On the Move with NorthStar Moving Corporation

Almost all of us have done it, Matt and I personally joke we are professionals now, college kids are about to do this en mass - moving. Most of us think of moving as a hassle or a headache and many of us also understand the environmental impact this activity can have on the planet due to emissions alone, never mind the lifecycle of boxes or the trucks, and even Greenies may not be thinking of the impact the facility itself will have. So who do we turn to in this stressful time to ensure not only that we remain calm and cared for, but that our planetary impact is low? Well NorthStar Moving Corporation may drive bright red trucks but look closer and all you will see is Green!

Based out of Los Angeles, California, NorthStar Moving is in a prime location but do not let the Southern California address fool you! Although their primary geographic focus is moving folks from the Los Angeles area, they are looking to expand their service in order to move anyone, anywhere. Oh, and they are doing it all in trucks that run on biodiesel.

After the conversion, and once it became clear that the old trucks were harmful to the planet, yet impossible to convert because of their current age and wear, NorthStar Moving hooked up with E-Cycle Environmental to break down and recycle the oldest trucks. E-Cycle also assists by offering a more eco friendly option for folks who are moving and getting rid of bulky, potentially harmful items (such as televisions, computers, etc).

Additionally all the new trucks were outfitted with lift gates that run on battery power as opposed to the engine. Emissions can be further reduced as the truck does not need to be running constantly during a move, the lift will operate while the truck is off. This is a very cool innovation and one I believe is exclusive to NorthStar as I can not find another company that indicates they do this yet.

Of course the awesomeness does not stop at the trucks and their fuel source.

All of the boxes the company sells are created from recycled materials but get this, they will also grant a 25% discount if you bring your boxes back to be recycled. Then the next person can re-purchase those boxes also at a 25% discount. Taking advantage of both moving boxes are sold at a 50% of rate, sweet!

The storage facilities utilize wooden storage compartments (made from recycled materials!) that are stacked in order to save on need for space as well as materials and the warehouses take advantage of natural light (through use of skylights) which helps to save on electricity as well.

All this is well and good but without strong customer service and attention to the client’s needs even the most eco-friendly company will not last very long. NorthStar has been in business for about 15 years and they not only offer a basic door to door moving service but also literal Red Carpet, luxury moving service. These folks have moved everyone from budget conscious college students to Hollywood heavy hitters like Angelina Jolie, Chuck Norris and Eva Longoria.

Not to mention their work with Hollywood Green Team, Sustainable LA** and the pre Oscar Green Carpet party this year. These services truly set them way apart from any other Green moving company out there never mind the fact that they treat everyone the same no matter what their moving budget is.

I spoke with a company representative to see what types of offerings they have at this time and for those in need of a storage solution now is an excellent time to take advantage of NorthStar’s services because in addition to their deal of $49.00 per month for a 5' x 7' x 8' high unit, you are also going to get the first month free. Yippie!

I am completely impressed with the company model that NorthStar is structuring here and like I said, since Matt and I move more often than the average family it is pretty safe to say I will be utilizing these services at some point in the not too distant future myself.

With such an innovative approach and strong planetary focus NorthStar is well deserving of a Four Leaf Rating!

Keep up the amazing work!
♥love♥

** The Downtown Film Festival runs from August 12 - 22 primarily located at the corner of 7th & Figueroa. Sustainable LA is a full day of Green awesomeness that includes speakers, films, parties and advice (all free!) and it takes place on Thursday August 20 from 10AM - 11PM at the Ernst & Young Plaza. If you’re in the area I highly recommend checking it out!

The Word is Spreading!

More and more concerned citizens are standing up to do their part for a better planet especially in the areas of proper disposal of electronics, reduction in consumption of fossil fuels and increased consumption of organically grown produce.

