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!

For example, a recent study carried out by Carnegie Melon University clearly showed that online shopping has a lower environmental impact than the traditional method of buying from retail outlets. One example used in the study was the purchase of a flash memory stick, and it was found the environmental impact of the traditional retail method was 35% greater than making an identical purchase using the internet.

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 65% of the emissions produced by traditional shopping methods come about as a direct result of the customer’s transportation to and from the store.

Not only is shopping online better for the environment – it will save you time and you will often be able to find what you’re after at a better price. You can increase the environmental benefits even more simply by choosing the right type of product.

If you opt to buy electronic books as opposed to the conventional printed type, you will save on paper, ink and the energy required for the printing and binding process. In general, e-books are available at a lower price than the printed versions – and you will save on gas as well. You can even subscribe to get magazines and newspapers delivered to e-book readers such as the Amazon Kindle reader every day.

In a similar manner, if you choose to download music to your PC or mp3 player, you will save on CDs, packaging and distribution emissions. Downloading movies, which you can now do from iTunes, Amazon and a number of other sites also has both cost and environmental benefits.

So when it comes to shopping on the internet, consider adopting a twin pronged strategy. First of all, if you can save a car journey to the store by buying online then that will generally be the best option. Secondly, if you can replace physical products with downloadable ones then not only will you be doing your bit for the planet – but you will save yourself time and money as well.

Find out more about the Amazon Kindle reader and see how you can save money by downloading free books for the Kindle.

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