After months of extensive preparation, Movegreen has expanded its operations to offer a new division of its award winning services – Corporate, Commercial and Industrial moves. “The time was right. With demand growing and the lack of professionally trained commercial moving companies, we saw the opportunity in adding a complete new division to the Movegreen arsenal,” said co-founder Patrick Wilkinson. As many companies have closed their doors in these tough economic times, Movegreen has emerged as a leader in the industry and seen tremendous growth. “We attribute this to our environmentally conscious vision and great customer dedication,” Patrick went on to say.

How is this new division different?

Corporate and commercial moves require the transportation of important documents, data equipment and other machinery that must be treated differently than normal household items. Often times the transported goods are of high value or very difficult to move, in either case all call for special handling, care and specialized equipment. This is why it is important to choose a professional and commercially trained moving company when relocating your important business possessions.

Movegreen has further expanded its commercial moving abilities with the addition of this new division. This Corporate and Commercial division consists of a highly trained staff that specializes in moving office and industrial equipment. What does this mean for you? Movegreen can now move any type of commercial building, including hotels, warehouses, stores, and schools. They will also relocate your employees with your new office and direct bill the company to ease a smoother transition.

Within the Corporate and Commercial Division of Movegreen, you will be assigned an experienced Move Coordinator that will walk you through the complexity that is involved when moving a business. What can I take and what should I leave? What agencies do I need to inform that we are moving? What is the best way to retain customer support after the move? Your Move Coordinator will answer all of these questions and map out a strategy to ensure your move is successful and flawless. Movegreen understands the need to move in a timely manner and will work efficiently around the clock, nights or weekends, to get you back to work as quickly as possible and not affect your business. Whether moving a few items around the office or across the country, Movegreen’s dedicated staff is here to help.

If you have ever thought about doing energy efficient improvements to your home, now is the time. Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEMs) can help you overcome the initial hurdle of financing your project. There is an emerging market for energy efficient homes across the United States, and because of this mortgage lenders are increasing their usage of EEMs to make it more affordable for potential and existing homeowners.

How is an Energy Efficiency Mortgage different?

An EEM is a mortgage that allows the homeowner to borrow against the expected energy savings and increased value of their home after the improvements are completed. Lenders realize these improvements lower the monthly operating costs of your home and will take into account this increased cash flow when determining your ability to pay your mortgage. Moreover, lenders also factor in the increased value of your home allowing you to borrow more than you would be able to without the energy efficient improvements. Studies have estimated that a home’s value increases $20 for every $1 decrease in annual energy costs.

This program, backed by FHA, helps current or potential homeowners significantly lower their monthly utility bills by enabling them to incorporate the initial cost of the energy efficient improvements into their mortgage. This eliminates the need to take out an additional mortgage to cover the cost of the intended improvements. The Energy Efficient Mortgage program allows a home buyer to purchase a higher quality home and increases eligibility of EEM users compared to non-EEM users with the same purchasing power.

Types of Energy Efficient Mortgages

• Energy Improvement Mortgage: Allows for refinancing or an additional mortgage based on the expected monthly energy savings of the home improvements.
• Energy Efficient Mortgage: Uses the energy savings from a new energy efficient home to increase the home buying power of consumers and capitalizes the energy savings in the appraisal.

How to Qualify

The Energy Efficient Mortgage is eligible for 1 or 2 unit existing or new homes. The cost involved in adding energy efficient features to the home and an estimate of the energy savings must be determined by a home energy rating system (HERS) or a qualified energy consultant. Part or all of the cost of the energy audit can be included in the mortgage.

The improvements can be included in a borrower's mortgage only if their total cost is less than the total dollar value of the energy that will be saved during their useful life. The cost of the improvements that may be eligible for financing as part of the mortgage is either 5% of the property's value (not to exceed $8,000) or $4,000, whichever is greater.

Program Summary

(Note: Some requirements may vary between lenders)

Eligibility:
1-2 unit homes are eligible.

Improvement Financing:
$4,000 or 5% of the appraised value (whichever is greater) up to a maximum of $8,000.

Down Payments:
If the improvements have a present value greater than the cost of the energy upgrades, no down payment is necessary for energy improvements.

