How can compassionate, health-conscious people sleep better every night? PETA Business Friend Deborah DiMare, founder of DiMare Design, has a suggestion, and it might surprise you: buckwheat!

Buckwheat, you say? Oh, yes. Buckwheat isn’t just a delicious, high-protein snack packed with vitamins and minerals. It’s also a clever, cruelty-free option for filling pillows. Check out Deborah’s video to learn more about the ethical and health advantages of choosing a pillow filled with the hulls of this super-seed.

As Deborah points out, buckwheat pillows are fantastic for allergy sufferers, because they harbor fewer bacteria and dust mites than down pillows do. And unlike down pillows, they’re free from toxic chemicals.

Buckwheat pillows support a fabulous night’s sleep. The hulls circulate air easily, making a cool, soothing sleeping surface. They have a plush feel similar to beanbags that comfortably conforms to your head, and they can be customized to your preference by removing or adding more hulls.

Best of all, you’ll rest easy knowing that you aren’t supporting the extreme cruelty of the down industry. Down is a nightmare for birds: The feathers of geese are torn out while they’re still alive—a terrifying, violent ordeal that can leave them with gaping wounds. Other down comes from birds used for meat or foie gras, whose throats are slit, and they’re sometimes scalded in boiling water while still conscious.

Thankfully, there’s no need to harm geese for a good night’s sleep. It’s easier than ever to make not just your bedroom but your whole home animal-friendly, eco-conscious, functional, and beautiful. DiMare Design has helped many happy clients incorporate cruelty-free design into their homes, and today’s ethical designers and decorators can choose from everything from wool-free mattresses and curtains to vegan leather upholstery.

Vegan interior design is yet another way we can spread compassion while also living healthy, comfortable, and glamorous lives. As Deborah says, “It’s a win-win all the way around. Vegan furnishings are ultra-fabulous, less expensive and save animals.”

Browse some more tips for vegan design on DiMare Design’s website.

Deborah DiMare is the founder of a 100 percent vegan luxury interior design company, DiMare Design, and VeganDesign.org, a resource for shopping for vegan furniture and learning about the emerging world of vegan interior design.