Moving can be boring, time-consuming and pretty stressful, but planning ahead can ease up the whole process. Before you start doing anything, walk through your home and think about all tasks you should complete during the moving day. Make sure to prepare yourself for some packing, cleaning and heavy lifting, but don’t stop there.
Moving can be very bad for the environment so you may try to do it in an eco-friendly fashion. There are thousands of families that will move the same day as you and you shouldn’t participate in pollution. Below are some useful tips on how to move successfully and eco-friendly.
What is a carbon footprint?
Before you start planning and executing the move to the new home, it is crucial to get well informed about the story behind a term “carbon footprint“. Every individual, company, product, and piece of real estate property has it’s own carbon footprint. It represents a sum of all greenhouse gas emissions that are released by a person or an object.
It is not always easy to calculate it since there are plenty of factors causing it. Fortunately, you don’t have to calculate your impact on the planet, it will be enough to just do the following „4Rs“ on regular basis: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse.
Whatever you do and wherever you go, there is a healthy, green alternative to the traditional way. You may start reducing your carbon footprint by driving the low carbon vehicle. If you really want to help to save the planet, start riding a bike, and more people will follow your example.
If possible, don’t ever buy your own car, but use public transport. Sharing the vehicle with a lot of people will certainly decrease the levels of carbon emission. Next, when you need to travel somewhere far, you should go with a plane. Just make sure to take economy class tickets. This option is much better than flying with a private jet.
Make a detailed plan
If you aim for the sustainable and economical way of moving to a new house, you’ll need to sit down and plan ahead every single step. Your priority should be using biodegradable materials as much as you possibly can and find a way to move quickly and lightly. Because of that, do a preliminary assessment of all your resources which are crucial for an efficient and successful move. Try to avoid spending a ton of cash for this purpose.
Go around the house and look for stuff that can ease the whole process. Put all of them on the list before the moving day. After that, go ahead and visit your local grocery store and ask them to land you some used card boxes they don’t need. This move will help the store owner to get rid of the garbage, and their garbage will be just what you need to keep it green. Making a detailed plan will save you a lot of time and money, and that’s the first step toward the sustainable and eco-friendly move.
Take care of the clutter
During the years, your house probably got a bit cluttered. Pick up a few biodegradable bags and start collecting all the paper piled on tables and desks. A lot of old newspaper, magazines, and mail probably accumulated around the house, so starting your cleaning action there is the best start. Decide what you really need and throw out everything else.
Make sure to sort all items so they could be recycled easily. This pre-move cleaning will save you a lot of money because you won’t need to burn plenty of fuel during moving. You’ll have less stuff to pack, and you’ll need fewer trips until you’re done. Another great way of recycling unused stuff is to organize a yard sale and try to sell as much as you can. The money earned can be used to ease up the moving process.
Give your best to move light
The more stuff you have with you, the more gas you’ll need for transport. More gas means more combustion and therefore, more carbon dioxide. The latter is the main threat to the whole planet and everything alive, so your every action should be directed toward reduction of harmful gases emission.
As mentioned before, moving with less stuff will save you a great portion of time and money as well. Don’t miss the opportunity to save the planet and move successfully at the same time. This type of situation won’t be in front of you every day, so give your best and take advantage of it while you have a chance.
Get some eco-friendly moving supplies
In order to complete your eco-friendly moving adventure, you’ll need to begin with packing. A great way to start gathering moving supplies is to ask friends and reuse theirs. Another way is to pay a visit to a few local businesses and ask them to provide you with some free supplies. By taking their stuff away, they’ll save some time on recycling and cleaning.
If you’re still not sure how to pack all your stuff you can get in touch with a leading reamovalist company in your area, and they’ll be happy to assist. You may try with recyclable plastic boxes which are completely environment-friendly and even cheaper than cardboard ones. Make sure to pack your stuff in an efficient manner, so you won’t waste a lot of energy once you arrive in your new home.
Consider fuel and shipping options
Regardless of the distance between your old and new house, you should really take some time and decide which shipping option is best for you. There are a lot of factors that will affect the amount of gas you’ll burn during the move. You’ll need to think about the weight of your stuff, the size of the moving vehicle, the way you drive etc.
All of that will affect the emission of carbon dioxide. Because of that, try to go green. Consider using a track that run on biodiesel fuel. It’s not that common yet, but there are some companies which will offer that option. If you need to move your car as well, go ahead and put it on a train since it’s cleaner and easier.
Ask around about eco-friendly moving company
Find a few friends that moved recently and ask them about habits of their movers. Gather as much information as you can before hiring anybody. Once you’re done with preliminary research, go ahead and contact moving companies directly. Ask them about their services and environmental credentials.
Learn about specific measures they take while moving in order to save the environment. Talk about their vehicles and ask for fuel-efficient ones. Your favorite should be the company that offered some packing tips and of course the one that is oriented toward preserving the planet.
Go with energy-efficient products
Once you decided to move, you should consider replacing your old appliances with some new generation ones. Those are much more energy efficient and will help you to keep up with an eco-friendly way of living in the new home. Your next step should be investing in a few power strips which will do a perfect job of managing power to your new appliances.
Don’t forget to recycle your old appliances by selling them to a junkyard which is green oriented, or donate them to those in need. There are a lot of people out there that need a washing machine, stove, or a vacuum cleaner.
Continue with eco-friendly life
Once you got packed and moved successfully, it is time to start a new life. Once you arrive at your new home, start with unpacking and recycling everything you took with yourself but don’t really need. A good way of achieving this is to donate old clothes and toys. You’ll save the environment and make someone really happy.
It is very important to get into saving energy habit as well. You should start with replacing the old incandescent light bulbs with new CFLs or even LEDs. Next, make sure to prevent any air leaks through the windows, doors and the roof. You may start composting your organic waste and use it to set up a beautiful backyard garden.
Conclusion
There are so many ways to do the right thing and save the planet. Your new home should be eco-friendly and you should really try to become self-sufficient. Go ahead and install a few solar panels on your roof. They might be expensive at a first glance but they’ll repay in years to come. In addition, you should be thinking about your health, and the best way to keep it is to eat healthily.
Feel free to transform your backyard into an organic garden. You’ll have fresh fruit and vegetables during the whole year. It is very important to stay in the green zone since environmental changes can be very destructive and you should be prepared. It is very easy to live in accordance with nature, so go ahead and start today.
The post Tips For Moving Your Home In An Eco-Friendly Fashion appeared first on VectorCentral News, Stories and Reviews.