How to Reduce Waste and Stress on Moving Day

Can a gal really move homes and be environmentally responsible at the same time? The answer is, Yes, but...

You need to give yourself the time to get the right materials for packing and to do effective research. A last-minute move will likely be less eco-friendly and more stressful. Do yourself and Mother Earth a favour and start preparing at least a few weeks before your move.

There are three simple steps an Eco-Conscious Diva can take to make her move less harmful to the environment and more enjoyable: purge her unused, unnecessary items before packing, reduce waste while packing and choose the most eco-friendly mode of transportation or shipping for moving day.

(Photo: A surfer's truck is overloaded in a beach-side parking lot in Montauk, Long Island. June 27, 2009. Photo credit: Tania Haas)

Purge and Be Free!

Unless you want to be on the next Oprah episode profiling pack-rats, take advantage of your move to rid items you no longer need or use. A few weeks before your move, post your clutter-causing items on Craigslist or another social networking site, and ask the buyer to pickup the item from you. A bulk purge, like a one-day open house moving sale, could bring in a few hundred bucks. You can also invite a friend over to raid your used clothing pile.

The act of getting rid of stuff has a calming effect on your psyche as well as your wallet, according to Peter Walsh, host of TLC's show Clean Sweep. If your house is full of stuff, all the blessings that could fill your house can't get in. The stuff takes over. It robs you psychologically. You can't be at peace," says Walsh, who spoke on The Oprah Winfrey show on February 7, 2007.

Another option: call up your local woman's shelter, Goodwill or favorite charity, and find out where you can donate your items. Your gently-worn slacks or blouse could help another woman feel more confident during her next job interview.

Pay it forward and lighten your load sure sounds good to me!

Having Trouble Saying Goodbye?

The purging process can be a lot easier if you make up rules and stick to them. For example, decide that you are going to give away all the clothes that you haven't worn in a year. So, when you come across that velour, leopard-print jumpsuit that you bought in anticipation of the next jumpsuit trend but never wore, it's time to retire it. Same goes for that v-neck you constantly ignore and the pants you avoid. You'll feel lighter mentally, and your boxes will be lighter too.

Next up: Saying NO to bubble wrap.

By Tania Leah Haas

Tania Leah Haas
		About the author:
		Born with a nomadic gene and a propensity for talking to strangers, Tania has spent the last three years working as a photojournalist and reporter. Most recently, Tania worked as a writer for Bloomberg Radio in NYC - and covered financial news in the eye of the economic storm. Tania's column will cover health, green-living and other topics that tickle her fancy. She served as a volunteer teacher in Nepal and Tibet after completing her undergraduate degree at Queen's University, and she earned an M.S. from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.
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