Keeping Your Moving Day Green

(Image courtesy of Gavin St. Ours)

It’s no surprise that everything that we do has some sort of effect on the environment. So it should also be no surprise that every choice that we make concerning our move from one apartment to the next can also have an impact. From the cleaners we choose to use in our old and new apartments to what we do with our boxes after you’ve finally finished moving in, every decision we make during a move is an important one.

Being earth-friendly during your move doesn’t have to be difficult, though. This blog from apartmentguide.com offers some great ideas to keep your move an enviornmentally friendly as possible. Keep reading to learn more ways that you can get set up in a new home, while keep your carbon footprint as small as possible.

The good news about a DIY green move is that making environmentally-conscious choices doesn’t have to make a big dent in your wallet. In fact, following some of these suggestions may even save you money.

• Boxes. Cardboard box waste is one of the least environmentally-conscious parts of moving. To make your move greener, look for used boxes or rentable, reusable crates. You can rent plastic or wooden crates from companies likeRentaGreenBox.com or RentaCrate.com. These crates are available in several sizes, just like boxes, but come with the added benefit of being sturdier, easy to grip and, of course, less wasteful.
  
• Recycling. If you’re not going to rent boxes or source used ones, you can up the green factor by recycling your moving boxes, rather than throwing them away when you’re done. You may also consider the other ways you can recycle during a DIY move: forgoing bubble wrap for recyclable newspaper, old towels or sheets. Consider donating any unwanted items to charity before you move.
  
• Cleaning. You can choose environmentally-conscious cleaning methods when you do your move-out and move-in cleaning. Look for green cleaning brands likeDr. Bronner’s and Seventh Generation in stores. Or opt to make homemade green cleaning solutions with simple, inexpensive ingredients like baking soda, vinegar and lemon.
  
• Decluttering. It may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s true: the less stuff you move, the greener your move will be. To honor earth-friendly moving, perform a thorough round of decluttering before you pack up. The less stuff you have to move, the fewer boxes you’ll need and the less fuel you’ll use to cart stuff to your new home.

Professional green movers

Earth-friendly professional movers employ many of these same practices. They may also recycle boxes for their customers or use plastic crates, rely on bio fuel vehicles, use packing blankets made from recycled materials and employ other sustainable business practices. Read about California-based Go Green Moving, as an example.

Even if you don’t have a specifically green mover in your area, you can always ask a professional mover to employ as many green moving practices as they can. You’ll be supporting the demand for earth-friendly moving practices, while reducing the impact of your move on the environment.

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The Moving Purge

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There’s nothing like moving to make you realize just how many possessions you have. Though packing up and relocating is a great time to go through your home and reevaluate if you really need that coconut monkey that your great-aunt brought you back from Hawaii, many movers have a tough time parting with their trinkets.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when facing the idea of trying to separate your possessions, but there’s no need to get stressed. Apartmentguide.com has some great ideas concerning the best way to evaluate what you really need, and want, to keep with you during your move. Keep reading for a quick guide to get you started on your moving purge.

Stuff: it’s how you identify with home

There’s a rather complex psychological reason why we go through life collecting possessions and then arranging them carefully in our homes. As Julie Beck describes inThe Atlantic, the objects we collect and display are powerful symbols of who we are and where we’ve been in our lives.

That collection of seashells you cherish? They’re not just decor; they’re memories from the wonderful family vacation you took to the Oregon Coast. The miniature Empire State Building that’s sitting on your mantle? It’s a reminder of the early years of your professional life that you spent trying to “make it” in New York City.

According to Beck, Western culture values moving around a lot. We perceive from a young age that we’re always supposed to be striving to move to a newer, better and bigger home. And as a result, we may not form a deep attachment to our actual homes, but we do become attached to the objects we carry with us as we “trade up.”

What do we do when all of this baggage makes moving seem daunting? Understanding our personal attachments with possessions may well be the key.

Move with respect for your memories

Given that the objects we possess mean so much to us, it’s not hard to see why the process of packing up and moving can be psychologically difficult for so many people.

Only you can determine the time you’ll need to prepare yourself for the transition. These tips, however, might help you break down the moving process into segments so it doesn’t seem quite so hard. Every journey — even moving — begins with a first step.

1. Start now. The minute you know you’re moving, do something to kick off your move — anything as long as you take that one first step. Whether it’s calling around to get moving quotes or decluttering your apartment, you’ve got to make yourself start the process sooner, rather than later, so you don’t leave everything for the last minute. This will also aid the emotional process of moving.
   
2. Gently “edit” yourself. A move gives you the chance to determine which of your things are truly most meaningful. Don’t move the stuff you don’t need! Give yourself plenty of time to toss broken and old items, and donate usable items to charity before you move. You’ll feel good that you’ve cleared the clutter and helped others in the process.
   
3. Get the right moving supplies. You’ll feel prepared if you’ve got all the tools you need to pack your valuables for safe passage. Before you start, make sure you have everything you need: boxes, tape, labels, bubble wrap and any special protective materials for electronics, antiques and breakables.

When you choose to live in a place, you both alter that place with your presence and are altered, as well. The special things you bring with you when you move help keep your past home living experiences alive.

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Don't Let Your Pumpkin Turn Into Squash

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Halloween is almost here and that means it’s time to begin decorating! Whether you celebrate the holiday by hosting a party with friends or have decided to simply hand out candy to trick-or-treaters this year, there is no simpler way to make your apartment look festive than by carving a pumpkin. Unfortunately though, regardless of the design you choose, and where you decide to place your pumpkin, eventually the shape of your artwork will begin to deteriorate.

