Moving can be stressful.  From choosing a mover to cleaning out and packing up all your stuff, the list of to do’s seems never-ending.  Trying to balance that with also being eco-friendly can add to the frustration.  Here are some great tips for a GREEN move that will save you some GREEN and might actually make you some GREEN.

Selling your home: 

In today’s world, technology has made it easier to be GREEN.

• Take digital images of your home and post them online and save paper by not printing out expensive fliers.
• Post a QR code on your For Sale Sign, so those with a smartphone can get direct access to your home’s website.

Downsizing:

Tackling the whole house can be a daunting task.  Take one room at a time and apply this same process.

Create 4 areas:

• Keep:  Items ready to pack.
• Donate:  A great way to recycle items that you no longer use.
• Sell:  A great way to make some GREEN before your move.  Use sites like Craig’s List or Ebay or have a garage sale.
• Trash/Recycling:  Recycle as much as possible.

Packing:

Typically, cardboard boxes are used to move your belongings from one house to the next.  Now there is a company in town that provides you with the eco-friendly alternative to the cardboard box.  FrogBox provides a convenient and affordable service to those who are moving in Boise and the surrounding area.  They deliver your FrogBoxes to your home, you pack and move and they pick up your boxes from your new home.  On average, a cardboard box is used 2 times before being recycled.  FrogBoxes can be used hundreds of times before being recycled.  They also have recycled paper available for purchase.  As an added bonus their trucks run on bio-diesel and they donate 1% of their gross profits to Frog Habitat Restoration.

Moving:

In your quest for a green-conscious moving company, keep these questions in mind:

•  Do you use bio-diesel?

• What other steps are you taking to be more environmentally friendly?

Cleaning the home you have sold:

Time to Green Clean!  Use Green cleaning products (available at most grocery stores).  Save paper towels and use reusable towels that can be washed and re-used.

Once you have moved into your new home don’t forget to recycle all your packing materials!

are excited to be sponsoring the Alamo Bowl Warm Up!

Alamo Bowl Warm Up Details (per the UWAA website)

Announcing the UW Alumni Association Washington Warm Up at the Alamo Bowl!

The Washington Warm Up at the Alamo Bowl is the official pre-game party for Husky fans at the 2011 Alamo Bowl. If you’re heading to San Antonio for the game, join fellow UW fans for the biggest pre-game bash of all, hosted by your friends at the UW Alumni Association.

Enjoy festive food and beverages with fellow Huskies, plus a high-energy performance by the Husky Marching Band and Cheer Squad!

Date: Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011
Location: Sunset Station (Parking Lot 1) 1174 E. Commerce St. San Antonio, TX 78205
Time: 3:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Here’s what you get with each admission to the Warm Up:

• Souvenir button (Give the Boot to Baylor!)
• One drink ticket for beer, wine or soda
• Performances by the Husky Marching Band and Cheer Squad
• Access to merchandise from the Husky Team Shop
• Air brush face painting

Food will be available for purchase inside the Washington Warm Up for $15, in addition to the price of admission. The menu includes Mexican caesar salad, fiesta taco and nacho bar, Mexican rice, warm churros with melted Mexican chocolate. Additional beverages will be available for purchase.

Cost:

• $20 Pre-Registration UWAA members ($25 Day-of Event)
• $25 Non-members
• $20 kids and students  8-20
• Free Children 7 and under

(Not a member? Join today and get the member price of 20% off!)

PURCHASE WARM UP TICKETS HERE!

About the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association (WBBA)

Our Mission: Innovation to Realization… supporting breakthrough discoveries that create better health solutions.

We accomplish this mission through advocacy, enterprise support and the enhancement of research collaboration. The employees, services and the efforts of the WBBA are fully funded through your memberships (87% of which are tax deductible), sponsorships, and event registration fees. WBBA provides these services through representatives in Seattle, Olympia, Eastern Washington, and through coalition partners in Washington, DC.

By partnering with member organizations, we will provide better health solutions in multiple ways.

• Innovation – working closely and supporting our research institutions, inventors and entrepreneurs to broaden the impact of breakthrough discoveries.
• Capital – facilitating access to capital, especially early stage funding.
• Talent – helping to recruit, train and retain the talent needed to grow life sciences in Washington.
• Environment – ensuring that Washington is a great place to start, grow and retain the organizations needed to remain competitive and prosperous.

Deciding on the perfect gift can be a bit stressful but wrapping it doesn’t have to be.  With a little bit of creativity and some everyday supplies you can create gift wrapping that is eco-friendly and reusable or recyclable!  Here are some items from around the house that you can re-purpose to wrap a gift!

• Paper Grocery Bags:  Cut to fit the gift you are giving and decorate with markers, crayons, stickers, rubber stamps or whatever craft items you have around the house.
• Mason Jars:  Fill with tissue, tulle or create a unique lining with construction paper or everyday printer paper.  Tie with ribbon or yarn.
• Newspaper:  Decorate  or use alone.  Tie a colorful ribbon to accent the black and white print.
• Shoe Boxes:  Take those left over shoe boxes you have in your closet and use them to wrap and even ship your gifts.
• Cereal Boxes:  Cut to size and leave “as is” for a unique and eco-friendly gift wrap.

