Our Green Move from NYC to Canada and Back
As you may have caught on, I am a green-minded adult. So the idea of moving to a country that puts a high value on protecting the environment, amongst many other issues like gun control and healthcare for all, certainly appealed to me. Behaviors like composting are a practice all families in Canada participate in, even more so in Toronto, where we resided for almost 2 years. Their green bin program asks residents to separate food scraps for garbage pick up, which are eventually broken down to create fertilizer.
In line with the green mentality of Canada, prior to our move as I planned out the logistics, I really pondered how to keep the environment top of mind. Almost every decision we made, presented the question, how could we plan our move in the most green friendly way possible? I had made a mental note when I ordered boxes and paper(both green-friendly) and bubble wrap(totally not eco-friendly) which had me thinking, for almost every single decision, there just might be a better-for-our-planet-option.
Now let me get in front of this sometimes heated topic. I was not and am still not looking to be a hypocrite, nor was I or am I opening myself up to be criticized on my efforts. Before you judge anyone, make sure you’re perfect, are words worth living by. I gave it my all to do as good of a job as I was able. When I could not find a solution after extensive research, I either caved if it was something I truly needed, or questioned if I felt it was reasonable enough to acquire. For example, my kids wanted some pool toys with the excitement of having a pool at our new home. We tried to find a second hand pool basketball net for weeks before pulling the trigger and purchasing one from Amazon. Was this a necessity... no. Yet, I decided that for all the positive steps I had taken, I could give a pass on this one and let the kids indulge. We will be sure to pass it along to another family when we move again, if we will no longer have a pool.
What I ultimately made a commitment to do was investigate options thoroughly and make informed decisions to reduce my family’s carbon footprint. Our first major decision, after great deliberation, was rather than take all our belongings with us, we would put our things in storage. At first, we looked into furnished rentals, which did not result in many options. Then we considered renting furniture for the unfurnished rental we would be leasing. After walking through this process, we came to understand the cost to do this would be greater that $2000 per month. This, paired with the cost to store our belongings monthly, was just too expensive. We reconsidered bringing our belongings, but this proved to be equally cost prohibitive.
This is where a little creativity and resourcefulness came into play.
Knowing there was a renter vacating the property, it occurred to me to ask the real estate agent if she could put me in touch with the current renter to see if they might be interested in selling any of their items. Being they were moving internationally, this turned out to be a very appealing request. We were able to purchase many furnishings as well as a grill, television and printer. Second hand items are an extremely eco-friendly option to consider and a cost effective one too!
As mentioned above, we discovered rental furniture. This proved to be costly for the long term. However, we also learned about staging companies, which often sell gently used items they are no longer having success renting out. It was here we purchased a couch, accent chair, coffee table, desk chairs and night tables, at significantly reduced prices.
We also perused antique furnishings, an excellent way to outfit a home. Antique shops offer products that are extremely well made, with great character to amp up interior decor. Depending on the make and model, this can be an affordable or expensive option. Irregardless of price, it is indeed green friendly.
Lastly, we turned to the Canadian equivalent of Craigslist, Kijiji, for further second hand items we were still seeking out. You can find many items from individuals selling things they no longer need or want, on sites like these. This option can be a little more tricky, as you are trusting an individual seller, so be sure to check their seller rating before making a purchase.
In regards to newly purchased items, some prove costly due to the process involved in making a product sustainable. In addition, where a product is made contributes to price too. However, with certain items, like mattresses, germs become an issue and buying new is ideal. Offsetting cost with some of the second hand options mentioned earlier, can help absorb some of these higher priced items.
For example, a sustainable mattress can run double the cost of a traditional one. Considering a gently used mattress, especially during the pandemic, did not appeal to us. With a mattress being a long term investment, we purchased new ones knowing we were still ultimately searching for our dream home. We felt comforted knowing these additional mattresses along with the ones in storage would be repurposed once we purchased a home post pandemic.
We also needed items like glasses and plates. Understanding transporting these items in the little space we had available in our SUV didn’t make sense, while also considering the possibility of them breaking, we made the decision to purchase more of our existing styles, once there. This would at least provide us with backups should we need to replace broken items in the future. We all know broken plates and glasses happen over time. While researching our stemware, I became aware that our Libbey Greenwich wine glasses were American made. So even though we were purchasing these, we were happy to learn of this sustainable aspect.
Outside of the above listed items, after exhausting all the above options, we had to make a few minor purchases. I sought out green friendly options, whenever possible, to keep in line with our eco move as we prepared for our departure and arrival. This turned out to be almost 2 years! We sold or gifted most of that furniture before returning to NYC. And nothing was thrown away.