So you recycle, compost and even drive a hybrid. You are an eco-friendly citizen, but as you know, there’s always more we can do to lessen our carbon footprint. Did you know moving is something we can go Green with also?

With the economic hardships being experienced in our society, we’re seeing more and more Americans relocate to places where they can find a better economic climate. We need to be aware of how this rising relocation trend will impact our landfills and the planet.

With the average American moving 12 times in there life, there is a lot of room for the boxes and packing paper to stack up. Producing 1 ton of cardboard requires the use of 17 trees, 79 gallons of oil, 7,000 gallons of water and 42,000 kilowatts of energy.
The EPA recommends the use of plastic containers that are reusable rather then cardboard boxes, because of the reduction of waste and energy.

I found one great Eco-Smart company that caters to this very topic. Ecopak, a locally run company out of Ohio, rents professional grade, eco-friendly, reusable, plastic moving boxes. Their mission is “to help our customers move smart by providing them with a quality product that will make their upcoming move easier and more environmentally friendly.” They boast high quality weather-proof containers that can lock, wheel, stack, nest and require no assembly. They can be rented for as low as 25 cents a day and the best part is that they deliver them to your door and pick them up when you’re finished with your move.

I love this idea and wish I’d known about it during my many college dorm room moves. It eliminates the need to search for discarded and often soiled cardboard boxes in dumpsters, which is a huge time and energy saver. Here’s a quick Eco-Fact for you, “did you know the average cardboard user wastes 5 hours collecting and assembling moving boxes before they even move?”

Eco-smart moving boxes seem like a no brainer for me. Look for some in your area the next time you’re thinking of moving.