*Photo courtesy of  modernposhdesign.com

Our Air Van Moving team members in Boise participated in “Rake Up Boise” on November 19th, 2011.

Rake up Boise is an annual volunteer event sponsored by Neighborhood Housing Services.  It was started to help seniors and disabled residents clean up their yards during the fall/winter season when all the leaves start to fall.

More about Rake Up Boise and the Neighborhood Housing Services:

Over the past 25 years, with the help of more than 110,000 volunteers, Neighborhood Housing Services has organized one of the largest community events in the state of Idaho, Rake Up Boise™.

Nearly 3.5 million pounds of biodegradable leaf bags have been collected and composted over the last 25 years. That’s about 1200 tons of waste kept out of the landfill and used for various city and county sites.

Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. (NHS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1982. NHS is a chartered member of NeighborWorks®, a nationwide network of 240 trained and certified community development organizations at work in more than 4,000 communities across America. At NHS we believe that home is the key to thriving communities. With this focus, and help from our supporters, we have been able to provide services to thousands of Idahoans through a myriad of community and housing related programs.

4 Air Van Drivers Named Best in Industry Receive Prestigious Vanguard Gold Recognition by North American Van Lines

During the month of October, North American Van Lines announced this fall’s recipients of the Vanguard Gold awards which recognize long distance drivers and operators whom exceeds customers’ expectations and have a proven track record of success in safety, hauling, and customer experience.

Winners were chosen from the following 4 point criteria set as a standard of excellence by North American Van Lines:

1. Customer Surveys
2. Claims
3. Non-retrainable safety points
4. Total Hauling Receipts (poundage, cubic fill, and revenue)

“I am honored to work with these gentlemen everyday. As the faces of Air Van, the ones who are in our clients homes and helping them through times of transition, these four owner/operators are truly outstanding. Everyone associated with Steve, Clinton, Tom, and Jason, enjoys working with them and appreciates all they do to deliver our customers material lives with professionalism, accuracy, and care.” Kelly Screeton, Manager of Long Distance Moving Services, Air Van Lines.

Whether you are an individual moving across town or internationally, a corporation looking for fulfillment and distribution services, a company moving offices or need any type of storage solution, Air Van Moving is the moving and storage company for you.

Thanks to FrogBox Boise for helping pick up all the diapers and wipes that were collected!

We collected a total of 4,360 diapers and 7,276 wipes!

Three of our Air Van Moving team members in Boise, Idaho  participated in the “Build” for the backpack program.  This program is run through the Idaho Food Bank.

The Idaho Food Bank Website states the following details regarding this program:

The Backpack Program provides nutritious, kid-friendly food for elementary-aged children who are at risk of hunger over school weekends. Each backpack refill has six meals and two snacks, so rather than return to school Monday with empty stomachs, the children are ready to learn.

There are currently 2,000 children in 157 Idaho schools enrolled in the program, with 1,120 of those children in the Treasure Valley. That means our amazing volunteers in Boise, Pocatello and Lewiston will assemble 74,000 backpacks over the course of the school year.

Want to get involved?

Check out their calendar on the website

Email them:  volunteerservices@idahofoodbank.org

Call them:  208-577-2720

Fall is in the air here in the Pacific Northwest.  It’s time to start preparing your home for cooler temperatures.  Here are some tips on fall maintenance and money saving upgrades.

Heating Maintenance:

• Change the filter in your furnace
• Get a Check-up for your furnace by a HVAC professional
• Install and Test your carbon monoxide monitors in your home
• Install a programmable thermostat to help reduce your energy costs
• Dust/Clean out your air vents/ducts
• Check your windows and doors for drafts
• Have a professional clean and inspect your chimney and test your flue

Outdoor Maintenance:

• Clean out your gutters to reduce wood rot, pest infestations, wet basements and damage to the foundation
• Rake leaves regularly
• Store or Cover outdoor furniture
• Disconnect garden hoses and protect faucets

Please join us in supporting these great charities and drop off your diapers at a location listed below.  You can also drop off donations anytime at the Ada County Association of Realtors office or bring them to Agent2Agent on Thursday, October 20^th.

We have 11 drop-off locations:

Ada County Association of REALTORS®

9550 W. Bethel Court, Boise

 Home Federal Bank – Meridian Branch

55 E Franklin Road, Meridian

Home Federal Bank – Ustick Branch

10440 W. Ustick Rd, Boise

Home Federal Bank – Ustick Marketplace

3630 N Eagle Road, Boise

Group One – Downtown

913 W. River Street, Suite 300, Boise

Group One – Eagle

500 East Shore Drive, Eagle

Keller Williams – Downtown

1101 W. River Street, Suite 340, Boise

TitleOne

1101 W. River Street, Boise

Keller Williams – Central

1065 S. Allante Place, Boise

U.S. Bank – Broadway

1000 Broadway Avenue, Boise

First American Title – Eagle

738 S. Bridge Way Place, Eagle