Loan Limits:
FHA maximum loan limits can be exceeded by the energy improvements being financed.

Loan to Value:
Final LTV may exceed 100% of appraised value when the energy improvements have a present value greater than the cost of upgrades.

Eligible Improvements:
All improvements identified by home energy rating as having a combined present value greater than the cost of upgrades.

Installation Time Limits:
90-180 days (varies with local lenders)

Necessary Documentation:
Expected energy savings and cost of the project – i.e. a home energy rating (HERS) and contractor bids.

For more information visit: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=bldrs_lenders_raters.energy_efficient_mortgage

For residents of Santa Barbara, green living has increasingly become the norm. From farmers relying on bio-diesel and organic production practices to residents relying less on non-renewable resources and minimizing their carbon output, Santa Barbara is setting the curve for much of Southern California and the United States. It is no surprise that Santa Barbara plays host to one of the best green moving companies in the nation.

Whether it is a long haul, a short haul of several antique furniture pieces, a home relocation, an office move or grandma's 10 foot grand piano that needs to be put in storage, MoveGreen provides professional, green moving services to the residents of Santa Barbara and surrounding areas.

MoveGreen – Professional Green Movers Based in Santa Barbara

MoveGreen is no ordinary moving company. Yes, they possess the same ability, reliability and professional skill as a heavy haul moving company such as Allied, Budget Van Lines or Two Men and a Truck, yet they separate themselves with their green practices from conceptualization to completion.

Beginning with the packing process, they'll offer tips or help in the accumulation of recyclable materials to help make every aspect of your move as green as possible. For packaging of large items that will be immediately unpacked post-transport, MoveGreen also offers reusable plastic bins and crates for all their green moves in Santa Barbara, intrastate moves or moves across the country.

Transport occurs with eco-friendly bio-diesel trucks, to greatly reduce the emissions caused by the transport of client goods. To combat the carbon footprint from the moving process, MoveGreen also plants trees and purchases carbon credits in an effort to achieve ecological balance.

Moving Green in Santa Barbara

When you are planing to make a green move in Santa Barbara, it all begins with planning. You can often find recyclable boxes and packing materials for free from Craigslist. Packing materials such as paper or peanuts come in a variety of recycled and biodegradable options. The latest trend in green moving and shipping is to use peanuts made from cornstarch.

Hiring a company such as MoveGreen will aid in the process of streamlining packing and loading as well as hauling and unloading. Once the move has taken place, quality green movers will also do their best to facilitate waste removal, by reusing old boxes and packing supplies or dealing them to the appropriate recycling center. For both commercial and residential moves, MoveGreen provides eWaste recycling of any old or unwanted electronic goods.

Moving Green From Santa Barbara

For Santa Barbara residents and business owners who are looking to relocate, MoveGreen can offer their professional green moving service for the task, regardless of where you need to go. There is no job too big or too small. Whether you're moving from Santa Barbara to a location in Los Angeles County, or you're moving to Las Vegas, Nevada,or somewhere else across the country, MoveGreen will help facilitate your move.

Moving a business is a task that is often accompanied by an extreme level of stress, both on the individuals involved and the environment. Companies need to be open for business, and bottom line, when an office is in transport, that can be an incredibly difficult undertaking. Taking commercial moves a step further, they are often responsible for a large amount of electronic waste that is improperly disposed of during the packing and transport process. To alleviate the stress associated with a commercial move, consider some excellent green commercial moving practices.

Plan Ahead With a Green Mindset

Visualize your commercial move with a green mindset. 9 times out 10, business moves aren't based on overnight decisions. In the planning process, you can take stock of what is going, what is staying, what is reusable in the new commercial space and what needs to be disposed of. When you think in terms of disposal for making a green commercial move, first, think donate, and second, think recycle. Metals, papers, boxes, plastics – you name it and there is a place for your trash to become treasure.

To make your move as efficient as possible, you may want to consider the hiring of a professional moving team. All this will depend on the size of your move, office or commercial business. To lend a helping hand to you and the environment, there are options to choose from in the realm of professional green movers.

