Talking About Green

Moving is one of the most stressful situations that most people will face in life. Not only is moving expensive, but it is highly stressful, usually messy and involves the coordination of a number of things that can leave you feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. Some people have even said that the trauma of moving is almost equal to the trauma of a death in one’s family. This may seem extreme but packing up all of one’s worldly possessions and leaving the place where you have made your own for a period of months or even years does take a tremendous toll on the mind and body. Sleepless nights, stress, exhaustion and irritability follow most people immediately following a move and can last for quite some time.

Another factor that is of importance when considering moving is the carbon footprint that a move costs. Regardless of where you are moving from, it is almost guaranteed that at least one vehicle will be used for the trip. For some people moving within their neighborhood, they can take a car and make several trips as opposed to renting a giant U-Haul. This may seem like the best decision, but you are actually using up more fuel and causing even more pollution making several trips in a smaller car as opposed to make one trip in a large van or truck. Considering the most efficient way to get all of your belongings from one place to another can help you lower you carbon footprint the next time you have to move.

There are a number of other ways that you can avoid waste and garbage production when moving. For a lot of people, moving means lots of boxes, lots of tape and lots of items wrapped in newspaper. This is
almost inevitable. There is almost no way to avoid packing boxes for your clothes, books, personal items, decorations, pieces of art and kitchen ware. Glass items must be wrapped in protective layers, particularly pictures, glassware and porcelain dishes and things of that nature. One of the best ways to make sure that this part of your move is as green as possible is to begin early. Instead of buying boxes from a U-haul store, try to source boxes from local stores, like pharmacies, liquor stores or other shops where they regularly dispense of boxes. You can also do the work of hoarding your own bubble wrap from places that regularly discard it, such as electronic stores, instead of buying roll after roll of the stuff yourself. Doing the same for newspaper is a great way to ensure that you do not waste paper. Also, remember to recycle the newspaper after you use it to ensure that no matter what you use, it will not turn to waste in the end.

The most important thing that you can do to prepare for a green move is to prepare early. So much of the waste in our society is due to the fact that people want instant gratification. We throw away tons of takeout containers and frozen food wrapping simply because we don’t want to have to wait for our food, cook it ourselves or go to the trouble of going to the grocery store to stock up on a bulk of things. Instead, we opt for the quick fixes. Moving is stressful to be sure, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be destructive. Making sure that your plan head is the best way to keep your move from having a negative impact on the larger world. Planning ahead for your move can help you to avoid this compulsion and can help ensure that your move does as little harm to the environment as possible.

About the Author

Matthew Bacon is a freelance writer for Atlas. Atlas Van Lines is a company known for integrity, quality and solutions in the worldwide transportation of people, products and lifestyles. As a leader in moving services, Atlas provides moving quotes on their website.