Make Moving Eco Friendly!

Moving is a dreaded task in itself, but when you add, “caring for the environment” to the to-do list it can seem almost impossible. Moving is an environmentalist’s nightmare, with all the throwing of items, packing material, boxes, and general waste that occurs.

Student Movers is very concerned about how moving can negatively impact our environment, and regularly do a few things to help as much as they can:

• Student Movers paper products in the office and on the move are made from mostly recycled materials (ex. Boxes, writing paper, etc)
• All recyclables in the office and on your move including plastics, paper, and aluminum are collected, sorted, and recycled
• Our office “paperless” system has reduced our paper consumption by 90% since the start of our company
• Student Movers continuously implements changes to make our company as environmentally-friendly as possible

At Student Movers we feel that caring for the environment is a communal task and we are always looking for new ways to help our earth. Have a tip for us? Just shoot us an email so we can implement your idea!

Student Movers also has some tips about how you can help make your moving day experience as eco friendly as possible. After all, together we can make sure that moving doesn’t impact the environment! Get your free moving quote today.

Limit Your Items

The less you own, the less you have to pack and sort on moving day. Try and minimize the amount of stuff you have in your home. This will help the environment in many ways as less stuff equals less manufacturing, transportation and fossil fuels, etc.

Start Early!

Start pairing down your stuff months before your moving date (if possible). The longer you have to organize, the less stuff will end up in a dumpster at the last minute. Which leads us to the next point…

Sell, Donate, Give Away

Although you may be tired of that rocking chair, there is sure to be someone out there who would love it. Don’t just throw your items in the dumpster.  Have a yard sale, donate items to charity, or give them away to a friend.

Collect Boxes

Here is a scary statistic: the average move requires 60 boxes, which is the equivalent of a half-ton tree. Yikes!

Instead of buying boxes, collect them from your friends and family. Post on Facebook that you are moving and be shocked at the response. Boxes can be expensive and people always have them lying around.  Another great resource is the back of supermarket complexes. They often have loads of boxes laying around from their product shipments and they will never know they are gone!

Packing Peanut Alternatives

Plastic is one of the worst compounds for the environment, especially plastics like Styrofoam. Instead of packing peanuts, look for alternative solutions to pad your fragile items. Egg cartons, newspaper, or bubble wrap from mailers, are all great options. This way you are “up-cycling” the items in your home that would usually be considered trash.

Another option is to use your soft items that need to be packed anyways! Wrap your plates in bed sheets and your pans in towels. Durable clothing can also be used around knick-knacks and other breakable items. Two for one packing strategy!

If these options don’t appeal to you, you can always buy biodegradable peanuts. They are often made from starch and will dissolve in water. Uline has some great options that you can ship to your home!

Start Good Habits

Once the move is over, make sure you don’t fall into bad habits.  Use LED or CFL (compact fluorescent lights) in all your light fixtures and make sure to recycle in your new home.  Go an extra step, and get solar panels on your roof to help generate energy for your home! If you paired down on the amount of knick-knacks and clothing you owned, don’t go out and replace every item. Rejoice in your cleaner, less cluttered home! After all, the next time you move, you will have less to get organized!

Moving does not have to be to the detriment of Mother Nature. There are lots of things we can do together to ensure a successful, eco friendly move. At Student Movers, we are always looking out for ways to better serve our customers and the environment. What tips do you have to help your move be eco friendly? Comment below or send us an email! After all, moving and protecting the environment are a communal activity! Find your moving location here.