Contents
What Can You Expect from a Green Moving Company?
Moving is an arduous task that takes a lot of time and materials to complete. The packing materials and fuel used to get all of your belongings from point A to point B can leave quite a big carbon footprint, even when you’re trying to be as environmentally conscious as you can. But fortunately, there’s a better way, and it all starts with your moving company.
So let’s start with the basics: What is a green moving company? Green movers do things a bit differently than traditional movers, with a large focus on reducing the effect of moves on the environment as much as possible. And while the exact range of services offered may differ from company to company, there are some big benefits you can find with most green movers. Going with an eco-friendly moving company is a small difference that can make a large impact, and a great way to move cleaner, better, and more efficiently. Here are some things you can expect if you choose to work with green movers.
You’ll use way less cardboard (and that’s a good thing)
About 90% of shipped items in the United States are packaged in cardboard. And while cardboard is recyclable, its production still has a major effect on global resources. The pulp and paper industry is the fifth largest consumer of energy worldwide, and accounts for four percent of all the world’s energy use. And considering it takes about three gallons of water to make a single sheet of paper, it’s safe to assume it takes a whole lot more than that to make a cardboard box.
A green moving company will help you nix the cardboard by providing you with reusable plastic bins that they simply drop off ahead of your move for you to pack in and then pick up once you’re done unpacking. No breaking down boxes, no endless treks to the recycling bin, and no worry that your move is contributing to the paper industry’s harrowing use of water.
You’ll use less packing supplies in general
You can recycle cardboard, but what about all of the other packing materials that you use? Some things – like clear packing tape, or really anything with adhesives on it – have nowhere to go but the trash. Other things, like plastic padding, are recyclable, but it’s not as easy as simply tossing them in the recycling bin, and with the already overwhelming amount of tasks concurrent with a move many people don’t make the extra effort to dispose of them correctly. The plastic bins provided by green moving companies tightly seal themselves naturally, without the use of tape. And while you’ll still need padding materials to keep your belongings from getting damaged, you can easily use towels, clothes, and linens as protection instead of plastic materials. Your green movers will also likely be able to point you in the direction (or provide you with) recyclable, renewable padding materials.
You’ll emit cleaner air
Moving trucks, like other trucks, typically run on diesel fuel, which emits harmful, toxic byproducts in to the air, including about 22 pounds of carbon dioxide per gallon burned, which is a major contributor to global climate change. It’s bad news for both the earth and the people and animals who inhabit it, which is why most green movers run their trucks on biodiesel fuel, which burns cleaner and has less of an impact on the air around it. Biodiesel fuel is made from natural sources, including vegetable oils and animal fats, and is both non-toxic and biodegradable, which is a win-win all around. There are a few other ways green movers reduce their fuel consumption as well, including the use of battery-powered curbside lifts that don’t require an idle engine and in-house weigh stations that negate the need for additional trips to stations off-site.
You’ll have a connection to local donation sites
Moves are the best times to lighten your load and get rid of things you no longer want or need, and there are a lot of options when it comes to where to donate your stuff. Most eco-friendly movers will make the process of donating items even easier, with established connections to local charities who can accept your used furniture, appliances, clothes, and more. If you have a question about where to donate a particular item, or are specifically looking for a local charity that will pick the items up themselves, ask your green movers. It’s their job to know the most environmentally friendly ways to handle each aspect of your move, and you should be able to get great information about where you can go to give a good life to the things you no longer have a use for. Many green movers will even drop off your donations themselves.
You’ll be able to take advantage of green storage
If you need storage services in addition to moving, ask your green moving company about access to eco-friendly storage facilities. A green storage facility is typically one large warehouse filled with recyclable, renewable wooden containers, reducing the need for individual rooms and wasted space. Other features tend to include plenty of windows and skylights for natural light (and thus less electricity use during the day) and efficient insulation that reduces the need for a ton of heating and air conditioning to keep the climate under control. And because green storage facilities only charge you for the space you actually use, you’ll probably save money in addition to doing good by the planet.
Any reputable moving company should be treating their workers well and paying them a living wage, but when you work with a company that’s already established responsibility to the world around them, you can be even more sure they extend that responsibility to the people who work for them. In addition to paying and treating their workforce well, green movers have a reputation for being strongly committed to their communities through charity work and the spread of environmental awareness. If you’re interested in doing good in all areas of your life, extend that mentality to green movers, who are likely to share your ideals.
Living on this earth means using its resources, but there are plenty of ways you can make conscious decisions to lessen your impact, and hiring a green moving company is one of the big ones. So ditch the cardboard boxes and plastic moving tape and embrace the tree hugging initiatives of a green moving company. It’s a decision you definitely won’t regret.