Hire a Reputable Green Moving Company

Companies such as MoveGreen, located in the southern California city of Santa Barbara, are leading the industry in a new, green direction. Specializing in commercial and residential moves, MoveGreen offers everything from packaging services to the planning of a self-serve, green packing process.

Reputable, green moving services also offer excellent options for transport of commercial supplies. The use of bio-diesel trucks puts less stress on the local environment and offers comparable and sometimes better fuel efficiency, dependent on the vehicle. MoveGreen takes their green commercial moving process a couple steps further by planting 10 trees per contracted move and purchasing carbon credits in an attempt to balance the carbon footprint left by the moving process.

Recycle all Electronic Waste

Don't throw away electronics. Batteries, TVs, monitors, computers, hard drives, electronic pencil sharpeners: Regardless of the equipment you plan to get rid of during your commercial move, green up the process by getting it to a local recycling center, contacting an organization that specializes in it or relying on green moving services like Movegreen to take the items off your hands for recycling.

Donate, Reuse or Recycle all Leftover Moving Supplies

After you have gotten everything into its right place, you can cap your green commercial move by simply reusing the moving boxes and supplies, or offering them to another interested party. If the first two options aren't possibilities, a quick box breakdown and trip to the recycling center will ensure that you've closed out your move with the green mindset.

Business moves are beasts that are not easily tamed. The variables included in such a move may result from an expanding corporation or the downsizing of a mom and pop retail shop. Regardless of need, there are several moving companies that specialize in commercial moves. If you're considering a move to a different office or retail location, you should consider the effect that move will have on the environment. To combat such an effect, you may wish to relocate your business with a green moving company.

The Packing and Transport Process – Relocating Your Business with a Green Moving Company

As a business owner possessing concern for the environment, it's only natural to desire green movers when relocating your business. Green moving companies are experts when it comes to some of the little things you may not think of. Along those lines, they are able to offer tips, provide options and suggest recyclable and biodegradable goods to help in the transport of all necessary fixtures, files, products...ultimately, whatever needs to be transported.

When offering packaging services, the best green moving companies will offer crates and bins in the form of reusable plastics, helping to keep the overhead down and lending Mother Nature a helping hand at the same time. Not only are green movers capable of crating some of your freight, but they'll also do the legwork.

Green movers will also transport your office supplies, furniture and electronics by using eco-friendly moving trucks running on bio-diesel as opposed to refined fossil fuels. Southern California-based MoveGreen plants ten trees for each contracted move and purchases carbon credits to offer ecological balance to the footprint they leave behind during a move.

Electronic Waste Recycling

Green moving companies such as MoveGreen also offer complete removal and recycling of electronic waste materials. Computers, monitors, printers, telephones, intercom systems: You name it, and they will load it up and get it to the appropriate E-Waste facility where the components can be broken down, recycled and/or disposed of in an environmentally safe manner. As a business owner, there is no doubt you need such a service – when you choose to relocate with a quality, green moving company, that's the type of service you can rely on.

The Unpacking Process

Green moving companies won't just drop your stuff off and leave you to move it in. After performing an unload, or “load-in,” they will continue to facilitate environmental friendliness of your business relocation by helping with the recycling process or suggesting the best method to reuse or donate your boxes and recyclable goods to another individual or organization. If you have taken advantage of their reusable crates and bins, then there will be little mess to deal with after unpacking.

Benefits of Relocating with a Green Moving Company

When you choose to relocate your business with a green moving company, you are making an eco-friendly decision. With dedicated organizations such as MoveGreen, you can rest assured that you will enjoy quality service with eco-friendliness as the base of the professional foundation.

For the environmentally conscious mover, there are excellent ways to make your move as green an experience as possible. From the first step of packing and boxing goods, to the transport of those goods, to the unloading, unpacking and recycling of moving materials, you can go green. Whether you're moving across town or across the country, you can even enlist the service of an eco-friendly moving truck offered by a green moving service, or professional movers.

