There is no one way to go green in the bedroom or anywhere else, but here are a few tips to get you started. Check out the links at the end of this article for more green bedroom resources.

Choose Forest Stewardship Council certified or reclaimed wood.

For wood furniture, look for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood. For wood flooring, look for FSC or reclaimed wood.

FSC certifies logging operations that are managed in a socially and environmentally sound fashion. It is the only forest certification system in the world broadly recognized by non-governmental organizations like Greenpeace. To search for FSC certified products, click here.

While FSC certification generally applies to newly logged wood, the Rainforest Alliance's SmartWood program has developed a label for reclaimed wood called Rediscovered Wood. This certification system monitors the process used to recover, recycle and reuse wood according to social and environmental criteria including cultural considerations and worker safety.

Avoid wall-to-wall carpeting, which can suck up dust and toxins.

Go carpet-free or opt, instead, for carpets made from wool, cotton (preferably organic), jute, sisal and hemp. Make sure to pay attention to underpads and carpet-backings as well. Always ask suppliers what kind of chemical treatments have been applied to carpets. You can also consider modular carpets that let you build your carpet square by square. That way, you only need to replace the specific sections that are worn down or stained.

The 'Rugmark' symbol, founded in Germany, was designed to certify that carpets produced in India, Pakistan and Nepal are woven without the use of child labour. Although some criticism has been levelled against the Rugmark label—including the fact that it fails to address some of the roots causes of child labour—it has been generally credited with helping to reduce the use of child labour in some areas.

For help choosing carpeting and other flooring, visit the federal government's 'Environmental Choice' website.

Choose compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Replace old-fashioned incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), which use 75 percent less energy and last ten time longer. A typical seventy-five watt incandescent bulb can be replaced by a twenty watt CFL.

Take some simple precautions when using CFLs. Don't use them in closed fixtures. Do not use with dimmers—this creates a fire hazard. (There are some new CFLs available that can be used on dimmers, but they are hard to find. This must be stated on the package.) Check the packages for safety warnings and compatibility with different fixtures. At the end of their operating lives, CFLs should be disposed of properly as they contain mercury. To find out how to safely dispose of CFLs, contact your municipality.

For more information on CFLs from Natural Resources Canada, click here.

Avoid PVC.

Avoid flooring, blinds, furniture and accessories made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a uniquely bad plastic that is high in chlorine content and acts as a environmental poison during its entire lifecycle.

Choose low- or no-VOC paint.

You know that fresh paint smell? Well, it's a bad thing. It's produced when the toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) used as solvents in many paints, paint strippers, glues and varnishes off-gas into the air.

The good news: there are alternatives. First: avoid solvent-based paints. That leaves you with several options. The first is water-based, latex paint. Opt for latex paints labelled low-VOC or, ideally, no-VOC (VOC content is often listed on the label as grams per litre). You next option: paints made from natural ingredients like old-fashioned milk paints.

Remember—even natural paints can emit VOCs. No matter what kind of paint you're using, after you paint, ventilate the room for a few days before using it again.

For help choosing low-VOC paint, visit the federal government's 'Environmental Choice' website.

Green bedroom links:

For green bedroom tips from the 'Green Guide', click here and here.
For the Greenpeace guide to environmentally-friendly sex, click here.

(Please note, Greenpeace Canada cannot verify the accuracy of information found on external links and does not endorse any of the products mentioned).