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When I recently moved and needed a new mattress, I originally considered one made from memory foam. Then I realized that I didn’t know exactly what “memory foam” was even made of. Some mattresses use fiberglass as a flame retardant. Some others include PFAS “forever chemicals,” plasticizers, or other chemicals linked to health issues, like formaldehyde. What’s inside a mattress, it turns out, takes a fair amount of research to determine. Recently, a handful of brands now make cleaner options. But building a better mattress can be complicatedand expensive. The materials you may want to avoid When fiberglass is used as a flame retardant, the material can spill out when someone removes their mattress cover or if the cover is torn. The tiny glass fibers can break and settle into dust. If you breathe it in, it can irritate your lungs. It’s often present even when a mattress says that it’s “nontoxic.” In California, a new law will ban fiberglass in mattresses beginning in 2027. Still, if you buy a mattress now, theres a chance that it will have the material in it. Fiberglass was supposed to be a replacement for older chemical flame retardants that were commonly used in other furniture and caused other health problems, from endocrine disruption to neurodevelopmental toxicity. After regulations changed, manufacturers started phasing out most chemical flame retardants. But they still might show up in some mattresses, too. In a recent study in Canada that analyzed cheap memory foam mattresses made for children, researchers discovered flame retardants in almost every sample. In one case, a mattress contained a chemical that had been banned in Canada for more than a decade. The mattresses also contained other chemicals of concern, like plasticizers. Using the mattress can make the problem worse. What’s happening is that the body is heating up the mattress, and the chemical comes out more when you heat it up, says Miriam Diamond, a professor at the University of Toronto and one of the authors of the study. The study didnt look for PFAS, the forever chemicals known for use in products like nonstick pans. But PFAS chemicals are also commonly used in fabric on mattresses. I remember when I purchased my last mattress, they said, We’re going to sell you this breathable, water-repellent, stain-resistant mattress protector, and you need to buy it in order to get the warranty, says Diamond. And I thought, no, because those are the code words for PFAS: breathable, stain resistance. In some cases, brands might not even know whats in the product theyre selling. The researchers were surprised to find flame retardants, and speculated that some might be showing up unintentionally because the equipment used to make foam was contaminated from other uses. Foam used in car upholstery, for example, still requires flame retardants, and could sometimes end up on mattress foam by mistake. Mattresses also sometimes contain formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, in adhesives or bonding agents. Memory foam can emit other volatile organic compounds, including toluene, benzene, and acetaldehyde. If youve ever unrolled a bed-in-a-box style foam mattress, youve probably inhaled some of these chemicals. The health impacts are greatest for children and pregnant women; it’s less clear how much long-term impact there might be for most adults. There’s little direct research. (There’s also no equivalent of the children’s mattress study, yet, for mattresses made for adults.) But there’s also a long list of environmental reasons to avoid foam, beginning with the fact that foam is made from petrochemicals derived from crude oil. Workers in factories that make foam can have an increased risk of cancer. At the end of a foam mattress’s life, it typically isn’t recycled. At a landfill, it breaks down into microplastics that can contaminate soil and water. A better mattress With all of this in mind, I looked for alternatives. Some are much pricier than others. (If you have tens of thousands of dollars to drop on a mattress, you can buy a handmade Swedish option made from horsehair, cotton, wool, and traditional springs for $34,000.) But there are several other brands now making more sustainable options, including Avocado Green, Savvy Rest, and Naturepedic. I decided to try a wool-and-latex mattress from Birch (currently $1,968), a brand that spun off from Helix, a popular decade-old mattress brand, because it had particularly good reviews for comfort. Birch sent me a sample to test. The mattress has a layer of individually wrapped coils, two different layers of latex, a layer of wool (wool is naturally fire-resistant), and a cotton cover. The design took time to develop. “Most beds in the industry are made from polyurethane foam that have a variety of different thicknesses and densities and firmness levels where you can mix and match certain things and to kind of get to a really great bed,” says Jerry Lin, one of Helix’s cofounders. “Those options aren’t as available in the natural and organic world. So honestly, it