Eco-Friendly Moving Trucks

What exactly constitutes an eco-friendly moving truck, and who provides them? For starters, with the advent of the green era, more and more heavy-haul diesel trucks are being equipped to run off of bio-diesel. While the process hasn't been perfected or become the norm, bio-diesel fuel is made from biodegradable raw goods and thus they make the engines they turn more friendly to the environment. The new trend of green moving companies have begun to build their moving truck fleet around eco-friendly bio-diesel technology, allowing you a little peace of mind if you're looking to hire out to a responsible moving company.

Many eco-friendly moving trucks powered by bio-diesel have also proven to be more fuel efficient than high (#1) and low (#2) sulfur diesel fuels.

Green Movers and Eco-Friendly Moving Trucks

Leading the trend and setting the curve in the realm of green movers is the Southern California-based MoveGreen. Located in Santa Barbara, these professional movers extend a green hand to the moving process from conceptualization to completion. Based on the beautiful Southern California coast, MoveGreen is able to accommodate moves in the tri-county area, small moves across town and moves across the country. Regardless of the job, they use eco-friendly moving trucks to transport client goods.

MoveGreen stays involved in the moving process with assistance from tips in using recyclable and biodegradable packing materials to helping find a home for any reusable goods you're looking to dispose of once you're unloaded, unpacked and ready to settle. Specializing in both residential and commercial moving services, MoveGreen offers green moving opportunities to anyone looking to transport their goods via eco-friendly moving truck.

Giving Back to the Environment

While many companies are utilizing more eco-friendly moving trucks, few go to the lengths that MoveGreen does. While bio-diesel trucks are far better than their fossil fuel-burning counterparts, they still require the use of oil based-products and they still release emissions. To balance this out, MoveGreen plants 10 trees and purchases carbon credits for each contracted move. If you live a green lifestyle, these are eco-friendly moving trucks worth taking advantage of.

When choosing a heavy haul moving truck for a relocation, or if you need to transport a piano, or a similar heavy or large object, consider the use of an eco-friendly moving truck.

When life offers opportunity, or dictates lifestyle adaptability, the word “move” is often an inevitability. When you're an individual concerned about the environment, you can actually make the process of moving an adventure in green living through the purchase and use of recyclable materials. From green movers and moving companies to recyclable boxes and biodegradable packing materials, it is possible to be an eco-friendly mover.

Using Recyclable Materials While Moving

When breaking the process of moving into three parts, packing, transport and unpacking, each entity can be met with a green mindset and purpose. When diving into the packing process, it's best to begin a couple weeks early. By doing so, you can begin to collect free, recyclable boxes and reuse them, reducing waste and continuing a process of making sure materials are recycled or reused again in the future.

Packing materials such as paper, peanuts and bubble wrap are also great ways to dig into recyclable materials that are quite functional. If you need to purchase paper, consider purchasing paper that has already been recycled, or dipping into racks of free local newspaper and want ads that will find their way to the trash or a recycling center. Packing peanuts are now much more eco-friendly to use than they once were, coming in the form of recyclable plastic-foam, as well as cornstarch peanuts that are completely biodegradable.

Bubble wrap can be used over and over again as long as the bubbles haven't fallen victim to the self entertainment popping process. Nearly all of these recyclable materials that are necessary for moving can be found for free or at discounted prices through forums such as Craigslist or through a professional green moving company.

In terms of using packing tape, you can find recyclable and biodegradable tape materials made from natural products, as opposed to chemicals and plastics. If standard tape is a necessity, take into consideration the need to use an appropriate allotment – avoid excess.

Hiring Green Movers

One way to ensure you'll enjoy the benefit of using recyclable materials while moving is to actually hire a green moving company to take some legwork out of the process and offer a host of green moving suggestions. Companies such as the Ssouthern California, Santa Barbara-based MoveGreen are setting the standard for eco-friendly moving services. Utilizing as many reusable crates and packing materials as possible, they will also help to supply boxes, or suggest options for recyclable resources whenever possible.

With green movers, you can also rest assured the transport process will be as eco-conscious as possible. MoveGreen uses bio-diesel trucks, purchases carbon credits and plants trees for every contracted move. Once transport and unload has been achieved, they also take the step of helping you find a home for recyclable and reusable materials such as wrap, paper, boxes and peanuts.

