Although we increasingly use the Internet to do our shopping, one type of purchase that most people still do offline is grocery shopping. If you are someone who is conscious of your environmental footprint, shopping for groceries online is something you may want to consider. A study conducted by the Carnegie Mellon Green Design Institute in 2009 showed that shopping online can reduce our environmental impact by up to 66%. Shopping for groceries online has many of the same benefits. Let’s take a look at some of them.
1. Less gasoline
By far the biggest help in reducing environmental damage is the amount of gas that is reduced. When you order online, you don’t need to drive your car to and from the grocery store. Instead, a large truck will deliver the food to you. Now, you may be thinking that even though you are reducing the amount of gas you use, the truck still has to use gas to get to your house. That’s true, but consider which of these scenarios uses the most unnecessary energy: a single person jumping into a 2-ton vehicle to drive to and from the store; or a few extra pounds of groceries loaded into a huge truck that you were already going to be driving through your neighborhood anyway. The exception to this is if you choose express next day delivery on a plane. If you want to help the environment, you should consider avoiding that option in all your online purchases. Buying online also requires additional packaging, but this is more than made up for in the energy saved.
2. Buy more green
The best thing about shopping for groceries online compared to a physical store is the selection available to us. Although offline stores often have a green section or aisle, they simply cannot stock all the green products available. When you shop online, you can ensure that the products you buy are the greenest, most eco-friendly products available. Many small supermarkets specialize in products like these, and you can buy them directly. You can also compare prices and read reviews of many more products when you shop online.
3. Walking
Although there are many benefits of buying online, there is one last option that is even better. Walk! If you walk or ride your bike to the store, you’ll get the best of both worlds. You won’t use ANY gas, plus you’ll save all the packaging that’s required.