Hey Mr. Green,

Thanks for your column! I'm planning a move from Washington, D.C., to Connecticut for school, and I was wondering what would be greener: shipping my boxable belongings via UPS, FedEx, or regular post and taking a train—meaning I would leave a studio apartment's worth of furniture behind—or renting a van and driving but avoiding the need to replace my IKEA furniture. In this case, cost is not my main concern.

—Laura in Washington, D.C. 

A: Because you’re one of my readers, and therefore brilliant, I assume you’re heading for a Connecticut school known as Yale, which is a bit more than 300 miles from D.C. If you’ve got around 10 boxes to ship, a combination of train and UPS would be greener than driving a van, because the van would emit around 300 pounds of carbon dioxide on your trip, while a combination of UPS and train would emit half as much CO2. (The principle involved is fairly simple: Hauling of cargo, human or otherwise, is more efficient in bigger vehicles than in smaller ones.)

Better yet, as the great Spike Lee said, “Get on the bus!” A bus-and-UPS combo would cut your total emissions to as little as one-fourth those from the van. As for your IKEA furniture, it’s probably safe to assume that somebody will use it or sell it, unless it’s already falling apart. If you replace it when you move, I strongly recommend purchasing some sturdy used furniture and dabbling in clever improvisation with old crates, boards, and such, like students did back in the day. Instead of “scavenging,” it’s now called “creative reuse.” Sometimes even artistically creative: An old friend and roommate who started dumpster-diving in college evolved into an artist known for brilliantly exploiting “found” objects in his work. I also think of a furniture/antique dealer from a college town who lamented the fact that students—once his steady patrons—nowadays run to IKEA for everything. So, to further shrink your carbon footprint, avoid the herd and support your local flea markets, Salvation Armies, Goodwills, secondhand stores, yard sales, church bazaars, etc. It’s way more fun than wandering around in a chain store.