smart choices for a green planet

Taking care of the earth is the responsibility of everyone who lives here. Although it can be easy to fall into the mindset of thinking that the planet’s problems are too big to tackle on our own, when we each do what we can as individuals, it adds up!

So, whether you are a seasoned eco-warrior or just getting started, here are some small but significant ways you can protect the planet in your own home, starting with the mattress you choose.

Think Green, Sleep Green
As one of the largest items you have in your home, you can make a real impact by choosing a mattress with eco-friendly materials. From sustainably-sourced fabrics to springs made from recycled steel, mattress manufacturers are stepping up with plenty of options for sleep systems that support the environment while they support our bodies. Here are just a few:

The Sealy Posturepedic Natural Origins Yorke euro top mattress is made with silky soft bamboo-infused organic cotton that breathes naturally and absorbs moisture to keep you cool, along with OEKO-TEX® Certified BioGel Latex foam for the perfect level of body-contouring support. Additionally, you’ll sleep snug knowing your Canadian-made mattress didn’t have far to go to get to you.

The Serta Snug innerspring mattress provides a great sleep for both partners thanks to its 805 individually wrapped support coils which help to reduce motion transfer. To reduce the impact on the environment, each coil is made from 95% post-industrial recycled steel right here in Canada.

Dreaming of cleaner oceans? Created in partnership with SEAQUEL, the fabric cover on every Beautyrest Harmony Lux Maui mattress contains up to 50 plastic bottles recovered from the world’s oceans and beaches, so you can sleep on a mattress that helps protect fragile marine life.

Watch this short video to see how Beautyrest combines luxury with responsibility, through its partnership with SEAQUAL, to produce luxury fabric for the Harmony Lux mattress collection.

 

Use Water Wisely in the Kitchen
That video is the best segue for one of the most important things you can do to protect the environment—conserving water. By taking steps to reduce your water use today, you can help reduce the burden on our local water systems and ensure an adequate supply of fresh, clean water for generations to come. As an added bonus, reducing the amount of water you use daily can save you hundreds of dollars on your annual water bill.

One of the biggest water-wasters in the kitchen is doing the dishes by hand. How big? According to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), you can use up to 102 litres of water hand-washing the dinner dishes versus 11 litres in a newer dishwasher.

With that math, you can see even running half-loads or lightly soiled dishes in the dishwasher is preferable to filling up the sink or (gasp!) holding your plates under running water. To take the guesswork out of choosing a cycle look for a dishwasher that has a soil sensor, like the sleek, stainless Whirlpool model above.

To keep your water-use to a minimum, resist the urge to pre-rinse your dishes before loading the dishwasher. Removing uneaten food with a rubber scraper is just as easy and won’t sabotage your water savings. As well, detergent manufacturers discourage pre-washing because the enzymes that get your dishes clean are designed to attach themselves to food particles to be effective.

TIP: If you are still concerned about bits of food recirculating, many dishwashers like the black stainless Frigidaire model above have hard food disposers and/or filtration systems to eliminate any leftover food debris.

Save Water in the Laundry Room
The laundry room is another area of the home where saving water can save you some big bucks and earn you some environmental brownie points. To get the most out of the least amount of water, follow these simple tips:

Select the right cycle for your load. This is where taking a couple minutes to select the correct water level, temperature, and fabric care options can really pay off. Intuitive controls, like on the LG washer pictured above with its matching dryer, can help guide you through this process. Or, eliminate the decision making completely and let the washer’s built-in AI technology pick the best cycle options.

Wear clothes more than once, if possible. We’ve talked about the laundry chair before—you know, that place where clothes go when they’re too dirty for the closet, but clean enough for just one wearing. To extend the time between washes (for real), hang your clothes to air out between wearings, or use your dryer’s “steam refresh” setting to remove odors and wrinkles.

Conserve water when hand-washing. Much like doing the dishes by hand, washing clothes by hand can use a surprising amount of water. Make use of your machine’s delicate cycle or, if you have a compatible LG washer, add a compact SideKick pedestal to your laundry system to handle delicates and tiny loads.

Choose your washer wisely. Generally speaking, an energy efficient front load washer uses about a third less water than a traditional top load model, thanks to simple physics. As the drum gently turns, gravity pulls your clothes through the water to extract soil and dirt.

If you prefer top load, don’t worry—you can still think green. Look for high-efficiency, ENERGY STAR® rated models, like the sleek and stylish LG top load washer above. Rather than central agitator that uses more energy and can damage your fabrics, these washers use an impeller to swirl and swish your clothes through the detergent/water solution for a cleaner clean.

Cut Food Waste
Did you know that nearly 2.2 million tonnes of edible food is wasted in Canada each year? In addition to being a costly problem, food waste has substantial environmental impacts whan it hits the landfill—not to mention the wasted resources that went into growing and transporting it.

As soon as you find yourself throwing out food due to spoilage on a weekly basis, it’s time to make some changes and an easy place to start is with your meal planning. Let’s begin with a simple pledge. Repeat after us, “I will not enter a grocery store without a list.”

By spending just a few minutes a week to plan your meals, you can greatly reduce the number of times items are wasted because you either didn’t get around to finding a use for them, you bought more than you needed, or you simply forgot you had something on hand.

Your fridge can play a big role in this part of the process if you keep it well organized and remember to “shop” it as you make your list. To make your job easier, the Whirlpool French door fridge above has purposefully-designed storage zones, adjustable shelves and crystal clear bins that make it easy to see just what you’re working with.

Other handy features that can help you reduce food waste are spill-proof shelves to keep messy accidents from ruining or contaminating foods below, “fast cool” settings that allow you to quickly chill the ridge when new items are added, and flexible, temperature-controlled drawers that keep meats, cheeses, and large items such as party trays at their appetizing best, like in the spacious 25.2 cubic foot model, also by Whirlpool, above.

The right refrigerator can also help you reduce the number of trips to the grocery store, reducing your carbon footprint and food costs. KitchenAid’s Preserva™ Food Care System, found in the side-by-side model above, uses three different systems that work together to create ideal conditions inside the fridge for fresh food preservation, along with dedicated, humidity controlled produce drawers. The result is fruits and vegetables that stay fresher longer, allowing you to stock up and shop less frequently.

 

Are you ready to make some greener choices? Shop our sustainable products collection now to find energy efficient appliances, eco-concious mattresses, and stylish furniture made with sustainably-sourced materials.