The Amazon Kindle - Is It Green?
It's probably fair to say that most of us are more environmentally aware these days. It seems improbable that we are about to turn into a nation of eco-warriors overnight, but the majority of people are quite happy to make a little effort to be greener. It is actually a whole bunch of small changes by a large number of people that tends to make the difference. The good news is that you can be more environmentally friendly whilst saving both time and money.
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, 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 online, why not adopt a two pronged approach. Firstly, if you can save on a trip to the store in your car by buying online then that will normally be a sensible option. Secondly, if you can swap downloadable products for physical ones then you will not only be doing your bit for the planet - but you will save time and money.
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, 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 online, why not adopt a two pronged approach. Firstly, if you can save on a trip to the store in your car by buying online then that will normally be a sensible option. Secondly, if you can swap downloadable products for physical ones then you will not only be doing your bit for the planet - but you will save time and money.
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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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