Heveya® Journal
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Here’s a shocking statistic: Climate change is predicted to cause about 250,000 deaths per year from 2030 to 2050. What’s more, the effects of this global phenomenon will become irreversible by 2030, according to the United Nations. Doing our part to save the planet and live a more sustainable life has never been more urgent.While sustainable living should be on everyone’s radar, it doesn’t mean you have to become a radical tree-hugger and upend your life completely, of course. There are plenty of simple practices that you can adopt, right from the comfort of your home, which is where most of us are spending the majority of our time with the pandemic still not backing down. Here are three ways to promote sustainable living at home.
1. Use mattresses made of sustainable materials
The bed is where you start and end your day. It’s either treated as the most sacred spot in the house, or taken for granted and placed at the back of your mind. If it’s the latter that you resonate with, it’s time to pull it to the forefront. Perhaps you’re thinking, what does sleeping have to do with sustainable living? The answer: everything. According to research by the National Bed Federation, only a meagre 19% of mattresses get recycled in the UK. And the main reason for that is, they’re one of the hardest items to recycle. The lack of facilities contributes to the problem too, with the US having only 56 facilities to recycle the more than 18 million mattresses that are thrown away each year. To avoid further clogging up the landfill, opt for more eco-friendly options such as Heveya®’s organic mattresses and bedding products. Since its inception, Heveya® has been part of the global fight against climate change. Designed with sustainability in mind, every mattress is made entirely out of natural latex, made from the sap of rubber trees. This means they’re recyclable and biodegradable. You can even give them a second life by shredding them and upcycling them into sound panels or seat cushions.Going beyond the product itself, the process of production is made to be environmentally friendly as well. The plantation Heveya® works with, in particular, is carbon-neutral and Fair Choice certified. What’s more, Heveya® has partnered with Replant Corp to plant 12,000 trees in a year in the rainforest of Borneo, one of the world’s most important lungs. With Heveya®, you can save the world while you sleep.
2. Use less energy at home
It’s no question that people have been spending more time at home, since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak. You might be reading this article on your sofa, still unable to leave the house too often. Despite the situation, it doesn’t mean you have to resign to the fate of higher energy consumption and even higher utility bills. Here is a basic checklist of what you can do to live more sustainably:
Turn off the lights when you leave the room. In certain conditions, you might not even need to turn on your lights in the first place, when you’ve got natural light pouring in from your windows during the day.
Try to avoid relying on air-conditioning. We may be living near the Equator, but it’s no reason to blast the AC all day long. If you must, keep it to a single room and remember to keep the doors and windows closed so you’re not wasting extra energy. Another option is to use a fan instead. If you’re more committed to the sustainable life, try cracking open the windows and let the natural air outside cool you down.
Don’t forget about your computer. Never leave your computer, or any device including your printer and scanner, running 24/7. Even when it’s in sleep mode, your computer is consuming power. According to CNET Labs, an idle desktop uses about 100 watts, whereas a busy one uses 145 watts, which isn’t that great of a difference.
3. Aim for zero waste
This includes both food and material waste. Switch to eco-friendly alternatives and eliminate single-use products such as plastic bags, plastic bottles, disposable utensils – everything responsible for polluting our oceans and killing the wildlife that our planet needs to survive. Bring sustainable living to the next level by striving for zero food waste too. Well, this might be a bit of a stretch, but at the very least, you should be rethinking your leftovers. Instead of binning food left, right and centre, look for recipes that allow you to maximise every ingredient. This is an opportunity for you to use your imagination and flex your culinary skills. The rest can be composted. To go even further, why not try growing your own fruits and herbs? Your homegrown food, unlike those at the supermarket, won’t come with plastic packaging – a huge plus for the environment and your pocket. You can also be sure that your food is pesticide-free. Here’s another not-so-fun fact: To transport produce to the supermarket, a ton of fossil fuels has to be used. Growing your own produce prevents that from happening. If you don’t see yourself becoming a part-time urban farmer, don’t fret. You can still champion the values of sustainable, eco-friendly living by bringing your own reusable bag - like the Heveya® bag that you’ll receive when you buy our sheets and pillows - to the grocery store.
Live your life to the greenest
They say if you want to make an impact on the world, you should start with your local community. We say, why not start with your own home first, where you can effect change in the easiest, most direct way? Baby steps will eventually lead to giant strides. Strive for sustainable living at home with these tips, and give our planet another shot to thrive.
