Earth-friendlier Packing Materials
Packing materials can be the major contributor to your impact, and at the same time, they are necessary to get the job done. Here are a few solutions to help you move a little greener when it comes to packing materials:

* Reusable containers: For our last move, my husband and I recruited family and friends to let us borrow plastic containers they might have. We weren’t able to pack everything we owned in reusable containers, but we were able to reduce the number of boxes we needed. Remember, boxes also require tape – something that can’t be recycled and which takes a very long time to decompose.

For our next move, I plan on purchasing plastic containers that can be easily stacked and stored, so they’re always on hand for when the moving-bug starts to bite. If you move often, this might also be a good solution for you as it not only saves trees and waste, but it also saves you time in finding enough packing boxes.

If you live in the Long Beach/Orange County area of California, there’s a great new company on the rise called Earth Friendly Moving – a company dedicated to creating greener moves. Their services include the dropping-off of plastic, reusable containers for a very small fee, then picking them up again after your move is complete. Let’s hope this kind of services catches on and goes global – I’d love not to have to stress about getting boxes and tape and worrying that the bottoms will hold. Currently, Earth Friendly Moving is looking at expanding to the rest of Southern California, so if you live in the area check out their website.

* Recycled Materials: A great way to save money and your impact on the earth is to collect used boxes from grocery stores, wine and liquor stores and other retail outlets. We do this often, especially for lighter weight and less fragile items, where the strength of the box isn’t a determining factor. And no one can deny the usefulness of wine/liquor boxes; most have the cell packs already installed which makes packing glasses, bottles and other fragiles really simple and easy. In addition, most of these boxes are re-enforced to withstand heavier loads. I highly recommend asking your neighborhood beverage outlet for their empty boxes. Just make sure you ask in advance of your move and also what day they normally receive their shipments and when the best time to drop by would be.

* Online Sources for Used Materials: the online networks are a great source for finding used packing goods at a good price. Craigslist is the first and most extensive place to shop and meet like-minded individuals who may want to swap or give-away used boxes. If you can’t find any listings for your area, post your own request.

Getting Rid of Stuff

* Donate Your Stuff: Before you throw an unwanted item in the trash, think about donating it to a local charity or even a neighbor who might find it valuable. Just make sure that what you’re donating can be used by someone. Most thrift stores and non-profit societies cannot use ripped clothing or items that are so worn that no one else would want it. Be thoughtful before you unload your stuff at a local charity.

* Do your research: Find out what the non-profit is looking for or if you have specific items, such as cat kennels (in our case), call a non-profit that specializes in a particular cause to see if they’d want the items (for cat kennels, we’d call a local animal shelter or rescue society). There are many organizations out there that also set-up homes for youth or single mothers which might take larger items from you. Again, research the options, then decide where you’d like to donate. Remember, electronics can also be donated, recycled and are greatly appreciated.

* Sell Your Stuff: If you think your things are sellable, that someone else might find them to be treasures, not trash, then you can also try to sell them online through companies such as eBay. If you’re thinking more small-scale or you don’t want to bother with shipping items to buyers, then you could also host a garage sale or place an ad in a local neighborhood newspaper advertising the items.

How to Offset Your Impact

* Purchase Carbon Offsets: If you’re hiring a company or moving yourself, find out if the moving or rental company has a “green” mantra or if they are a carbon-neutral company. Many movers and rental agencies are not, and many people don’t have the option of hiring companies who are, simply because they don’t exist in the local area. This is beginning to change, however, as more customers demand alternative options. My recommendation is to ask. It certainly doesn’t hurt and it might even stimulate thoughts around creating a greener move.

Regardless of whether your mover is green or not, you can help lower the impact of your move, in particular the gas emissions the truck will burn, by purchasing carbon offsets. We do this not only for the truck emissions, but also for our travel costs to the new home (car or plane emissions).

To find out what your emission rate would be for the US go to Bonneville Environmental Foundation, for Canada, go to Planetair, and if you’re in Europe, check out MyClimate.

In the end, if you’re planning on moving, the best course of action to follow for a greener move is to the best you can. Not all of us have the resources available to make a perfectly carbon neutral move. However, just being aware of your impact is a really good start in helping the planet.