In the event that you plan and execute your own eco-friendly move, you can still make your move as green as possible by using recyclable materials then reusing them or giving them away for reuse. When they have been used to their maximum capacity, they can simply be recycled.

Part of living a green lifestyle is the process of retooling your mindset to be conscious of everything you use. Some use equates to waste, while other things can be reused. The categories of biodegradable products and reusable resources offer great ecological friendliness and sustainability, yet some waste generated from our personal use of dailyi conveniences is necessary. Being green means that you combat what you've left behind by giving back. Easy enough, right? So, how do you apply this to something as stressful as moving? You hire a team of green movers, of course.

Environmental Effects of Hiring Green Movers

There are only advantages when you consider the environmental effects of hiring green movers. Southern California-based MoveGreen strives for sustainability every step of the way, relying on bio-diesel trucks, reusable storage containers, recyclable and biodegradable expendables and they even go so far as planting 10 trees for every move they facilitate. On top of all the positive environmental effects you can see, MoveGreen also purchases carbon credits to offset their necessary use during a green move.

Learning Tricks of the Trade from Professional Green Movers

Hiring green movers will also help educate you in what it takes to make your move the greenest process possible. Green movers are big on reusing boxes and packing materials that have plenty of life left. This ensures the resources are used to their maximum life and capacity. Along those lines, they also make the extra effort to help you find a home for those reusable supplies once the move has been completed. No doubt such an extra effort earns green movers a pat on the back from Mother Nature.

You'll get some amazing tips from green movers for positive environmental effects - these tips will make your move more green, and will probably save you some money in the process. When you think about it, we often overspend on excess, not necessity during the process of a move.

Green Movers Respect the Environment and All of Your Stuff

Just because they base their moving principles upon sustainability, it certainly doesn't mean that green movers are any less adept at taking excellent care of your belongings. Green movers such as MoveGreen specialize in everything from crosstown to cross-country moves for both residential and commercial clients, including moving heavy office furniture or specialty items such as pianos and heavy, antique furniture. Knowing green movers take pride in caring for the environment, you can expect the same pride in taking care of your goods.

Green movers are also efficient in the way they travel. No miscalculations causing multiple trips and thus more fuel consumption. Even if it's clean fuel, there is no need to use more than is necessary. Again, this is another aspect that can help save money on a crosstown move. Multiple trips are an incredible waste of resources and time, adding to the undesirable stress level of moving.

Ultimately, hiring green movers serves as the best way to reduce both the carbon footprint and the personal stress associated with your move.

Have you ever thought of the environmental effect of moving? The boxes, the paper, the plastic, the fuel consumption? What happens to all of those expendables after they have been used? For residents of Southern California, there are options to combat the carbon footprint by moving green. Whether it's from one apartment to another or an entire corporate office in need of a relocation, moving green in Southern California will considerably reduce the footprint left in a world region that is already heavily trafficked.

Moving Green in Southern California

Companies like the Santa Barbara-based MoveGreen are leading the way in eco-friendly moving. Offering consideration to the home, office and ecological environment, they are able to accommodate moves across Southern California, across the entire state and even across the country. These green movers specialize in both residential and commercial moves.

Green movers such as MoveGreen offer a variety of services based on a foundation of sustainability. From reusable plastic crates instead of boxes to reusing and recycling those boxes when they're necessary, from using bio-diesel trucks to the planting of 10 trees for every move they accommodate. Beyond the fact that they genuinely care about the environment, MoveGreen is also capable of taking special care of your treasured things. From heavy moves, including piano moves and antique furniture moves, to entire households that need expert packing for a cross-country adventure, MoveGreen truly does moving green right in Southern California.

Tips For Moving Green in Southern California

While relying on the guidance and assistance of a green moving company will certainly help the eco-friendly moving process, there are ways you can offer sustainability to your move if you need to do it yourself. Consider your use of boxes and other expendable materials such as tape, packing peanuts or paper. There are wonderful, eco-friendly ways to move green in Southern California, and a great place to begin is by public forum - Craigslist for example.