took a very long time for us to find the right mix of latex and organic wool and cotton to layer up a mattress that would be appropriate for the customer and the brand that we were serving.” The wool, for example, comes from a supplier with machinery that made the wool “a little more bouncy,” he says, with more airflow than wool would typically have. The company similarly had to find the right suppliers for each component. The latex is certified by GOLS, the Global Organic Latex Standard, as being made from organic, raw material and meeting standards for worker health and safety. It’s also certified by Greenguard Gold, a label that screens for more than 15,000 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can pollute indoor air. When I unrolled the mattress from the box, there was no chemical smelljust a faintly sweet scent that seemed to come from the wool before it faded. Over the months that I’ve been testing it, it’s held up well; the mattress also has a 25-year warranty. It’s also very comfortable when I’m lying on my back. But as a side sleeper, it isn’t exactly the right fit for me. (That’s not to say it might not work for other side sleepers, but it’s a little more firm than I’d like, and I’ve been waking up with a sore shoulder.) That’s the final environmental challenge: the brand is primarily online, though it’s growing its partnerships with physical stores. Like many consumers, I couldn’t try it out in person first. When I find a new mattress, I’ll likely have to ship another very heavy package across the country. And when I donate this one, I’ll have to hope that it doesn’t eventually end up in a landfill.
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E-Commerce
When I worked as a corporate consultant, I had access to all sorts of enterprise software packages that wouldve been cost-prohibitive to most people, but that didnt stop me from trying out free programs. Especially if it meant I could dabble in someone elses area of expertise without getting permission for a software seat license. If youre an armchair urbanist or moonlight as a community activist, you know how important it is to maximize your impact with limited time. Ive been there, Im still there, and I can help. Theres a treasure trove of free web tools online related to urbanism. I dont know of anyone using all of these all the time, but I use some of these every week. Use these resources to demonstrate expertise in your amateurbanism work. Amateurbanism is not a dig at people who arent working professionally in planning, design, or engineering. As someone who gets paid to plan and implement great street networks for all ages and abilities, I want amateur urbanists to be equipped for conversations and presentations about creating happy, healthy communities. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"","headline":"Urbanism Speakeasy","description":"Join Andy Boenau as he explores ideas that the infrastructure status quo would rather keep quiet. To learn more, visit urbanismspeakeasy.com.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.urbanismspeakeasy.com\/","colorTheme":"blue","redirectUrl":""}} Google Maps Many earthlings have used Google products, and the satellite views and street views are great ways to ground a conversation about project sites and travel routes. I find that a lot of people dont realize Google Maps has drawing tools, so you can illustrate proposed locations for community gardens, protected bike lanes, festival street closure areas, etc. This is ideal for location-based projects. Google Earth Google Earth brings in the 3D visualization of terrain and buildings. You can model things like where a new playground structure could fit in a park, granny flat additions in backyards, or simulate the changes brought by a proposed rezoning. The measurements also help with space planning. OpenStreetMap Anyone can add overlooked details like accessibility obstacles, safety concerns, parking availability, EV charging infrastructure, and much more to OpenStreetMap. This is a great tool to engage your email list, organization members, or friends. Your team can generate maps that reflect your knowledge and pro-community bias. Envision Tomorrow This is a scenario planning tool funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It models the impacts of growth and development scenarios on factors like land consumption, transportation habits, greenhouse gases, and affordability. If youre comfortable with Google Maps, youll be fine here. You might use Envision Tomorrow to analyze or critique a zoning ordinance, downtown revitalization plan, or transportation plan. Walk Score Youve probably heard of the site that evaluates neighborhood walkability based on proximity to everyday destinations. (They also include bike and transit scores.) This helps assess site accessibility when reviewing development proposals to advocate for community needs like locating affordable housing near transit. But its also a great conversation starter at a county or city level. Realtors love this reference and so should you. Streetmix Streetmix