http://www.care2.com/greenliving/green-moving-guide.html
Green Moving Guide
Moving house is one of the top 10 stressors in life, we hear you thinking, and now you’re going to tell me that I should be doing it green? I’m up to my ears in boxes here! Relax: Having a smooth green move is easier than you think. Here are our tips, covering everything from greener packing materials to biodiesel-powered moving vans to places you can donate your old computers. And if all else fails, we offer links where you can offset the high carbon impact of your move.
One of hardest things about moving is deciding what to keep and what to toss. But once you’ve decided, here’s How to Deal with the Stuff You Don’t Want:
Worst-case scenario: The dump or a dumpster.
To avoid adding to the mountain of garbage, here are some better ideas:
What to do with surplus clothing, furniture, and home goods
1. Have a yard sale.
2. If you don’t have time for a yard sale, donate your things to your local battered women’s shelter, Goodwill or Salvation Army. Find your local branch here.
3. Many towns have recycling centers; find the location of the center nearest you.
4. Or try Freecycling, an online way to give stuff you don’t want to people who do.
What about old electronics? Here are some links to places that will take your junked computers, printers, faxes, and other electronic waste so that it doesn’t end up in a landfill for your great-great-great-grandchildren to stumble over.
Where can I donate my old electronics stuff?
10 Tips for Donating a Computer
You can also sell your things on eBay or give them to a salvage center.
Pack the Stuff You’re Keeping
Worst case scenario: You buy all-new boxes that kill virgin trees, horrible-for-the-environment Styrofoam peanuts, and petroleum-based plastic bubble wrap.
Better: If you know a move is imminent, hold onto all those cartons and boxes you got around the holidays. Styrofoam peanuts and bubble wrap can at least be reused.
If you already recycled your last box, check out your local grocery store or liquor store. They’re usually happy to unload boxes.
Or you could contact Earth-Friendly Moving and rent their sturdy boxes made of totally recycled materials, a buck a box a week. They drop them off, then pick them up at the other end of the move.
Hiring a Mover
If you live in the American Northwest, you may be able to find a moving company that fuels their vans with biodiesel. Check out the Northwest BioDiesel site.
Google “Hybrid Moving Vans” to see if there are any in your area available for hire.
Cleaning Up
Whether you’re cleaning out the old place or cleaning up your new one, use green cleaners: Not only are they better for your health and the health of the planet, they‘re less expensive than conventional chemical-laden cleaners–and they work just as well or better.
If you file a Temporary Change of Address with the post office, rather than a permanent one, you will avoid getting a lot of that nasty junk mail that piles up so quickly. Yes, folks, the Post Office sells lists of permanent address changes to direct marketers. Who knew?
Offsetting the Environmental Cost of Your Move
Okay, so here are three ways to ditch the guilt along with the heavy carbon footprint of your move: Free clicks, donations, or purchased offset credits. Check out these great Web sites:
Every free click removes 1 pound of carbon emissions!
Race to Stop Global Warming.
Donate to offset your car, air travel, or home carbon emissions at
Carbon Fund.org.
This great site has a calculator that will tell you your carbon footprint, and then offers offsets that are just your size. Be Green Now.
Purchase carbon offset credits.
And have a safe, smooth, green move!
Robyn
Melissa
Deepak
Eric
Dave
Dr. Brent
Isha
Susan
Delia
Michelle
Wendy
Megan
Hilary
Ann
Judi
Ronnie
Kelly
Lily
Terri
Betsy
Cait
Andrew
Jana
Annie B.
Veronica
25 comments
add your comment »If you can get used cardboard boxes for your move then more power to you. However, be careful about dirt and bacteria on some of the used cardboard boxes you use. If your getting them from your friends your probably in good shape, but if your getting them from a grocery store dumpster be careful. Since you are putting all your personal belongings in these boxes, make sure they are clean. If you can't get used cardboard boxes from your friends, contact me at ZippGo. ZippGo will deliver reusable moving boxes made from 100% post consumer plastic that would have otherwise gone to the landfill. Our strong and sturdy moving boxes are the moving boxes of the future, but available now. Our boxes can be used 500 times before they are recycled to create new ZippGo moving boxes. 500 uses means, each of boxes replaces 500 cardboard boxes over its lifetime. Wow. Together, we'll be saving lots of trees! Best of all, we deliver our boxes to your door using biodiesel powered trucks. We even pick them up when your done. All this for approximately 50% less than the cost of buying cardboard boxes. Save Time, Save Money, Save the Planet.
-Ash Sud
ZippGo Founder
http://www.ZippGo.com
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thanks...
Kabin
Konteyner,Prefabrik
mega kabin
Konteyner
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Nice to see eco awareness spreading all around. Nice list. For more moving tips visit www.movingguide.net
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Moving boxes you can reuse check out eco-boxes.co.uk
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Hi!
I saw the post on the greenvanlines and went to thier website and it looks like they have the right intent in wanting to go green... but i still can't see any real greening here... looking into running bio fuel compared to diesel is not very green. using a used cardboard box is pretty common place with all movers to help their clients save money and that's somewhat green... but it really looks like green washing here... big time.
if you want to green your move, go with the first zero waste pack and move solution in America and see the videos for yourself!
It's Easy Being Green:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=y-g8DYsVyu8
LIME.com "healthy living with a twist!"
http://www.lime.com/live_change/video/20895/rent_green_box
Here's
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USE GREEN VAN LINES www.greenvanlines.com
Green Van Lines is the leading environmentally friendly relocation company operating in the United States today. We are the Dallas, Texas movers who are constantly striving to be green wise. We currently use only recycled boxes and other packing materials which are used in the relocation industry on a daily basis. Also we are always exploring the possibility of alternate clean burning fuels.
Green Van Lines is premier relocation firm committed to making your moving experience as easy and as smooth as possible. We work with an experienced and trained staff in order to make sure that your belongings arrive safely at your new location while focusing on the big picture of taking care of our planet.
Green Van Lines, a most reliable, reputed and well known service provider company for packing and moving. We are licensed, insured and professional moving company ready to handle any move type shifting, house moving, business moving, electrical gadgets moving etc. We serve our customers country wide and have well experienced staff, we believe in honesty, reliability and commitment of our services. Packing and moving is an art of applying skills and raw material to pack the valuable belongings for safe movement.
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Wow these are some really great tips. I have just been having a terrible time with my move. It's been one big disaster after another. And looking for green ways has been pretty difficult. I actually came up with something myself, and I think it is a helpful tip for those moving long distances.
Instead of adding to pollution by renting on of those nasty UHaul trucks, I went with ABF. This way I will be sharing with my trailer with about two other families, and my stuff is gaurenteed to get there safely on a container that was going there any ways! Unfortunately, they didnt provide any packing supplies, so I was on my own. However, I had a neighbor reccomend usedcardboardboxes.com. They were cheap and delivered quick, and portions of their proceeds go to TreePeople.org, so I felt good about using them.
Now I have to pack and move my stuff into the trailer. :-) Does anyone know of some good organizers in the Tampa area who could help me pack, cause looking around makes me have a panic attack LOL.
Cheers,
Janice
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so timely, we'll be moving in a month and I have been worrying about what to do with all of the stuff that I know we don't need anymore! freecycle is wonderful, as is craigslist and our local parenting groups. I'm also planning on donating as much as I can, especially all those clothes that I just don't wear anymore now that I'm a unfashionable mom ;)
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thanks for the props... check out our website- www.rentagreenbox.com
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The idea of moving boxes that you can use many, many times again is very cool.
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