Last fall, when I moved into a bigger apartment, I sold my old stuff to a friend and applied the proceeds to an eco-friendly bedroom upgrade--on a budget. While I couldn't afford to go all-organic, I did find some ways to sleep more lightly on the planet. Following are my greener, if not greenest, choices--along with some items I've put on my wish list for my next eco upgrade.

Mattresses

Conventional mattresses are often made of petroleum-based polyester, nylon and polyurethane (PU) foam that, especially when new, may give off harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with upper respiratory problems. Some mattresses are also pretreated with formaldehyde-emitting stain- and water-repellants whose manufacture releases perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a likely human carcinogen according to an EPA advisory panel.

On the up side, there's been a phaseout of the most worrisome fire retardants in the class of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), linked to developmental harm in animal studies and found in high levels in American women's breast milk. "The companies are telling us, unilaterally, they are not making penta [BDE] and octa [BDE], and to the best of my knowledge, they aren't," says Carol Kraege, P.E., persistent bioaccumulative toxins manager at the Washington State Department of Ecology.

A new U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission standard, effective July 1, 2007, requires that mattresses resist ignition when exposed to open flames, in addition to lit cigarettes. "I am unaware of any mattress producer that is using any type of flame-retardant foam to meet the new standard," says Ryan Trainer, executive vice president of the International Sleep Products Association, a non-profit industry group. Instead, "they are using a variety of barrier materials...made from synthetic and natural fibers," he adds. Unfortunately, conventional mattress companies called by The Green Guide would not reveal the exact composition of these fiber barriers, claiming trade secrets. This raises concerns. For instance, melamine, one less-toxic material used for fire retardancy, may be mixed in mattresses with a chemical that emits formaldehyde during its application, according to the Leopold Center for Sustainable Development in Massachusetts.

PRODUCT CHOICES

Greener

Ikea's affordable $159-and-up mattresses contain alternative flame retardants that, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, haven't raised significant consumer health or environmental concerns. But I settled on a conventional Sealy Posturepedic full mattress/ box-spring set (about $399), which is free of Teflon stain- and water-resistant treatment and uses the new fiber-based flame-retardant barriers. I also chose a coilspring mattress, which contains less PU foam. To further reduce my exposures to VOCs, I'm saving up to buy an organic-cotton mattress encasement, which will also block allergenic dust mites (see Resources).

Greenest

A Natural Home's "Simply Affordable" furniture line includes twin- and full-sized organic cotton and organic wool mattresses ($450 and $500, respectively). Savvy Rest has two styles of natural latex mattresses (with organic wool quilting and organic cotton casing) that, starting at $1,049, cost less than most made with these materials.

Bed Frames

For my bed frame I chose metal, which resists bed bugs--a growing problem in New York City. When it comes to wood, the most verifiably green products are those that bear the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label, such as If Green's Sleigh Bed (from $1490) and Tamalpais's Eco-Styler bed kit. The latter includes unfinished wood and hardware for twin through king beds from $400 (some assembly required). Choose solid wood wherever possible, as glues that bind plywood and particleboard cores can emit formaldehyde and other VOCs.

The following, more affordable frames aren't FSC-certified, but the companies assured us that the wood is responsibly harvested from well-managed forests. A Natural Home says that their bed frame is made from locally sourced, non-clear-cut solid oak and finished in tung oil, which is petroleumfree and made from nuts. If you buy one of their mattresses, they'll knock $100 off the $525 frame price. The Bedworks of Maine makes a solid North American ash hardwood Freeport frame with low-VOC finish ($230/twin). Also check out the Pecos Lite Bamboo Platform Bed with a tung oil finish from Abundant Earth ($221.95).