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From organic latex mattresses and pillows to slatted bed bases and reclaimed teak wooden frames, the focus at Heveya® is always on quality and sustainability. As we truly know the right ingredients for an eco-conscious great night’s sleep, we decided to add Organic Bamboo Lyocell bedsheets to our range. Our Heveya® bamboo sheets are not only softer and more breathable compared to cotton but they are also more eco-friendly! Read up below why we choose to only use Organic Bamboo Lyocell for our Heveya® sheets.
Why bamboo as raw material for bedsheets
Unlike cotton, bamboo is a grass. In other words, like a weed, it’s self-sustainable: flourishing and multiplying on its own with close to no artificial aid. Because no insecticides, pesticides or fertilisers are used, it’s safe to say that bamboo is naturally organic! Bamboo fields require ⅓ the amount of water than its cotton counterparts, need no human intervention to replant and most amazingly - grow rapidly. A newly-planted bamboo shoot is ready to harvest in as little as 3-4 years. Apart from that, bamboo plantations improve soil quality and prevent soil erosion as well. What’s worthy to note as well, is that bamboo absorbs 5 times more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and produces 35% more oxygen than trees of similar genesis. All in all, bamboo is naturally organic, replenishable and more eco-friendly for the environment compared to cotton!
The process by which bamboo fibres are made
Given that hard bamboo wood is not exactly super-soft, there are different ways of creating bamboo fibre from the woody bamboo tree: the traditional process of viscose or rayon, a newer closed-loop system to create bamboo lyocell and a labour-intensive process for bamboo linen.
Bamboo Viscose/Rayon The chemical extraction process to create Bamboo viscose or rayon is detrimental to the environment since it uses harmful chemicals (sulphuric acid, sodium hydroxide, zinc sulphate and chlorinated bleach) to breakdown bamboo cellulose and converts it to bamboo fibre; known as viscose or rayon. While this procedure, unlike common misconception, doesn’t leave chemical residue in the bamboo fibres themselves, it does heavily strain the environment by dumping harmful chemicals into landfills.
Bamboo Lyocell The process of creating Bamboo lyocell, the more eco-friendly way of producing Bamboo regenerated fibres and Heveya®’s choice is, on the other hand, non-hazardous as fewer chemicals are used which are never released into the soil as a by-product. The closed-loop manufacturing process means that the solution used to make bamboo fibres out of the bamboo pulp is 99% recaptured and reused. This type of closed-loop manufacturing process creates lyocell - the most cost-effective and eco-friendly bamboo fibre in the market today and the choice of material for our Heveya® Organic Bamboo Lyocell sheets, fully in line with Heveya®'s focus of providing its branches with the most natural way to sleep! Our manufacturing partner only used Bamboo from WRAP-certified as well, providing an ethical working place for its workers.
Bamboo Linen The third and less popular process to create fibres from the bamboo pulp is the same as the labour-intensive manufacturing process to create (french) linen sheets. Not only are these sheets not as luxuriously soft as bamboo lyocell, but they also need more care and need to be ironed more frequently compared to the other bamboo sheets variants.
Why 100% lyocell Heveya® bedsheets are superior
Luxuriously Soft Bamboo lyocell sheets come with amazing properties that are not found in other bedsheets materials. For starters, bamboo lyocell has a unique silky smooth and soft feathery texture that is similar to silk, but not as shiny or slippery. Against exotic Egyptian cotton and French linen, our Heveya® bamboo sheets fare as well, if not better when it comes to softness. The fibres are comparable to Cotton’s 1000 Thread Count at a fraction of the price.
Naturally Hypoallergenic and Cooling Another great asset to bamboo is that it provides fibres that are naturally hypoallergenic and antimicrobial. Heveya® bamboo sheets are also Oekotex Class 1 certified, meaning its suitable even for babies. Its amazing breathability makes sure that perspiration evaporates quickly into the air and naturally wicks away moisture, to keep you dry all night. Because of the fact that perspiration and odour don’t stick on the sheets, bacteria doesn’t linger on its surface. Moreover, Heveya® lyocell sheets are breathable and temperature regulating, meaning they’ll cool you down in our hot climate and keep you cosy-warm when the aircon cool air is blasting on you all night.
Easy Maintenance A common misconception about Bamboo sheets is that they require a lot of care. Unlike its silk counterparts, bamboo is very easy to take care of. We recommend a cold-wash on a gentle cycle without any bleach or softeners (safer for the planet!). Minimal ironing is required as well since wrinkles phase out after one night’s sleep. What more can you wish for?
