Planning a "green" move to improve your company's environment

The "green" movement, although not new, continues to sweep the nation. Today many companies are seeking vendors that have taken steps to make their practices more environmentally friendly. This is an issue that has come to the forefront of the public's attention and is now a consideration in many businesses' decisions. Driven by government incentives and a new perspective on civic responsibility, environmentally friendly, or "green," practices have been embraced across many major industries, including architecture, design, construction and building. The commercial moving industry is another sector where companies can provide environmentally responsible services. Companies in the process of relocating now have the option to use vendors that offer a number of environmentally friendly services that can transform a typical move into one that is green. When a company begins developing a relocation plan for its business, whether for the entire company, several divisions or a special project, choosing a moving company with experience and expertise should be of the utmost concern. With some research it is possible to find a company that offers approaches that are environmentally responsible. In the past the moving industry has not been looked upon as being innovative from the environmental protection and sustainability perspective. However, today with new approaches, materials and technology, this has changed. The following are some of the services and approaches being offered by a few commercial movers. It is important to understand these services and ask for them when planning a green move. Often, during the moving process, a wide variety of items and raw materials become the responsibility of the moving company or the client management team. Old furniture, office equipment, paper files, cardboard boxes and other materials are often determined to be obsolete. The vast majority of these materials can be recycled, reused or simply donated. For example, a myriad of nonprofit organizations, charities, libraries, schools and other groups possess the need for old office furniture and office equipment that could be donated and reused for many years. Such a donation could be a valuable tax write-off and could become a valuable public relations opportunity. In other cases, materials such as metal, paper and wood can be sent to scrap yards or recycled. Ask the moving company what its policy is for handling such materials and where will it end up? Will it go to a recycler, or will it become another load of garbage headed for a landfill? Moving companies should have established relationships with waste management companies and recyclers. With the growing problem of e-waste (old computers, fax machines, copiers and cell phones), a relationship with an e-waste management recycler is especially important. Often companies will simply discard old computers, hard drives, backup tapes and discs that contain sensitive proprietary information. This information needs to be physically destroyed to protect its contents and prevent improper or illegal usage. In some instances, federal and state laws require proper disposal. Be sure to examine these laws, and if a moving company is going to contract to dispose of your equipment, make sure that it will be securely and completely destroyed. Some companies will take equipment and refurbish it or resell it. Make sure this is not the case with the equipment from your move, unless this approach was agreed upon in advance. Request a certificate of destruction for your records. Only a certified e-waste management company with the proper equipment can destroy these materials securely. Before a move commences the company - possibly with the assistance of the moving company - should purge as much equipment and files as possible. During this process the materials can be divided into groups for recycling, shredding, destruction, donation or waste. From an environmental and cost savings perspective, fewer trucks and boxes will be needed when less equipment, furniture and other items are moved. The boxes and containers used to move items as part of a relocation also have an impact on the environment. Ask the mover how the items will be moved. Will it use cardboard boxes? Will these boxes be made from recycled materials? In this case the boxes may cost more, but they will have less of an impact on the environment. Boxes may also be reused or used for storage purposes, giving them a longer lifespan. To aid in the reduction in the use of cardboard, some commercial moving companies are using reusable plastic bins to move items for clients. Each time one of these bins is used, it saves one cardboard box. Some large relocations use thousands of such containers. If plastic containers are used, many thousands of cardboard boxes do not need to be used, thus saving thousands of trees in the process. Taking advantage of technological innovations has also helped moving companies become more environmentally friendly. It is important to ask movers about their trucks and other equipment. For example, in the moving industry one of these innovations involves the introduction of trucks with battery-operated lift gates. Often trucks performing large-scale commercial relocations idle for long periods of time outside buildings in order to supply the power to operate a lift while contents are loaded or unloaded. This practice results in a tremendous amount of wasted fuel and unnecessary emissions. Now there are trucks equipped with heavy-duty, battery-operated lifts that can function while the truck's engines are shut off, saving money, fuel and emissions. Recycling, donations, innovative thinking and modern technology have all helped the moving industry to become more environmentally friendly. With an understanding of the "green" options that exist today, a relocation project can have a much less negative impact on the environment than in the past. To have a green move, it is important to research the companies that can provide these services and to ask them about their practices and policies before you make your final decision. Jim Molloy is CEO of the Advance Relocation Resource Group, Old Bethpage, N.Y.