6 Ways to Make Online Shopping Green & EcoFriendly
Online shopping is hugely popular – companies such as Amazon make it incredibly easy to buy whatever you want with a simple mouse click, and it arrives promptly.
But just how green and eco friendly is online shopping?
Well, depending on how you do it, it could actually be more green than driving to the shops yourself.
Here are my top tips for making online shopping as green as possible, so you get what you need without harming the planet too much.
Tip #1 – Assess Your Need
This is an obvious one for green living. Do you really need these items?
If yes, go ahead and buy, following the rest of these tips. If you can survive without it, pat yourself on the back and keep your hard-earned money safely in your wallet.
Tip #2 – Plan Ahead
Don’t leave it until the last minute to buy.
Why?
Apart from your stress levels, if you request Express Delivery, you could more than double the carbon emissions of your delivery (because often planes are involved and the special delivery to you is not as efficient).
Tip #3 – Research Online
It’s more green to do your product research online, rather than getting in your car and driving from store to store. So compare products and prices online, not in stores.
Tip #4 – Shop Online If You Live in a City….
If you live in a city or highly populated area, the delivery of your online shopping orders is really quite efficient. There’s one truck delivering multiple parcels in one small area – that’s much better than lots of people all driving to do individual shopping.
Tip #5 – ….Unless You Can Walk or Bike to a Store
If you live close enough to stores be able to walk or cycle there, it’s more green and eco friendly to do that, than have it delivered. So buy local if you can.
Tip #6 – Combine Your Purchases
One larger order is much more efficient than several small orders all being delivered separately. Don’t shop on a whim – plan it to be most efficient.
Summary
Online shopping is often more ecofriendly that driving to many shops by yourself. But be sure you really need the items, order multiple things at once, and don’t use Express delivery.
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How much of your shopping do you do online? Do you have any other green tips for online shopping? Let me know in the comments below.
Warm regards,
P.S. Don’t forget to download “Live Well, Live Green” for FREE here!
Related:
- Instead of buying, you may be able to barter for what you want – see how here
- 5 cool ways to save money on groceries each week
Some good tips here. Thanks.
Clare, these are great tips, especially bundling items into one delivery and opting out of the express shipping. I read recently that our online shopping has increased demand for cardboard, much of it not from recycled materials, making it hard for me to justify online purchases even for necessary items.
I hear you about the new cardboard that Amazon uses, and some time ago I gave it quite a bit of thought (not that I can order from Amazon where I live – I think they ship about 6 items to my little island out of all the millions they stock).
First off, let’s not discount all the packaging – plastic and cardboard – that the goods that we buy in the shops comes in. We don’t see it because the shops tidy it away before putting goods on the shelves – but it’s still there.
Second, at least it’s cardboard and not plastic packaging. Cardboard comes from trees which are generally grown specifically for that purpose. During their growth they help to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Plastic packaging is of course made from fossil fuels – ugh.
Sadly, whatever we buy has a carbon footprint – but you are spot on when you say it’s for necessary purchases only.
I think that’s one of the downsides of Amazon – they are so good at making so incredibly easy and convenient and quick to deliver to customers, that people might buy more than they intended. They’ve added convenience to the consumer society that we live in.
But I’d still rather see cardboard – which we can easily either re-use or recycle – used for necessary purchases, than plastic. We’ve got to stop fossil fuel use if we have any hope of saving the planet.
Thanks for stopping by and adding such a thoughtful comment Lois.
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