Conclusion
Made with 100% organic bamboo lyocell, Heveya® bedsheets feel luxuriously soft, breathable, hypoallergenic, antimicrobial and temperature regulating in hot and humid Singapore. Not to mention they’re an excellent eco-friendly choice (sustainable & water-saving) as well, so you’ve got a clear conscience to enjoy a great night’s sleep on your new sheets! Make sure to check out the collection here.
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Pillows are among the key requirements for a good night’s sleep. Without the right pillow, you get less rest and can even suffer from neck and back pain due to lack of support. In that sense, investing in a good pillow is an investment in your health!
This is why it’s so important to choose a good pillow. It’s equally important to understand that one-size-fits-all doesn’t apply here. Different people have different preferences and sleeping habits, so there will be variations in the ideal pillows for them.
Fortunately, there are ways to figure out what kind of pillow you should get. Here, we’ll give you a quick guide to seeking out a pillow that can get you through an uninterrupted night’s sleep.
What kind of sleeper are you?
You should first assess what kind of sleeper you are. Do you sleep on your side? On your belly? Or do you lie down on your back? Or a combination of them all? Whichever it is, it determines what kind of pillows you should get. That’s because the way you sleep tells you what sort of support your neck and spine require when you’re in bed.
Back sleepers should get thin pillows that won’t throw their head forward. That’s because having their heads thrown forward puts stress on their necks.
Side sleepers should opt for a high pillow, on the other hand. That can help keep their neck and spine aligned while providing good support. The width of your shoulders will also affect the ideal thickness of your pillow. This is because the pillow fills the space between the neck and the shoulder for a side sleeper. Thus, a person with wide shoulders will need a thicker pillow than someone with narrow shoulders. After all, there will be more space between the first person’s neck and shoulder.
As for front sleepers (those who sleep on their bellies), they should get a flat pillow. This is to make sleeping comfortable for them and avoid misalignment of the neck and spine by pushing the head backwards.
That said, the best way to find a pillow is really to try them in a showroom. This will let vendors assess if you like to toss and turn. Usually, they will take that information as well as the position in which you fell asleep as a gauge. From there, they can suggest a suitable pillow for you.
What kind of material should it be?
Now, aside from pillow shape and firmness, you have to think about the pillow’s material as well. There are different materials used in pillows, with different pros and cons. You have to think about your needs, such as if you’re allergic to certain materials, if your skin is sensitive, if the material is washable, and so on.
Here are the main types of pillows based on material:
Microfiber Pillows It’s the cheapest choice around, washable, and can come in different sizes. However, microfiber pillows don’t last very long, aren’t too breathable, and wear out easily.
Down/Feather Pillow A classic choice, feather pillows can be moulded to suit your neck. However, the maintenance of these pillows can be quite difficult. They need professional cleaning and can get flattened easily, so they may be a bad choice for those who prefer firmer pillows.
Kapok Pillows A vegan alternative of a down pillow, kapok is soft and free from toxic materials. However, it can’t hold its shape and is highly flammable. Its fine fibre also can trigger allergies for those who have sensitive airways.
Memory Foam Pillows One of the newer options, memory foam can mould into a person’s neck and back to help with support and sleep quality. However, this foam is not ideal in hot climates due to it being dense and heat-retentive.
Latex Pillows Natural latex is often confused with memory foam. That’s because both contour to the shape of the head and neck. However, natural latex is chemical-free and can be told apart easily from the way they “rebound” after use. Natural latex pillows are bouncy, whereas memory foam ones do a slow release.
Natural latex pillows are an ideal pillow type. Hypoallergenic and breathable, they offer ample support and are durable. As long as you’re willing to pay a good sum, a natural latex pillow is a wise investment for your sleeping.
An example of a great latex pillow is the Heveya® pillow, made of 100% natural organic latex. With an open cell structure and pincore holes, it doesn’t retain heat and is breathable. What’s more, it repels dust mites naturally and has a mould resistant core, making it naturally hypoallergenic. It also comes with a removable bamboo cover for easy washing so you can always have a hygienic and healthy sleep.
Firmness and form preferences aren’t a problem either, as Heveya® pillows come in different firmness options and shapes and sizes. You can get it through our online shop, so take a look at them if you want the best when it comes to latex pillows. These latex pillows can help you sleep all night with no interruptions.
Get the best of sleep
Take note, however, that the pillow is only one part of what you need for restful sleep. It needs to go with the right mattress or you may still find yourself unable to relax in your bed. Putting the right pillow with one of those mattresses should help you sleep sweeter than ever before.