Though a decomposing pumpkin is an inevitability, there are a multitude of ways to keep your carved pumpkins from looking too scary too quickly. This article from botanicalinterests.com offers some great ideas to keep your jack-o-lanterns looking fresh after they’ve been sitting out for a few days. Keep reading to find out what they have to say:

Carved pumpkins look their best one to two days after carving, and rarely look good after seven days. So if you want your carved pumpkins to stay fresh until Halloween night, don't carve them until at least October 24th.

Before carving, wash your hands well with warm soap and water or a disinfecting hand sanitizer, and make sure your carving tools are clean to avoid transferring bacteria to the pumpkin. You may also want to wipe the outside of the pumpkin down with bleach before making the first cut.

Once carved, you can keep your pumpkin perky for up to a week by wiping the inside and cut areas with bleach, spraying with a household cleaning spray that includes bleach, or spraying with one of the pumpkin sprays available in craft or party stores. Then give those areas a thin coating of petroleum jelly.

Carved pumpkins decline the fastest in warm weather. Keep them out of direct sunlight and move them into a garage, cool basement, or a refrigerator when temperatures exceed 70°F. If your climate is humid or it is rainy, you should dry off and refrigerate your carved pumpkins at night. Freezing temperatures also speed decay, so move them to a protected location when temperatures outside are below freezing.

If a pumpkin starts to shrivel or gets a little mold prematurely, you can soak it for a couple of hours in a bucket of water to revive it, and add 2 teaspoons of bleach for every gallon of water, for disinfecting purposes.

If you are lighting up a pumpkin for more than one night, use a battery-operated candle or small flashlight inside instead of a candle. This will prevent soot and heat damage that could shorten the pumpkin's lifespan.

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The Best Movies To Have On At Your Next Party

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When entertaining a large group at your house, it always a good idea to have a common activity for everyone to do. Rather than reach for the board games to try to engage your guests, often it’s nice to have a suggested activity that they can choose to participate in, or to leave in lieu of conversations with other guests. Playing a movie is the perfect way to ensure that all of your guests are entertained without forcing anyone into an awkward situation

It can be difficult to pick a movie that everyone at your gathering will enjoy. Because everyone has different tastes and favorite genres of film that they’re interested in, they may not all like the same movies. This article from apartmenttherapy.com offers a few great suggestions that everyone at your party is sure to enjoy. Keep reading to find out what they had to say:

The Wall (1982)

Synopsis: A troubled rock star descends into madness in the midst of his physical and social isolation from everyone.

Why it's great: The soundtrack, obviously. Based on Pink Floyd's 1979 album of the same name, the film features very little dialogue and is mainly driven by the music.

Airplane! (1980)

Synopsis: An airplane crew takes ill. Surely the only person capable of landing the plane is an ex-pilot afraid to fly. But don't call him Shirley.

Why it's great: A hilarious classic and everyone knows it. As a parody of more serious disaster films, Airplane! moves quickly through slapstick comedy and absurd one-liners that even first-time watchers have heard.

Fight Club (1999)

Synopsis: An insomniac office worker looking for a way to change his life crosses paths with a devil-may-care soap maker and they form an underground fight club that evolves into something much, much more.

Why it's great: It's visually stunning, and thoughtfully so. The narrator's scenes without Tyler Durden are bland, while scenes with Tyler are almost unpleasantly vivid.

A Hard Day's Night (1964)

Synopsis: A 'typical' day in the life of the Beatles, including many of their famous songs.

Why it's great: The Beatles. Need I say more? Filmed at the height of Beatlemania, this black-and-white film combines cheeky British humor with The Beatles' music to create a "comic Fantasia."

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966)

Synopsis: A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.

Why it's great: The classic western of all westerns. This Italian Spaghetti Western features sweeping western landscapes, Civil War battle scenes, and one of film's most famous scores.

Moulin Rouge (2001)

Synopsis: A poet falls for a beautiful courtesan whom a jealous duke covets in this stylish musical, with music drawn from familiar 20th century sources.

Why it's great: The cover songs. The best of modern pop music is drawn back and restyled for a 19th century Parisian nightclub.

Animal House (1978)

Synopsis: Time: 1962. Place: college. Dean Vernon Wormer is determined to expel the entire Delta Tau Chi fraternity, but those troublemakers have other plans for him.

Why it's great: The laughs and party atmosphere. Spun off from National Lampoon magazine, it's one of the best comedies ever made and easy for anyone to follow.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

Synopsis: A high school wise guy is determined to have a day off from school, despite of what the principal thinks of that.

Why it's great: The sights. It's like taking a tour of Chicago—viewing Seurat at The Art Institute of Chicago, scoping out the observation deck of the Sears Tower, catching a ball at Wrigley Field—all from your living room.

Blade Runner (1982)

Synopsis: Deckard, a blade runner, has to track down and terminate 4 replicants who hijacked a ship in space and have returned to Earth seeking their maker.

Why it's great: The dystopian science fiction scenes, even though the film is set in not-so-far-away 2019 in Los Angeles.

Across the Universe (2007)

Synopsis: The music of the Beatles and the Vietnam War form the backdrop for the romance between an upper-class American girl and a poor Liverpudlian artist.

Why it's great: It's kind of like a really great, 2-hour-long music video. Covers of The Beatles' best songs are set against stunning imagery.

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