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.
A parallel study - performed by CleanTech - found that the typical carbon footprint of a conventional printed book was 7.5 kg of CO2 over its lifespan. However, this figure doubled if the customer got into their car, drove to the store, picked up their book and then drove home again instead of having it delivered by mail.
Roughly 65% of the emissions produced by traditional shopping methods come about as a direct result of the customer's transportation to and from the store.
Shopping online is not only better from an environmental perspective - it can save you time and you will frequently find what you're looking for at a lower price. You can maximize the environmental benefits further just by choosing the right product type.
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 online, why not adopt a two pronged approach. Firstly, if you can save on a trip to the store in your car by buying online then that will normally be a sensible option. Secondly, if you can swap downloadable products for physical ones then you will not only be doing your bit for the planet - but you will save time and money.
Learn all about the Amazon Kindle reader and see how to save money by getting free Kindle books.
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