The bedroom might not seem like a room that needs to be green, but there are ways you can both reduce your energy consumption and make the room a healthier and more environmentally friendly place to live.
Healthy wall paint: Repaint your walls with low/no-VOC paint. VOCs emit harmful gases into the air, impacting your health and environment—eliminating them is an effective step to greening your home.
Efficient lighting: Replace your standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), or better yet, light-emitting diode bulbs (LEDs). CFLs can use about 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs, but do contain minute amounts of mercury and require special clean-up in the event of breakage. LEDs are more costly (single bulb can cost as much as $30) than CFLs, but much more energy-efficient (as much as 80 percent).
Unplug it: Unplug chargers or other power adaptors when not in use, as they sap power when plugged in.
Go natural: Invest in items like natural-fill, untreated mattresses, organic cotton bedding, and natural-material pillows—they not only are better for the environment, but they also are healthier for you.