Nowadays we are surrounded with words such as “being green”, “sustainable living” or “eco-friendly products”. Is it possible to have a “green move”? Even though moving goods generates some carbon emissions, if you follow these easy tips, you can become an eco-friendly expat when moving out from Kenya.
1. Don’t buy more goods!
As soon as you know that you are moving, you should avoid purchasing new items and you should try to get rid of the unnecessary ones. Why not selling them? Or even better, what about giving them to charities or to other people who might need them?
2. Store the unnecessary items
If there are some objects that you think you will need in the future, but not during your expatriation period, a good solution can be to storage them. You can either ask a relative or friend if they have free space or contact a storage company to keep them.
3. Pay attention on how you pack your goods
Try to use cartoons and packages from recycled sources and minimize the use of oil based products (such as bubble wrap) to protect your belongings. In addition to this, reuse the original packaging from your electronic items (from phones to kitchen toasters) and remember to take only those items that you will use in your destination (do not take some electrical items which you will not be able to use due to changes on electrical voltage).
4. Go digital
Despite being surrounded by technology, sometimes we still tend to print too many documents. Try keeping your files in digital format instead of printing them. It will be easier to find them later!
5. Reuse your packing materials
After your relocation, you can give a new life to the used packaging, for example, by converting into a container for your child’s toys. If you have a lot of spare packages and cartoons, remember to recycle them into the nearest recycling center.