Green Life - A to B: The Green Way

Each year, an average of 43 million Americans move. What’s more, as many as 20 percent of us move every year, and we average 11 moves in our lifetimes.
This year, it’s my turn. I just finished packing my home for what will be my 13th move. (By the time you read this page, I will be relocated to San Diego.) And while not all of my moves utilized boxes, packing peanuts or bubble wrap (college moves required only laundry baskets and garbage bags), each one did produce a lot of waste.
So in the spirit of living green, I did my best to pack up the house using less packaging. I also tossed less into the trash. You should have seen that recycle pile.

Here are my tips for a greener move:

Use less packaging.
While this sounds nice, 24 crystal goblets just aren’t going to make it without plenty of padding. It’s the type of padding that counts. Wrap fragile items in clean clothing, sheets or towels, which are just as protective as bubble wrap. Clothes need to be packed anyway, so you are actually reducing the number of boxes that you use. Another tip: fill up suitcases, laundry baskets and storage bins before turning to cardboard.

Use recyclable packing material.
Bubble wrap serves its purpose, but when you are done with the move, what is it good for? Popping away your stress, for sure, but little else. Instead, try newspaper. Ask friends to save theirs, or visit the recycling center to grab stacks of old editions. Cardboard boxes are almost always recyclable. Better yet, if you are part of that 20 percent that moves yearly, invest in sealable, reusable containers. These help you stay organized when you get to your new home.

Transport only what you really need.
I don’t want to get to where I am going just to find boxes of useless junk. So, I spent one whole weekend sorting, organizing and purging. Out went books, clothes, furniture, keepsake items that have lost their meaning, redundant kitchen utensils and on and on. I was so into the frenzy of purging, I almost tossed the “extra” cat. Luckily, he reminded me that he is good at purring, so he stayed. By the end of the weekend, everything I needed in my new home was cleaned and/or stacked neatly. I had reduced the load (and, I hope, the energy needed to transport it) by about 30 percent.

Recycle household waste.
Little of that junk went into the rubbish bin, of course. Every item that could be recycled, was. Paper, plastic, glass, cardboard and metals were delivered to the recycling center. Bonus: I even made enough cash for a giant burrito for lunch.

Give unneeded household goods to others.
What can’t be recycled could be reused. There are numerous centers throughout Hawaii that accept donations of clothing, household goods and leftover pantry items. Here are a couple:
Goodwill:
www.higoodwill.org
Salvation Army: www.salvationarmyhawaii.org

As I say a big, green aloha and mahalo to Hawaii Home + Remodeling magazine, our new queen of all things green, Jenny de Jesus, is waiting in the wings to take over. Green living is just as important to her as it is to me. She’ll be a great new resource for sustainable living strategies.

If you have questions or suggestions for living an ecofriendly life, send them to Jenny at jennydj@pacificbasin.net.