Moving can really add to your Carbon Footprint. Ways to move green!
Moving is one of the most stressful things you can do in your life. Especially when you are downsizing and you have too much stuff. Trust me- I am going through it now. Newly married (to a wonderful, loving, PACK-RAT) and moving into a slightly smaller home that is under construction staying green was not at the top of my priority list for once. In fact, I wasn’t really even thinking about it until I started packing and my mother called to suggest that I use the shredded paper from my office as packing material instead of the bubble wrap and Styrofoam peanuts. Genius, I thought! I mean, naturally I was reusing old newspapers and packing material from our wedding gifts, but that was second nature. I decided it was worth some further brainstorming:
1. Start getting rid of your stuff! (THINK GEORGE CARLIN!) By giving away or consigning rather than trashing your unwanted items, they will get reused by others- reducing the need for manufacturing new items. In addition, reducing the amount of things that you put on the moving truck will reduce the amount of packing material and of gas you use!
2. Get free boxes! I know first hand that UHAUL has a free box section. This is kind of like the leave-a-penny, take-a-penny jar at the corner store and the boxes are pretty picked over. If you don’t get lucky there, stop by your local liquor store. Not only do they have a plethora of boxes, but they are just the right size for books, dvd’s, glasses, small appliances, your own wine collection, and more! When you are done with your boxes, reuse or donate!
3. Packing material can be made of almost anything: old newspapers, shredded office paper, plastic grocery bags, those lonely socks from the dryer you never found the match for, old t-shirts, dish towels, the pages of your senior thesis- be creative!
4. Rent the smallest moving truck that you need. This will save on gas and emissions.
5. When cleaning buy the non-toxic stuff. In most cases it works just as well as the harmful products. In fact, when you are forced during the move to come face to face with all of your stuff, audit yourself and see how you can integrate more eco friendly products into you new life in your new house!
I hope these tips were helpful. A few more would include
a. if you are packing up the UHAUL at night, don’t leave the light in the truck on too long. A UHAUL battery will die faster than a car’s battery. Believe me. I know. And I was shopping for jumper cables at 12:30 in the morning the other night!
b. be extra mindful of your pets. Moving is even harder on them since you can’t explain to them what is going on. They need extra love and care and a close eye while that door is left ajar when you are loading up your things. They can escape, and in my case they did- but we caught those little buggers!
Over and out.
The IceHouse Warms Up Fishtown
Introducing The IceHouse – Philadelphia’s premiere sustainable condominium complex. This cutting edge development has 10 New Construction and 3 rehab Condos all Registered for LEED Certification. Located in the heart of Fishtown, directly adjacent to a large park, these condos boast wide plank hardwood flooring throughout, bamboo cabinets, Caesarstone quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, secure [...]
10Year Tax Abatement Debate- Could Going Green be the Common Ground?
If you have been following Philadelphia’s budget crisis and/or the local real estate market, I am sure you are aware of the tax abatement argument. Those in favor argue that the abatement (which is applies to both majorly rehabbed properties and new construction and the purchasers of those properties are either taxed on the unimproved land or previous unimproved structure- paying those lower taxes for 10 years and can transfer this abatement once to another buyer) spurs development and improvement in this city where there would otherwise be none. Those against argue that it’s unfair to the rest of the homeowners in the city who have to pay their existing taxes and those benefiting all fall in the higher economic brackets of wealth.
Neither side has shown any evidence of a desire to meet somewhere in the middle, but recently a few bills have been proposed by Councilman Darrell Clarke to keep the abatement, but increase the purchasers taxes annually by 10%, and some variations on that idea. I have read the bills. I guess there is common ground in there, but still just more of the same. Councilman Curtis Jones Jr, though, has stolen my hear with his answer to the tax debate! In order to stay on track, in these tough economic times, to be the greenest city (Michael Nutter), Jones says, why not keep the full 10 year tax abatement but apply it only to structures that meet strict sustainable guidelines such as those set forth by the US Green Building Council for LEED Certification. This way, the onus is on the developers to step up their game and start building more eco-friendly buildings. In the end we all benefit. Attention to our city. Cheaper bills for the residents of these homes. More “green” homes on the market will most likely result in lower price tags. The list goes on!
Anyway, I would like to applaud this proposal and urge you all to write letters is support of such legislation to your local councilman. Frank Decicco can expect a letter from me!
Feel free to contact me if you have questions about green building, LEED certification, or anything else that exists in the real where real estate meets environmentalism!