A few interesting events occurred during this move. things did happen during this move. First, the movers were on time and fast. They moved us from Orange, CA to Tucson, AZ in 48 hours. That included the packing, loading of the truck, and the unloading at the new residence (this was a fully furnished 5 bedroom home). The packers showed up and wrapped EVERYTHING in a protective plastic coating. They disassembled many of our furnishings and had the truck loaded within hours of arriving. Contents loaded, they embarked on the long journey with all of our worldly possessions safely packed away. We left shortly after.

The movers had mentioned they would be arriving in Tucson at 8:30 AM PST. They arrived within 5 minutes of this time and after a 10 minute break, they quickly unloaded the truck. Within a few hours, they had re-assembled the furniture and placed our boxes in our home. They were gone before lunch.

While they were there, we found that the refrigerator would not fit through any of the conventional entry ways into the kitchen. The 2 guys moving the refrigerator found a way to lift the refrigerator over a large window that faced the living room from the kitchen. It was amazing to witness. These guys were pros.

We did encounter a few problems:

We purchased a gas dryer for the new home. Unfortunately, the new home only had electric hookups. Of course, we asked our “realtor” prior to making the trip and she didn’t have the answer of the motivation to find out. Apparently, electric dryers are all the rage on Tucson and gas dryers are in the minority.

Despite having help, the move was still exhausting and we are still in recovery mode. My wife was a champion throughout this move and she is still doing the lion’s share of the work while I commute back and forth from California.

In any case, I’m not sure how difficult this move would have been without professional movers who knew what they were doing, but one thing is for sure – it wouldn’t have been pretty.

First things first – do your homework on choosing a suitable mover. Picking the wrong movers could result in major financial losses due to bait and switch tactics, as well as damage to your precious personal treasures – not to mention potential theft. Prior to engaging a moving company, you will want to see if there are complaints against them at the Better Business Bureau. Also, check out this new website called www.movingscam.com, designed just for monitoring bad moving companies.

The Department of Transportation reports that there are specific signs that your moving operator may be less that ethical:

1. The mover doesn’t offer or agree to an inspection of your household goods prior to giving an estimate. These estimates are often too good to be true – a bait and switch tactic.
2. The moving company demands cash or a large deposit before the move – anything more than $100 should be cause for concern.
3. The mover doesn’t provide you with a copy of Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move, a booklet movers are required by Federal regulations to supply to their customers.
4. The mover claims all goods are covered by their insurance is not likely being candid.
5. The company’s website has very few details about the licensing or physical address.

Long time moving company owner in Los Angeles, Stan Korski, says, “Many moving companies prey on last minute movers – most legitimate companies require weeks of advance booking, so when a last minute mover calls, some movers take advantage of the situation.” An integral part of a low cost move is clearly advance planning.

At Los Angeles Professional Movers, they recommend booking at least six weeks in advance, which means you should start researching your moving company at least 7 weeks prior to your planned move date. Another advantage to booking early is that you can often negotiate the cost of the move and other details, as well as make special requests from your selected moving company.

Industry experts recommend avoiding summers and weekends when booking your move. Increased demand during those periods result in higher costs and diminished availability of quality moving services. In 2008, most violations, in proportion to the total number of moves, were discovered by the FMCSA. Poor planning blended with a move during a busy season could significantly narrow your moving service alternatives and make you more vulnerable to predatory operators.

Almost all moving companies charge additional fees for special requests or contingencies sometimes not totally disclosed, so prepare for it. It is important that you ask pertinent questions about extra costs, insurance policies, license numbers, and the mileage that is or is not included.

All in all, the most important thing to remember is not move without a plan. Sometimes a move is decided on impulse. When it comes to hiring a moving company, impulsiveness can be expensive.

This is an article written by Sydney Welkinson – I thought I would share these tips on my blog.

Here is the tail of the tape:

• The house we are moving from is 2788 square feet with a 3 car garage.
• We are leasing out our existing home in Orange CA and leasing a home in Tucson AZ until we buy another home in Tucson.
• We are a family of 4.
• We have not moved since 2004 when we went from a 1600 square too condo to a 2788 square foot house . This was a time when there were no children.
• We may leave some furniture behind for the renters, but this is still uncertain.

This weekend, we will draft the moving “plan” and relevant time line for the move. In the end, we hope that by documenting our mistakes, readers of this blog can benefit. We will document all related costs as well to the penny.

Until Saturday then!