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It depends on how far one lives from the store as well as the mode of transportation used. While it is hard to beat the greenness of walking across the street to your neighborhood grocery COOP and bringing your own containers for bulk purchases and canvas bags for the short walk back home, not everyone is fortunate enough to live in such close proximity to the marketplace. Not everyone even desires to live centrally.
Living in the country, a family on Wa$ted was addicted to online shopping. Wasteful? Yes, however, if it weren’t for the internet, they would probably still be addicted to shopping. The difference is that they would have to drive their gas guzzlers into the city to get their fix.
The US Postal Service, along with shipping giants such as Fed Ex and UPS are making the rounds anyway, driving close to most American households everyday, if not right past it. Even in the country. These services are like well-organized carpools for goods.
Here are a few ways to eliminate waste even further:
- Ask the retailer to leave out the catalog. You already have it online.
- Ask them to use already-used packaging if possible.
- Choose retailers who make it a point to use ethical packaging principles.
- Keep all of your packaging to re-use for your own shipping needs or to use to wrap gifts, store junk, etc.
This article was inspired by the Planet Green show Wa$ted.
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