Most of us are, relatively speaking, more aware of the environment and our impact on it these days. Even so, it seems unlikely that we are going to transform into a nation of eco-warriors overnight – but the majority of us are more than happy to put in some effort to be kinder to the environment. In fact it’s a lot of relatively small changes by a large number of people that will produce the biggest difference. The good news is that you can save both time and money whilst still being more environmentally friendly!

A recent study performed by Carnegie Melon University clearly demonstrated that shopping online has less impact on the environment than the conventional method of purchasing goods from retail outlets. The example used in the study was the purchase of a flash memory stick. It was shown that the environmental impact of the traditional retail method was 35% worse than using the internet to make an identical purchase.

A parallel study – carried out by CleanTech – found that the carbon footprint of a standard printed book was 7.5 kg of CO2 over its useful lifespan. However, this figure was increased by a factor of two if the customer got into their car, drove to the store, purchased their book and then drove home again instead of having it delivered in the mail.

Roughly speaking, 65% of the emissions associated with traditional shopping methods are a consequence of the customer’s transport to the store and the return journey home.

Shopping online is not just a better option for the environment – it will save you time and many times you will find what you’re looking for at a lower price. You can increase the environmental benefits even further just by selecting the right type of product.

If, for example, you decide to buy e-books instead of the traditional paper type, you will save on ink, paper and the energy consumed in the printing and binding process. Generally speaking, electronic books cost less than the printed versions – plus you save on gas. You can even take out subscriptions to get newspapers and magazines electronically delivered to e-book readers such as the Amazon Kindle reader on a daily basis.

Likewise, if you choose to download music to your mp3 player or PC, you will save on the discks, packaging and distribution emissions. Downloading movies, which you can now do from Amazon, iTunes and many other sites also offers 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.

Learn all about the Amazon Kindle reader and see how to save money by getting free Kindle books.

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