Relocating is one of the most stressful events in our lives. What we tend to forget is the stress that relocation has on the environment.

There are many things that you can do - before, during, and after your move - to minimize the impact your relocation will have on the environment. Here’s a list of easy things you can do to make your move environmentally friendly.

Before You Move

• Shed Some Pounds – Whether you’re moving across town, or across the country, now is the time to get rid of the things you don’t need or use. Consider this: every extra pound you put on your moving truck requires that much more energy to move. That means more gas, more emissions, and more money! You can save money – and save our environment - by following these simple tips.

o Sell or donate things you haven’t used in two years. Let’s face it, if you haven’t used it in two years, you probably aren’t going to use it. Now’s the perfect time for a materialistic reality check. Sell or donate your used items. One person’s trash is another person's treasure. Remember to keep an accurate account of your donations for tax purposes.

o Books are heavy and bulky. Is that Grisham novel that you’ve read 3 times gathering dust? Donate it and your other old books to your local library, where they can be read and enjoyed over and over by other people.

o Older appliances are huge energy wasters. Newer, Energy Star™ rated appliances are typically much more efficient. Front loading washing machines use a fraction of the water of their older top loading counterparts, and are gentler on your clothes as well – extending the life of your favorite shirts and jeans. Refrigerators, especially older models, can be the biggest energy consumers in your household. Before you move, consider donating old major appliances to your local church or charity, and purchasing more energy efficient models for your new home. Not only will this reduce the amount of energy required to move, but your new energy efficient appliances will give you savings for years to come.

• Location location location: When you’re selecting your new home, take into consideration the daily activities that require you to drive. Choose a home close to daily conveniences, making it easier to bike / walk to the store, dry cleaners, etc. If you walk to the store, you’ll save money, gas, and get great exercise too.

• Downsize : Most of us have twice as much room as we need. And that means that we have twice as much space to heat and cool. Not to mention all of the “junk” we collect to fill that extra space. Consider simplifying your life, and downsizing your living space. You’ll find that it is not that difficult to start using your space more efficiently. Publications like simpleliving.com  make it easy to stay organized, and live a happier, simpler life.

• Use old newspaper for packing, then recycle it when you get to your new home. Most every town recycles newspaper, while not all recycle packing materials such as Styrofoam “peanuts”. Newspaper is also great for cleaning the windows in your new home!

• Don’t purchase moving boxes. Use recycled card board boxes. They are far less expensive (FREE), just as good as new boxes, and help reduce the impact your move will have on the environment. Your local grocery and liquor stores are great places to get moving boxes. Try to get boxes of uniform shape and size, to make it easier to efficiently load your moving vehicle. And when you are finished moving, recycle your card board boxes. Most every town recycles card board boxes. For items you are planning on storing, consider moving them in plastic tubs. You can reuse these tubs for years to come, or donate them to needy charities. There are groups who will rent you plastic moving tubs.

• Use old blankets to protect furniture. Then donate them to a homeless shelter in your new home town.

• Recycle hazardous materials locally. Don’t throw corrosive or flammable materials away, and certainly don’t dispose of them in your sewage. Contact your local municipality for proper disposal procedures.

• Get rid of that old car. Older cars are less fuel efficient. Most families have more cars than they really need. Why not donate that old car to a local charity BEFORE you move. You’ll be helping a family in need, helping to save the environment, and in some cases you can receive a healthy tax deduction for your donation.

• Sign up with a green utility company. In some communities, you can choose your utility company. Why not select a “green” utility company that uses solar or wind power to generate power?

• Don’t move your food. Plan ahead and eat the food in your house. Donate excess to a local charity. Don’t pay to ship that can of soup across the country.
 

During Your Move

• Just Do It Once. Moving can be an arduous task that spans the course of several days. But just because it takes several days doesn’t mean that you need to make more than one trip. It may cost a little more for a bigger moving truck to carry your stuff in a single trip, but you’ll save you time, money, and gas by taking one big trip versus several trips. And, believe it or not, it is faster! Your local self moving company can help you select the right truck for your needs.

• Drive 55. Driving the speed limit or a little slower can dramatically increase your fuel efficiency. Keep your engine RPM (revolutions per minute) as low as possible to save the most fuel. Another great tip – turn off the air conditioning in your car. Air conditioning zaps your vehicle’s fuel efficiency.

• Use alternative fuels. As you are traveling across the country, consider using alternative fuels such as E85 or biodiesel. Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel produced from domestic, renewable sources. Biodiesel can be used in most diesel engines with little to no modifications.

More likely than not you’ll have a hard time finding pure biodiesel (which has no petroleum) commercially, but you can readily find biodiesel blends. These have anywhere from 5% to 20% biodiesel mixed with traditional diesel fuel.

• Stay in a Green Hotel. If your move requires you to stay overnight in a hotel, look for a green hotel. Green hotels are environmentally-friendly properties whose managers have instituted programs to save water, energy, and reduce solid wastes. Staying in a green hotel is a great way to learn easy ways in which you can reduce your everyday impact on the environment, too. You can find a list of green hotels here: http://www.greenhotels.com/members.htm

• Drive a Hybrid. If you are taking a long trip, consider renting a hybrid. Hybrids drive just like any other car, yet they use a fraction of the fuel.

• Fuel your car at night. Ozone requires sunlight to be created. You can reduce ozone by refueling your vehicle at night.

• Carry bottled water with you, and refill as needed. Every bottle of water you purchase has an environmental cost associated with it, such as the cost to ship it, package it, and recycle the packaging. Every time you reuse a water bottle, you are saving the environment. Even better, use biodegradable water bottles (they are made out of corn, not petroleum). After you’re through using them (you can reuse them too!), just recycle them. They will biodegrade in 80 days after you recycle them.

• Take home your hotel soap. Most of us “steal” the hotel shampoo and conditioner. Don’t stop there. Take the soap too. The fact of the matter is that, thankfully, hotels don’t recycle the soap. So if you don’t take it, it gets thrown away. So before you check out, put your soap back in its packaging and take it with you to use at home, or the next hotel.

After You Move

• Shed Some New Light. When you move is the perfect time to upgrade all of your lighting to Compact Florenscent Lightbulbs (CFLs). CFLs use up to 75% less energy of traditional lightbulbs, and last from 7 to 10 years, saving your money every month and reducing our need to build more power plants. The CFL lightbulb equivalent of a traditional 75 watt lightbulb only uses 18 watts, saving almost ¼ ton of coal over the course of 6 years.

If you are moving into a new home, request CFLs before traditional light bulbs are installed. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, if every household in just the state of Nevada replaced just one bulb with a CFL, we’d reduce energy consumption in the state of Nevada by 45 million kWh a year. We’d also save $4.9 million in energy costs, while diminishing carbon dioxide emissions by over 69 million pounds. That’s enough energy to light over 24,000 homes for a year. Now imagine how much would be saved if every light bulb in America were changed!

If you cannot afford to change all of the bulbs in your house, change those lights that you use the most.

And don’t throw away your old bulbs. Use them in the places where you use your lighting the least!

• Time to Weatherize. Before you move into your new home is the best time to weatherize. Air leakage and improperly installed insulation can waste 20 percent or more of the energy you pay to heat and cool your home. Typical homes have so many leaks, it's like having a window open all the time, winter and summer. Worse, these leaks can create mold, when warm air comes in contact with cooler surfaces and condenses. Weatherizing your home will help lower your energy bill, saving you money every year and saving our environment! Consider these easy tips :