Craigslist is full of free boxes, as well as other packing supplies and materials that people are looking to offer for reuse. Better to reuse than recycle. In such an instance, going greener may save you a few bucks on an expensive process.

You can also find packing peanuts and paper that are made from biodegradable and recyclable materials. Rely on old newspapers or use the freebies on the newsracks that are destined for the trash or local recycling center. Nearly every city in Southern California has some sort of recycling center, and they might even allow you to pull boxes and newspapers from their donation bins.

Make One Big Trip to Make Your Move Greener

Want to move greener? Here's a statement of the obvious that generally flies over heads of people who are deep in the process of a move. Rent a truck to move all of your belongings, or hire a green moving company to transport them in a single trip. The back and forth method of crosstown moves is a waste of gas, resources and your time. Generally, moves of these nature will not save you money, they'll cost you more and will take a heavier toll on the environment.

When preparing for a move, the latest trend in aiding the environment may also serve to save you money and provide you with an enjoyable move. The simple thought of packing, moving and unpacking is a source of stress for many individuals, but it doesn't need to be. By putting into action a few simple eco-friendly packing and unpaching tips, you can get your stuff packed, moved and unpacked without adding unnecessary waste to the local ecosystem.

Hiring an Eco-Friendly Moving Company

One of the most efficient and eco-friendly ways to pack for a move is with the assistance of professional green movers. Believe it or not, they are out there, rolling in their bio-diesel moving trucks and planting trees to help combat energy and resource usage. MoveGreen is one particular eco-friendly moving company located in Southern California; they are devoted to helping alleviate client stress, as well as reducing stress on the environment.

Green movers can help accommodate the packing and moving process by offering recycled packaging materials, boxes and several great tips to reduce the waste associated with your move. They will do the heavy lifting, legwork and provide necessary moving transport as well. Whether you have a studio apartment or a 5-bedroom home housing your family and all of your belongings, consider a green moving company to provide the appropriate respect to your new home, your old home, and the outside, shared environment.

Eco-Friendly Packing Tips

Boxes

Some simple eco-friendly packing tips may actually serve to save you money in the long run. For example, before you buy boxes, see what you can find via forums such as Craigslist, or another local entity. If you think in terms of "reduce, reuse, recycle," you'll be well on the path to eco-friendly packing. Boxes that are sturdy are the only ones worth using if you're pursuing a large/cross-country move. They'll go through more than you realize during transport. Last but not least, you'll want to overestimate your box needs.

Packing Paper and Peanuts

For fragile items, consider investing in recyclable packing paper, or using a stash of old newspapers or magazines that can be recycled at a later point. For the most breakable items, consider eco-friendly packing peanuts – yes, the kind that don't stick to everything and can be reused time and time again. There are also cornstarch packing peanuts available for eco-friendly packing, providing a biodegradable option.

Reduce the Packing Tape

To combat the moving waste that will eventually end up landfill-bound, consider alternatives to the use of packing tape. Packing tape may be a necessity, but it doesn't need to be used excessively. There are also eco-friendly rubber-based tapes that are sustainable alternatives. For boxes that are lightweight and stackable, it doesn't take much tape to do the trick. Less tape used on boxes will also make them last longer.

Eco-Friendly Unpacking

After the big move it's time for the part everyone loves the most – unpacking. Unpacking in an eco-friendly manner is as easy as remaining conscious of expendable disposal. Expendables, such as boxes, packing paper, peanuts, twine, rope and bungee are all reusable moving resources. If you don't have the space for them, you can pretty much guarantee someone else will want them. Ask around or put a post on Craigslist and watch the people come running for the freebies. Another great eco-friendly unpacking option is to recycle the raw materials such as cardboard and the plastic-foam peanuts.

When you've purchased or are renting a new home, there is often an excitement that is hard to rival. The open space is full of potential, where your creative imagination can run wild with color, decorative schemes and even an eco-friendly set up to make your new home green. To begin the process, have you ever thought about hiring a green moving company to transport your belongs from one domicile to another? Yes, they exist, and beyond doing the legwork typical of professional movers, green movers will help make the process one that won't take a harsh toll on the environment.

