More people these days have decided that they want to minimize their impact on the environment. This choice to be green will mean making a few sacrifices and living in a more thoughtful way.  This decision to no longer be part of the problem is a noble one and one you can start implementing in your life immediately.

Moving homes is something that almost everyone does at least once in their life. You may not realize it but this move can also be made in a way that won’t cause damage to the environment; or at least in a way that limits your environmental impact. What you need to keep in mind are the 3 R’s of sustainability; reduce, reuse, and recycle.  Here are the top ten ways to move green.

  1. The first thing that moving green requires is choices in regards to what you are going to take with you and what to leave behind. You want to reduce the amount of items that you will need to transport while not getting rid of things you will be using after the move; remember it is far better to reuse than buy new. This might take a bit of time but work through belongings to see what goes and what stays
  2. Move to an area where green issues are taken seriously. This might be impractical but moving to a town or city that is green can be a great way to do your bit to save the environment.
  3. If some of your furniture looks a bit old and worn you may be tempted to replace it in order to match the look of your new home. Before doing that why not consider fixing your current furniture to look like new. A little bit of upholstery can make a huge difference and this will save you money and help save the planet.
  4. You will need to decide what to do with those things that you are not going to take with you. You should be able to find homes for some of these items with friends or family. You can recycle anything that you can’t give away. Don’t dump items if you can possibly avoid this. You want to reduce your moving storage requirements, but be thoughtful about this and you can be greener in the process.green mover
  5. The conventional method of packing using cardboard boxes is bad for the environment and also makes moving more stressful.  ZippGo rents and delivers plastic green moving boxes made from 100% recycled plastic that are kinder to the environment than cardboard moving boxes. ZippGo reusable moving boxes can be reused 500 times during their lifetime; this compares very favorably with the cardboard box that is typically used just once and and dumped in the garbage and ultimately ends up in a landfill. Just one ZippGo reusable moving container can save as many as four trees over its life.   As an added benefit these reusable boxes are far sturdier than cardboard boxes so you don’t have to worry about items getting crushed, wet, or damaged. You can order green moving boxes online from the ZippGo website.
  6. If you need to make purchases for your new home you should do this at your destination rather than adding them to the move. Consider buying these items in second-hand shops to continue your efforts to reuse as much as possible.
  7. You will want to protect your belongings during the move. Bubble wrap is great for this purpose but most of the commercially available wrap isn’t recycled. There is an environmentally friendly type of packing paper wrap provided by ZippGo; this is made from recycled paper rather than plastic. Reusable packaging and packaging made from recycled content should be used whenever possible during your move.
  8. You will likely be doing a lot of cleaning over the coming days as you remove evidence of your previous habitation from your old home and make your new house ready. Use green cleaning products for this.
  9. When moving home it is important that you choose green transport if you are serious about protecting the environment. Use a local moving company and choose a moving truck that is powered by biodiesel. It will save on fuel and money if you use one big truck rather than two smaller ones; speak to your moving service about the most eco-friendly options.
  10. Before you leave your old home make sure that you have safely removed any chemicals that might have been left around. Such things as cleaning fluids can be highly toxic and need to be disposed of in the proper way.

Above are just ten ways that you can make your move to a new home a green experience. Do what you can to protect our planet, and good luck in your new home.