Keeping e-waste out of landfills is critically important in order to prevent leeching of harmful chemicals (primarily mercury) into the soil and proximate waterways. In an encouraging news story it seems that the National Center for Electronics Recycling has indicated a rise in collection of e-waste by seven percent over the numbers submitted in 2007. Every little bit helps!

We have all heard the term hybrid vehicle and understand the definition to be “a vehicle which requires at least two sources of power to go”. In hybrid cars those sources are likely gas and electric or diesel and bio-fuel. In 2007 the number of hybrid cars sold increased by 38% over the prior year. As more manufacturers are looking for ways to bring revenues back, and more consumers are looking for ways to save money at the pump, the number of hybrid vehicles will surely increase even further.

As summer rolls around we begin to think of farmer’s markets and fresh, pesticide free produce but by eating organically grown produce the rest of the year we ensure chemical free farms are supported and possibly right in our own region of the country. Even big box stores not especially known for this type of product, such as Walmart, reported a growth in sales of organics over the past few years. Stores like this actually anticipate sales to hold steady or even increase in the next year. Don’t forget to take your reusable tote!

Although these efforts may appear more difficult to complete, or even costly, savvy environmentalists understand it is nothing more than a change in attitude. The more often the practice is put into place and the more people who do it, all those concerns quickly fade away. Spread the word about how easy it actually is to live a Greener lifestyle by sharing your stories about the little things you do!

Is This “Back to the Future” or the Real Deal?

Doc Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) was leaps and bounds ahead of the curve by building a car that ran on food scraps being placed into the flux capacitor. Written by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, the movie Back to the Future really has nothing on today’s story about a Formula 3 car that is actually built from veggie scraps!

The car has the logo “WorldF3rst Racing” emblazoned on all sides and indicates it is “A force for sustainable motor racing”. They really mean it too as the vehicle has made use of potatos in the wind mirrors, carrots in the steering wheel, soy based foam in the driver’s seat and recycled and/or sustainable material everywhere else. The coolest thing of all is that they took Doc Brown’s idea and ran right over to the chocolate factory to collect their waste products; the car essentially runs on chocolate bio-fuel.

With all of these green initiatives one might think the car would never run but in truth the engineers are currently working on getting it up to speeds of 150 mph. Unfortunately, due to regulations within the racing industry, the fuel source is not approved as of yet for actual racing so it might be a while before this vehicle makes its way into the competitive track.

The innovation of these folks is really blowing me away. Check it out for yourself in this video. The car scoots around the parking lot blowing smoke but remember, that smoke might just smell like an environmentally delicious piece of candy.

Environmentally Friendly Motor Oil?

This afternoon while working I had a rerun of CSI: NY on in the background and did not think much of it until I heard one of the characters identify the motor oil that leaked from a suspect’s cab as G Oil. The character went on to explain that it was an environmental option because it was created from animal by-products. I love watching crime shows to hear fancy words and learn what they are so when the flashy sounding G Oil was mentioned I looked away from the project I was working on to pay attention.

Like any good Greenie I wondered if this was real or something contrived for television so I went right to Google and sure enough the top result led me directly to Green Earth Technologies (GET) where I came upon a picture of the motor oil bottle just featured on the show. Not only that but they manufacture complete lines of Automotive, Lawn & Garden, Marine and Household cleaning products.

The company boasts on the website banner “Save the Earth. Sacrifice Nothing” and with the SM Certification this bio-based oil has received it seems they are proud to put their money where their mouth is; they are the only bio-based motor oil to have passed the test to receive the certification. In addition to the ability to provide optimum performance in all vehicle types, the oil is considered ultimate biodegradable, their bottles are created from 25 - 100% post consumer plastic, the bottles are recyclable and their labels are printed with water based ink on recycled paper.

Due to the fact that I have not used this product to personally attest to its performance, yet with all of these amazing eco-friendly advances the company is attempting I am going to grant GET and its environmentally friendly motor oil an initial Three Green Leaves!

The next time I have my oil changed I will consider looking into this innovative oil product.