It’s probably fair to say that most of us are more environmentally aware these days. It doesn’t seem likely that we are about to turn into a nation of eco-warriors overnight, but most people are quite prepared to make a little effort to be greener. It is a lot of relatively small changes by a large number of people that tends to make the difference. The good news is that you can be more environmentally friendly whilst saving both time and money.
For example, Carnegie Melon University conducted a study recently and came to the conclusion that shopping online is better for the environment than the traditional method of buying from retail outlets. The purchase of a flash memory stick was used as one example and it was found the traditional retail method had an environmental impact which was 35% greater than making the exact same purchase online.
Another study – carried out by CleanTech this time – noted that the carbon footprint of a standard printed book was 7.5 kg of CO2 over the course of its life. However, this figure was increased by a factor of two if the customer got into their car, drove to the store, purchased their book and then drove home again instead of having it delivered in the mail.
Approximately 65% of the emissions generated by traditional shopping methods are a direct result of the customer’s transport to the store and back again.
Shopping online and choosing postal delivery isn’t just better for the environment – it’s more convenient, it saves you time and you can often get what you’re looking for at a lower price. You can increase the environmental benefits even more just by selecting the right kind of product.
As an example, if you opt to buy electronic books instead of the traditional printed type, you will save on paper, ink and the energy used in the manufacturing process. As a rule, electronic books are cheaper than the printed versions – plus you save on gas. You can even subscribe to get newspapers and magazines delivered to e-book readers like the Amazon Kindle readerevery day.
Likewise, if you opt to download music to your PC or mp3 player, you will save on CDs, packaging and distribution emissions. Downloading movies, which you can now do from Amazon, iTunes and a host of other sites also has both financial and environmental benefits.
So when it comes to purchasing goods on the internet, why not use a twin pronged attack. Firstly, if you can buy online rather than using your car to visit the local store then that will generally be a good alternative. Secondly, if you replace physical products with downloadable ones then not only will you be environmentally friendly – but you will save both money and time.