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This article is written in partnership with Leesa. They’re dedicated to marrying innovation with responsibility, for a mattress purchase you can feel good about—we’re honored to work with them. ~ ed.

Got two Leesa mattresses recently.

Things are meaningful. Things we put in our home sweet homes have to do with ethical choices (or lack thereof), and they manifest. They are not symbols, merely, they are real.

My fiancé, Kelsey,  and I are in love. Love isn’t all romance and buttercups, though it is that too—it’s working communication wrinkles out, it’s delight in replies, it’s picking up her hat and red Willa book when we’re buttoning up her child on the way to daycare for him and a cafe for work for us.

Merging homes—Kelsey has moved in with me and Leo (her darling little blond son) is with us regularly too, of course—means creating a safe, fun, wholesome, eco, stable situation. And that includes our bedrooms, most fundamentally, where we go for half of each day.

Most mattresses are…soft, firm, but…toxic. Most mattresses are trash even when they’re brand new.

It’s important to me to be able to sleep on something that’s both thoughtfully designed—a good mattress—and eco built, so that I’m sticking my face 8 hours a day in something healthy, not toxic. And so that, when, in many years, I move or retire said mattress, it doesn’t harm our planet, the planet we all depend on for our health.

These two mattresses we now have—one for little Leo, one for us in an alcove in the gable on top of my 1904 Victorian home—are themselves the beginnings of our lives together.

Elephant’s reviewed many eco mattresses over the years, and most aren’t eco. Shipping, wrapped in plastic, toxic plastic foam and plastic covering, then landfill.

Mattresses are generally an awful product, if we care about our children, health, or future generations in a world beset by waste, pollution, and climate crisis.

But we need ’em. We need a comfortable sleep, and a place to be cozy, romantic, happy, and rest-full. Sleep isn’t merely a pause from daily life; it’s a vital component of our well-being. “A restful night in a safe environment fuels creativity, productivity, and performance in both personal and professional spheres,” say the good humans at Leesa.

Create a place and space to be cozy, romantic, happy, and restful. >>

Leesa appears to be one of the best: GREENGUARD Gold certified with CertiPUR-US certified foams. Certification matters—this isn’t just greenwashing, marketing, empty words covering up for a toxic product.

“Proven by independent accrediting testing labs to be made without any harmful chemicals including ozone depleters, PBDE flame retardants, mercury, lead, heavy metals, formaldehyde, and have extremely plow impact on indoor air quality.”  And no phthalates.

My West Elm edition Leesas are “made with 100% organic cotton cover (certified to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) to ensure a breathable, eco-conscious sleep environment) and Pure New Zealand Joma Wool Top (naturally moisture wicking, odor-resistant, and bacteria-resistant). Includes layers of memory foam and 1.5″ 100% Talalay Latex (touted as ‘Earth’s most perfect sleep material’. It is uniquely buoyant, breathable foam).”

Invest in a mattress that cares about your health and Community >>

I’m not sure about the sourcing of the wool, if it’s ethical, but GOTS is the gold standard and latex, wool, are generally far better than plastic, which is fossil fuels, toxic, which is climate crisis-fueling.

For hot sleepers, this is a good choice. I’m happy with the comfort—the mattresses are simultaneously comfy, cozy…and firm enough to be healthy and stable. Would love to see them eco shipped in twine, or some other natural material, instead of plastic…but other than that, this is as good as it gets.

“Don’t make perfect the enemy of the good,” as is often said…but, too, don’t just try to be “okay,” genuinely aim for eco-responsible, ethical.

Since 2015, Leesa has committed to making a positive impact on communities. They stand firm in the belief that everyone deserves the dignity of a safe and comfortable place to rest. It’s a fundamental right, not a luxury. For the unhoused and underprivileged, a mattress transcends its physical form to become a lifeline—a beacon of hope for a healthier, brighter tomorrow. One in five children in the United States live in poverty. They work with partners across the US to ensure that children & families in need have a safe place to sleep.That’s why they’ve donated over 40,000 mattresses to those in need, providing more than just beds—offering a foundation for a better future. Plus, their in-house manufacturing team owns the path to creating responsibly made mattresses, at a price within reach for the rest of us.

Sound sleep is also a powerful antidote to anxiety and depression, offering an oasis of peace during difficult times.

We all leave a footprint on the planet. That’s why Leesa promises for a better world by working hard to tread carefully, stop unnecessary waste, and support a community-minded economy while making the right choices and we think this is pretty darn applaudable.
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