Eco Etiquette: 5 Tips For A Sustainable Move (VIDEO)

Send all your eco-inquiries to Jennifer Grayson at eco.etiquette@gmail.com. Questions may be edited for length and clarity.

I'm moving this summer. Any tips for how to do it without all the waste?

-Jennie

Moving is a real pain; not just for you, but for the planet, too. Think of all the trash that's created for the sole purpose of relocating from Point A to Point B: the ubiquitous single-use cardboard box, plastic bubble wrap, that chemically smelling packing tape...

Let's not forget, either, about the junk that's discarded as you prepare for your move, or the load of new stuff you have to buy (a different sized drawer organizer, that low-flow shower head) as you settle into your new home.

Then consider that more than 35 million Americans move each year. I couldn't find any hard statistics regarding resulting landfill waste, but anyone who's seen an old mattress and an overflowing dumpster after a single neighbor's move can imagine that multiplied 35 million-fold.

But it doesn't have to be this way. There are truly sustainable solutions out there, as I discovered during the course of my own move this past month. WATCH: