Denise Thornton's Profile

I think you are right on with your bed hypothesis. 24 years ago, my husband and I "graduated" from a mattress on the floor to a box springs/mattress combo. We got a mid-price model at Sears, and have been sleeping on it ever since. I don't think it's very great anymore, and we have decided to replace it when we build a small, green home in a few years. But what will we be willing to spend when push comes to shove?
I suspect a truly green bed will give us extreme sticker shock, and we will be weighing its expense against other costs of building.
It's going to be a tough choice.

I have drastically reduced my plastic use by getting one of those wooden dowel devices for drying plastic bags. Now I wash and reuse all the bags I have purchased as well as bags of food, like dried fruit that I buy in plastic and foil zip-lock bags. Those bags can be rewashed and reused just about endlessly.
A further health note: my husband is a chemist, and he says all plastic containers are constantly accumulating plasticizers on their surface as they leach out of the plastic. (this is why drinking water from plastic bottles can be unhealthy) but a bag that has just been washed has much less plasticizer accumulated on its surface.

That plastic bag drying rack has been a great investment and makes me feel very good every time I use it.