How Green is Your Mattress? Q&A With Actress Amy Smart

The Environmental Media Association’s (EMA) new PSA video “A Life Less Toxic” is the beginning in a series on living a sustainable lifestyle. In the first episode, actress and environmental activist Amy Smart along with her eco husband Carter Oosterhouse (from HGTV’s Red Hot & Green) go to the mattresses at the Naturepedic factory in Ohio.

Founder Barry Cik was inspired to start the Naturepedic company during the impending birth of his first grandchild, when he was unsatisfied with the mattress choices in a baby store. They were comprised of vinyl and other toxic plastics; Barry wanted something safer for his family.

What makes a mattress green? Why should we care about sleeping on one? Amy, Carter and Barry answer these questions and more in this short video.

Q&A with Amy Smart

Amy Smart’s interest in the environment extends back to her childhood, from her high school days volunteering for Heal the Bay to her active Board member position with the Environmental Media Association to her recent effort in helping Los Angeles ban plastic bags. Below, she answers a few of my questions regarding green mattresses and raising eco-conscious kids.

Eco-Mothering: What was the most surprising thing you learned on your visit to the Naturepedic factory?

Amy: The most surprising and really amazing thing I learned about the Naturepedic factory is the fact that each bed is designed with the help of pediatricians, orthopedic specialists, chemists and engineers. The beds! That really speaks volumes about the quality of these mattresses. And, that everything is individually handmade by Amish craftsmen. The factory is located right next to this incredible Amish community and the beautiful families work at Naturepedic utilizing their very special talents. The care that goes into making each bed is astounding.

And Barry was so passionate about his mattresses that getting to actually see how they were made after hearing the story was definitely an eye opening experience. It was fascinating to see how the mattresses get made and to touch the organic cotton before it’s transformed. It’s so reassuring to know that I can sleep soundly without surrounding myself with toxins!

Eco-Mothering: Outside the bedroom, what steps do you take in your personal life toward living a life less toxic?

Amy: I have been involved with the Environmental Media Association for over 14 years now and I love to get out in nature. Gardening is something close to my heart and I work with EMA on 16 edible school gardens around LA. I hope that my work can help inspire people from a young age to look at how they can grow their own organic food in a sustainable and green way.

Eco-Mothering: You’ve said that you were inspired by nature at an early age, and you remain very active in environmental organizations as an adult. How can we inspire more kids to become stewards of the earth?

Amy: The key is to make being outside and in nature fun for kids. There is something so gratifying about planting something and then watching it grow. Taking kids outdoors whether in a garden or learning about the ocean but having them learn and giving them a real hands on experience that can allow them to both have fun and experience and learn at the same time.

 

This post is shared at Natural Family Friday.