wool, or plant-based memory foam.There may be adjacent farms that offer raw fiber for use as bedding or spun yarn.
Use Indoor Plants as Decoration
It is common knowledge that plants purify the air, and many professionals advise adding a few plants to the home to do the same. On your dresser or nightstand, a peace lily houseplant would look lovely and purify the air in your bedroom. Keep some flower pots or some freshly cut flowers in a vase on the windowsill. You’ll feel instantly at ease while also using natural products as bedroom decor.
Buy Sustainable Furniture
When choosing furniture for your bedroom, go for items made of recycled or repurposed wood. The mattresses, wardrobes, nightstands, chairs, and other furniture may be recycled or thrifted. In antique furniture stores, you could discover lovely old pieces of furniture. Older or worn furniture is non-toxic since the harmful coatings have previously released their fumes into the air. Additionally, it is less expensive to purchase secondhand sustainable furniture.
Ensure Your Fixtures are Eco-friendly
Regular light bulbs use a lot of electricity. Purchase environmentally friendly lights like LEDs as opposed to regular ones because they use a lot less energy and last longer. Your bedroom’s lights, including the nightstand light, wall lights, and ceiling lights, may all be LEDs. Allow enough of natural light to enter your bedroom in addition to this. Your mood will improve dramatically, and it’s free!
Although CFL lights use less power than standard light bulbs, it has been discovered that they also release UVA and UVC rays. Choose LED or regular lights to avoid being exposed to these harmful rays. Always remember to switch off the lights and fans when you leave a room to conserve energy. Sustainable interiors are one of the best ways to be greener.
Opt for Non-toxic Paint
The item in your bedroom that is by far the most dangerous is the paint. Regular paint is laden with harmful chemicals that harm the environment, can trigger allergies and other illnesses, and are also bad for the respiratory system. The volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, found in traditional paint have been the subject of several studies tying them to conditions including cancer.
Pick non-toxic paint or paint derived from plants for your eco-friendly bedroom. VOCs are not released by these paints. The relaxing hues of taupe and lavender might help you unwind.
Choose Eco-Friendly Curtains
Try to use organically-made curtains in your bedroom as well to further reduce its environmental impact. Plastic ones are not as sustainable. Additionally, confirm that everything you buy has been made by brands that support labor rights and fair working conditions.
You should search for curtains that are durable because short-lived items are highly inefficient and cause a lot of waste generation and pollution of all kinds.
Therefore, it is essential that you are aware of these details while making judgments about purchasing new curtains. Pick the best curtains for your eco-friendly bedroom.
The ability to save energy in your bedroom may be greatly enhanced by high-quality windows. Due to the usage of outdated, inefficient windows, a significant amount of our energy is wasted daily.
If you’re one of those folks who still uses outdated windows, you should give getting new, energy-efficient ones significant thought.
Future energy prices are probably going to rise as we switch from fossil to renewable energy sources.
Wash Your Bedding With Eco-Friendly Detergents
Try to rely more on natural detergents than conventional detergents.
Common detergents frequently include chemicals that are bad for the environment and maybe bad for people’s health.
You must thus convert to more natural detergents that contain fewer and less dangerous chemicals because you spend a lot of time in bed every night.
Opt For Natural Flooring
Even though your flooring often lasts for a long time, eventually, you will need to replace it. Make sure you utilize real wood rather than laminate made of synthetic materials. Your first option should be parquet since it is incredibly durable, all-natural, and created from renewable materials. But be careful while selecting the type of wood for your parquet since certain trees are significantly more sustainable than others. The best option would be bamboo because of how quickly it grows and how tough it is. Bamboo parquet is unquestionably the way to go if you want to make a wise decision to reduce your environmental impact.
Reduce the Use of Heaters
A lot of individuals overheat their bedrooms. However, as this requires the usage of enormous quantities of energy, it is highly detrimental to the environment. Additionally, research has revealed that the ideal bedroom temperature is really between 60 and 64 degrees Fahrenheit.
The majority of the bedrooms are, however, heated to temperatures of at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, decreasing the temperature in your bedroom will certainly improve the quality of your sleep while also drastically reducing your energy usage and energy expenditure.
Get Creative with Decorations and Opt for Sustainable Interiors
Every year, a lot of money is spent on decorative goods. The majority of them are composed of plastic, though. Make sure the decorations you purchase are created from sustainable materials. If artificial materials must be used as decorations, at least make sure the synthetic materials used are recycled plastic.
Simply making your own decorations at home would be the most environmentally friendly choice. Additionally, if you take your kids out into the woods with you to gather natural materials and create your own decorations from them, they will develop a much stronger bond with nature.
Easy Yet Effective Ways to be Sustainable at Home
Now, we understand that it is a little difficult to start right from the bottom and build a completely new house with only sustainable methods and materials. You can still have an eco-friendly home just by following these easy yet effective ways.
Try Making Your Own Cleaning Products
White vinegar is going to become your greatest ally when it comes to eco-friendly cleaning. Without using any dangerous chemicals, you’ll be able to deal with everything from your foul garbage disposal to your mildewed shower and grease-spattered stove top.
Unplug Electronics When Not in Use
Unused yet plugged-in equipment costs the US economy about 19 billion dollars a year and emits 44 million tonnes of carbon. Make it a practice to keep things that you don’t use every day disconnected and utilize power strips to make it simpler to unplug many items at once.
Switch to a Greener Diet
Your daily diet has a significant influence on the environment. A sustainable diet may make a big difference. There is little doubt that choosing organic products, promoting regional farmers, and cutting back on your meat intake will have an impact. Reducing food waste is also crucial; attempt meal planning to optimize your buying and compost everything you don’t use.
Be Thorough With Your Localities Recycling Rules
Contact your neighborhood garbage treatment center to find out what exactly is accepted since waste standards might be unclear. You might be startled to hear that certain items you have been diligently throwing away, such as yogurt containers, are disposed of in very unsustainable ways, such as incineration or being exported to underdeveloped countries.
Reduce Water Usage
Only 0.4% of the water on Earth is freshwater, and an excessive amount of it is lost daily. Reducing your water use, taking shorter showers, repairing any broken pipes around the house, or even putting something heavy in your toilet tank to lessen the amount that is flushed down the drain may all have a significant impact.
Grow Your Own Food
Finally, gardening can not only be therapeutic, but you can also grow your own food and herbs! Try growing your own food; it’s simpler than it seems, so don’t panic! Simply scatter a few seeds around a patch of your lawn or, if you live in an apartment, on your porch or windowsill. You don’t need acres of land to cultivate a variety of herbs, fruits, and vegetables; just a few square feet will do.
What Else Can You Do?: Be Zen’s Tips to Make Your Own Green Bedroom
One of the most difficult tasks, of course, is filtering out the unethical and unsustainable brands and actually finding legitimate brands that aren’t greenwashing. To make things easier, Be Zen offers a free-to-use chrome extension that directs you to some of the best sustainable and cruelty-free alternatives while helping you save a bunch.
All you have to do is add the extension to your browser and then search for bedroom furniture, interiors, and more, and then you will be redirected to legit eco-friendly alternatives!
So, check out the chrome extension now!