Online Shopping : An Ecco - Friendly Choice

The threat of global warming and the depletion of our natural resources have resulted in a world where conservation has become a necessary and important responsibility for everyone. Today, more consumers are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. One method of implementing environmentally friendly practices is to take advantage of the eco-friendly benefits of online shopping.

Other than its convenience, shopping online can help reduce the negative impact that we have on the environment. The environmental benefits of online shopping include:

1. If you live a fair distance from a shopping mall or retail district, then you know how much fuel you burn when traveling back and forth. As well, your car will produce a lot of emissions which has a serious impact on global warming. Shopping online reduces the amount of driving you will do and as a result, there will be a lower amount of emissions being emitted into the air.

2. Many online stores now use eco-friendly packaging when they ship their products. Eco-friendly packaging reduces the amount of waste going into landfills. As well, people will often reuse or recycle the packaging material. When searching for details about how your item will be packaged, check to see if the retailer uses biodegradable packaging. There are now sites that arrange for items to be shipped along with others that are going to the same area. It reduces shipping costs and reduces the amount of time delivery trucks are on the road. As well, many delivery trucks now use bio-diesel fuel in their trucks.

3. Traditional brick and mortar stores tend to use a lot of energy during their daily operations. When you buy online and have an item shipped directly

from a factory or manufacturer, you know you will be receiving an item that was stored in a warehouse that uses less energy than a retail store.

4. There many more online stores that sells eco-friendly and all-natural products. Such environmentally friendly items include cleaners, natural pet food, eco-friendly furniture products, all natural personal products, and much more. You may also live in an area where green products are limited. Shopping online will give you access to just about every environmentally product that is made. You will also have the opportunity to support fair trade organizations so you are helping people as well as the environment.

5. When shopping online, you have the ability to make an informed choice about the types of products you purchase. You can look up articles, reviews, and discussion boards about a particular product to make sure you are getting the item that you truly want.

6. When shopping online, you will reduce the amount of natural resources that you use. For instance, you will use a lot less paper because transactions are all done online, including the receipt.

7. In many large department stores, there are massive amounts of items that never get sold. Buying online reduces this waste because many online items are ordered directly from suppliers. As well, some items are made on demand.

According to the Non-Profit Center for Energy and Climate Solutions, "Shipping 10 pounds of packages by overnight air, the most energy-intensive delivery mode, uses 40 percent less fuel than driving roundtrip to the mall. Ground shipping by truck uses just one-tenth of the energy of driving yourself." Online shopping saves you time, energy, and money. It is a convenient and fun way to help the environment. Responsible earth-friendly shopping will make your life just a bit greener.