It’s probably fair to say that most of us are more environmentally aware these days. It seems improbable that we are about to turn into a nation of eco-warriors overnight, but the majority of people are quite happy to make a little effort to be greener. It is actually a whole bunch of 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, a study undertaken by Carnegie Melon University recently concluded that shopping on the internet has a reduced environmental impact when compared to the traditional method of using traditional retail outlets. One example used in the study was the purchase of a flash memory stick. The environmental impact of the traditional retail method was found to be 35% greater than making a similar purchase online.
Similar research – undertaken by CleanTech – found that a standard printed book had a carbon footprint of 7.5 kg of CO2 over its useful lifespan. This figure was increased by a factor of two if the customer used their car to drive to the shop, bought their book and then drove home again instead of having it delivered by post.
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.
Not only is shopping online better for the environment – it will save you time and you will often be able to find what you’re after at a better price. You can increase the environmental benefits even more simply by choosing the right type of product.
If you opt to buy electronic books as opposed to the conventional printed type, you will save on paper, ink and the energy required for the printing and binding process. In general, e-books are available at a lower price than the printed versions – and you will save on gas as well. You can even subscribe to get magazines and newspapers delivered to e-book readers such as the Amazon Kindle reader every 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 buying on the web, why not consider a two pronged attack. Firstly, if you can avoid a trip to the store in your car by buying online then that will generally be a good option. Secondly, if you can substitute downloadable products for physical ones then not only will you be doing your bit for the environment – but you will save time and money into the bargain.
Check out the Amazon Kindle ebook reader and find out how to save money by getting free Kindle books.
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