Moving House the Eco-friendly Way
Posted on 20/08/2014
Being economical may be at the top of your list, but being ecological may not be part of your plans when it comes to moving house. Our collective ignorance when it comes to looking after the planet is destroying the world we live in, and we are only now starting to see the effects of the damage that we are doing to the earth. Soon it will be too late to save the human race from extinction, as water levels rise and we are wiped from the face of the earth as the planet reacts to the damage we have done as a race and defends itself. Moving house using the eco-friendly way may feel like a small and insignificant contribution to the cause, but it is one of those essential little things that each and every one of us has to do in order that the whole mass of contributions towards saving the environment makes a difference.
When you live in London, it’s rare that you will need a car much of the time. Using your car less will help to lessen your impact on the environment, but getting rid of it completely, or at least reducing the number of vehicles that you own, will prevent you from using it at all, and therefore have a decent effect on how you affect the world around us. Getting rid of your vehicle will be difficult as there are so many ways to justify owning one, but once rid it will become apparent that you had very little real use for it! Buses and trains around the capital are regular and fairly efficient, and avoiding traffic jams is suddenly a luxury that you are a part of! Cycling is a good way to avoid using both public transport and your car, and is great for shorter journeys, even crossing from west to east London is only around three to five miles, which can be done in forty five minutes if you choose your route appropriately. Always wear a helmet and a high vis jacket if you are riding at night however, and be as safe as possible on the roads.
Once in your new house install a water saving shower head and use as little water as possible. Showering over taking baths saves hundreds of litres of water a week, especially if you live with a few other people. You can also recycle the moving boxes you have used for your move. Getting rid of the attitude towards energy use is a good start as well, many of us will immediately turn the heating on if we get a bit cold indoors, but putting on a jumper or an extra layer will stop you immediately reaching for the heating switch! Making sure that you turn appliances off at the wall is essential as well. Many electron devices use up power when they are in standby mode, like televisions for example. These sorts of things drain electricity while you are not even using them, which is the ultimate waste of energy, just like leaving the light on when you are not in the room!
After moving house you will probably need to get to know the new neighbourhood and visit the local supermarket. Buying your food from sustainable sources is a great way to reduce your carbon foot print as well. There are a surprising amount of farms in London, and if there is not one near you, then you can go to one of the multitude of markets and buy fresh greens and meat that has not been flown around the world. Such buying will also help keep trade within the country and prevent deforestation and other disastrous practices in other countries.