Preparing Your New Home for Green Movers

Hiring green professional movers isn't a gimmick, or simply the hire of a trendy company that has little experience in making home or commercial moves. Companies such as Santa Barbara-based MoveGreen are leading the moving industry and helping to shift the paradigm of what moving companies should be. They strive toward green living and a green professional service. For example, MoveGreen and similar green movers will opt for as many reusable, recyclable and biodegradable resources as possible in every process of a new home move.

When transporting belongings to your new home, the leading green moving companies, including MoveGreen, rely on heavy haul, bio-diesel rigs to perform the task. While it's not a perfect source of fuel, it is certainly cleaner and more efficient than non-renewable fossil fuels. MoveGreen also plants trees and purchases carbon credits to counter the carbon footprint left when transporting goods.

Packing for Your New Home with Green Movers

Boxes! You'll need boxes to prepare your new home for green movers. Always overestimate what you think you need, and if you have leftovers, you can offer them to someone else, reuse them or consider giving them to the moving company so they can offer them for reuse. The best green movers will provide reusable crates and bins for the transport of your larger goods, and they can even assist in the packaging of those things at the appropriate time.

Recyclable packing paper is the way to go in prepping for your move. If you need to purchase paper, go for the recycled variety, and for packing peanuts, you can find recyclable plastic-foam varieties that can be reused. You'll also find biodegradable cornstarch-based peanuts. During the moving process always think: Reduce, reuse, then recycle.

For boxes and packing supplies to make your move green, consider checking out a forum such as Craigslist to find a load of freebies. This is also a great place to give away any excess that you don't plan to use.

The Final Prep - Preparing Your New Home for Green Movers

Once everything has been packed and loaded, the hard part is done - it only needs to be transported and unloaded. Having a solid plan for where things will go in your new home will greatly reduce the time needed for professional green movers to get things into their right rooms and spaces. Being accessible and on hand the day of arrival will help to close the process in a smooth and organized fashion.

We're all concerned about the environment, and most of us find ourselves in a category of not knowing what to do to help, as opposed to having a rich knowledge bank of green living. A change in mindset takes time and requires education. In order to help make everything a little more green, here are a few great tips for making a move as green as possible.

Pre-Plan Your Green Move

While it won't take weeks to sit down and plan an eco-friendly move, it does take thought and consideration to achieve a move that offers the least amount of stress to the environment. Consider the use of renewable, recyclable and biodegradable resources for your packing, transport and unpacking process and you'll be on the right path.

Hiring a Green Moving Company

There are green movers who are skilled in planning and executing green moves without busting a hole into your relocation budget. Whether you're planning a residential or a commercial move, a green moving company will build your moving contract upon a green foundation, from recyclable and reusable packing supplies to the transport of goods with eco-friendly moving trucks.

Reuse Moving Supplies

Reduce, reuse, recycle. That order will offer Mother Nature the greatest helping hand. Check Craigslist for boxes, packing paper and peanuts, and take advantage of anything you have on hand before purchasing more moving supplies.

Accumulate Recyclable Boxes

You'll need boxes for any type of move. Always overestimate the amount you'll need, and don't be shy about using boxes that have been “previously enjoyed.” When the cardboard begins to lose its ability to hold shape, that's when you can trade it out or offer it to the nearest recycling center.

Use Old Newspapers

Instead of buying new packing paper, consider the use of old newspapers. You'll more than likely want to wash your dishes after they've been hauled anyway, so newspapers will allow you to save some money while taking stress off of the environment. Begin collecting papers several weeks in advance, and you'll be set for a greener move when the day arrives.

Use Recyclable or Biodegradable Peanuts

No more traditional foam peanuts – you know, the kind that stick to everything? There are excellent options for packing peanuts, including the recyclable plastic-foam varieties as well as peanuts made from biodegradable cornstarch. They both do the trick, don't stick to the boxed items, are reusable and the cornstarch variety dissolves in water.

Transport With Eco-Friendly Bio-Diesel Trucks

Attempt to rely on the cleanest fuel possible for your transport. This will really help in combating the carbon footprint left by your move. Bio-diesel isn't a perfect fuel, but it is renewable, sustainable, cleaner and oftentimes more efficient than #1 or #2 grade-refined diesel.