is collaborative street design between residents and city planners. You can model traffic-calming measures, sidewalk expansions, and storefront space. If its a great neighborhood street idea, its designable in Streetmix. highway lighting versus pedestrian lighting sharrows versus bike lanes multiuse paths versus sidewalkbike lane combos right-sized vehicle lanes versus deadly-sized vehicle lanes I cant overhype Streetmix. They make it shockingly simple to expose the silliness of Departments of Transportation (DOTs) while inspiring alternatives to the same old junk infrastructure. Canva Canva turns you into a professional designer. Their templates, graphics, and text options are more than youll ever need for slide decks, reports, social media content, and memes. Use Canva for outreach campaigns, events, ideas, and causes. In fact, stop reading this post, open Canva, and make something. SketchUp SketchUp is a powerful 3D modeling tool, but does have a learning curve. Ive seen it used for park proposals and streetscape ideas for public meetings. But my favorite is when developers use it to illustrate the not-too-scay density of commercial buildings and multifamily housing. UrbanSim If youre comfortable with GitHub and coding, then UrbanSim might be a playground for you. The models begin with detailed data about a region, and then estimate and validate interconnected model components. Public agencies and consultants use this to model how land use policies and transportation changes could impact housing affordability, environmental sustainability, traffic patterns over time, and more. The core platform is open source. Its a higher learning curve, but I thought it was worth including. All right, go out there and digitize your urbanism ideas. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"","headline":"Urbanism Speakeasy","description":"Join Andy Boenau as he explores ideas that the infrastructure status quo would rather keep quiet. To learn more, visit urbanismspeakeasy.com.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.urbanismspeakeasy.com\/","colorTheme":"blue","redirectUrl":""}}
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E-Commerce
In 2025, if youre still relying on spreadsheets and sheer willpower to manage your budgetwhat are you doing? Tightening the purse strings is now in vogue as concerns about tariffs, inflation, job security and market volatility prompt many to pare back their spending, increase their savings, and, naturally, post about it on social media. These days, if youve trained your algorithm well enough, a cursory scroll should be enough to curb any lingering shopping impulses. In 2024, loud budgeting encouraged people to be unapologetically vocal about their financial goals. Earlier this year, everyone started revenge saving, a counter to the revenge spending that took off post-pandemic. No Buy July, is the latest, catchier, iteration of the no-spend challenges that have been around for years. The idea is simple: use the money youd spend on takeaway coffee and other small indulgences to pay down debt, build up savings, or reach some other financial goal. Bonus points if you post about it on social media for added accountability. If youre truly masochistic, one creator recently went viral for sharing another controversial budgeting technique. Recording myself saying things I wanna impulse buy instead of buying them, read the videos closed captions. The goal? To save money and make me hate myself. This one is yet to catch on. Theres a reason so many people are turning to saving challenges to hold each other accountable right now. Saving money is challenging at the best of times. For some, its easier to say Im doing No Buy July than I cant afford that coffee right now. The trends aren’t all talk. The U.S. personal saving ratethe percentage of disposable income saved after taxes and spendinghas risen to 4.5% in May, according to Bureau of Economic Analysis data. That is slightly down from 4.9% in April, but up significantly from 3.5% in December. The uptick coincides with growing anxiety, with a recent Santander Bank survey reporting 40% of Americans are more worried about emergency savings than at the start of the year, with 50% concerned about a recession and 53% about inflation. At the same time, the average length of unemployment is now over five months, one month longer than it was last year . The popularity of these saving challenges isnt simply a case of people jumping on the latest trend. It reflects many Americans economic reality. The Consumer Price Index has shot up by 24% since 2020. Moreover, prices don’t look like they’ll drop anytime soon. As President Trump barrels toward his latest tariff deadline, the overall U.S. tariff level is now the highest its been since the 1930s and while prices have been largely stable, they are projected to increase. In this economy, if a viral saving challenge keeps you on track with your financial goals, in for a penny in for a pound.
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E-Commerce
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