The cool eco-beds for dogs are made of hemp shells and filled with tiny resilient fibers made from recycled plastic water bottles, or other recycled materials. The combination of these materials make these beds breathable, comfy, washable, quick drying and, of course, green.
Hemp fibers (Image: Wiki) Hemp has been used industrially for centuries as building material, insulation, textiles, and food, and since now its green properties are so extolled, it is also used to make paper, biodegradable plastics, and biofuel. And now it’s being used to make dog beds, accessories, and attire, to replace nylon, poly-blends and even cotton as a preferred fabric. No pesticides are needed for growing, it is almost instantly replenished once picked, and grows in near drought conditions.
One of the neat things about hemp textiles is that they soften over time as they become stronger. I know it seems like it should be the reverse, but that’s why hemp is an ecologically superior fabric: it doesn’t wear out. It resists not only wear, but stains, and tearing.
Here are a few of my favorite dog beds that are cool as well as green:
Eco+ Hemp Oval Pet Bed
First, your basic natural hemp with recycled fiber, the Eco+ Hemp Oval Pet Bed, available in large (23in x 34in x 6in) and extra large (29in x 43in x 6in). The filling is made from recycled plastic bottles that have been shredded into an extremely fine-textured hypo-allergenic soft stuffing. The color and the feel of hemp is a lot like linen and it definitely shows like linen in this bed. The Eco+ is machine washable.
Striped Organic Hemp Dog Bed
These colorful hemp-covered beds come in rectangular and oval shapes and each color is a different size. The covers are pre-washed and pre-shrunk and they are machine washable. The
"green fiber" in these beds is also recycled from post-consumer plastic bottles. You can choose the shape, size, and color you like here.
Earthdog’s Hand-Dyed and Painted Hemp Dog Beds
You can take your choice of color, size, and pattern here. The Earthdog dog beds come in two washable parts: the cover, and the inner bag, made of 100 percent unbleached cotton stuffed with a mixture of recycled poly-cotton and scrap foam. Aren’t they gorgeous? Earthdog Hemp Dog Beds.
Though hemp is the greenest natural product found to date, the U.S. makes a big carbon footprint by importing it. Even though every other industrialized country grows hemp, and the U.S. is the largest importer of hemp, there is no industrial hemp grown in the U.S. Although several states have licences to grow hemp industrially, there are restraints by the federal government which, as yet, do not distinguish between hemp and cannabis, even though hemp is harvested before it grows into anything resembling a psycho-active substance. (Wikipedia)
That’s the buzz for today!