Offer Balance for the Carbon Footprint of Transport

Follow the example of the masters of sustainable moving, MoveGreen, from Santa Barbara, CA. This team of professional green movers plants trees and purchases carbon credits to offer ecological balance to all of their contracted moves. This is a gesture that anyone and everyone can offer to make a move as green as possible.

Recycle All Electronic Waste

For residential, and especially for commercial moves, there are always opportunities to recycle electronic waste that could be easily left behind or tossed into a landfill. Refined goods such as computers, monitors, TVs, stereos, phones, cell phones – the list goes on – should be recycled appropriately. This is a free service at local recycling centers, and many centers offer compensation for specific electronic goods.

Reuse, Donate or Recycle Leftover Moving Materials

You've packed, moved and unloaded, now it's time to get rid of the supplies no longer needed. It is simple to offer supplies for free on public forums such as Craigslist if you will not reuse them. If donation is not an option you can run recyclables to your local recycling center.

Following a few simple rules when looking for a mover will go a long way toward protecting you from being victimized by scammers.  Every year the Better Business Bureau (BBB) receives complaints from consumers who have fallen prey to dishonest and sometimes unlicensed moving companies; in 2009 alone, the BBB received 8,400 such complaints.

These complaints are primarily about damaged or lost goods and final prices in excess of original estimates. In a common worst-case scenario, the moving company will hold the customer’s belongings hostage and require potentially thousands of dollars to unload the truck – this is illegal!

Virtually anyone with a truck and a Web site can claim to be a mover. When it comes to such an important decision, you can save a lot of heartache by doing just a little homework to track down the companies that put customer service and integrity first.  Checking a mover’s credentials is critical and easy. Use the following checklist to find a trustworthy moving company:

1.  What to look for when researching potential movers:

• Interstate Moves:  Make sure the mover is licensed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.  You can double-check a mover’s license at www.protectyourmove.gov.  Also, look for the ProMover logo that signifies “quality and professional mover” according to the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA).

• Local or Intrastate Moves:  Check for similar resources in your state. In addition, regardless of the type of move, check to make sure the company has at least a satisfactory rating with the Better Business Bureau.

2.  Get an in-home estimate. No legitimate mover will offer to give you a firm estimate on-line or over the phone. Also keep in mind that the lowest estimate can sometimes be an unrealistic low-ball offer which can cost you more in the end.

3.  Know Your Rights. Research your rights as a consumer with both the state you currently reside in and where you are moving to. Also enlist the help of local law enforcement if the moving company fails to live up to its promises or decides to hold your belongings hostage.

Every year, 43 million Americans move, and many of them now search for movers on the Internet. Watch out! There's a little-known industry you need to be aware of before you relocate. They're called "moving brokers." Many of the moving sites on the Internet are actually run by moving brokers. (Often they let you think they are movers when, in fact, they are just brokers.) These are middlemen who don't actually move you themselves. Instead, they give you an estimate and then find a mover to haul your stuff. Experts say the very structure of how they work can cause a lot of headaches for consumers. The problem can be that, when things go wrong, the broker blames the mover and the mover blames the broker and you blame them both.

Phone Estimates Are a Red Flag

Every moving broker I know of gives estimates by phone, after you request an estimate online. They ask you to walk through your house and describe what is in each room. There are a couple of problems with that.

First of all, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which regulates interstate movers and brokers, says phone estimates, especially estimates that seem too good to be true, are a red flag of problems to come.

Second, you are not a professional moving estimator. When your move is more expensive than quoted, the broker can then blame you and say you weren't honest about how much furniture you had. Even if you're thorough, it's hard for a non-expert to know how many boxes it takes to hold all the books in your living room. And it's easy to forget about things like the grill out on your patio.

Third, the broker is not the one who actually has to transport your goods for the price quoted. So he does not have that personal motivation to make sure his price will cover it. If the quote is too low, loopholes in the law make it fairly easy for the mover to throw out the broker's quote and raise the price. Countless consumers have complained that they received lowball quotes from moving brokers and then the actual mover jacked up the price.