Online shopping vs in-store shopping: which is more eco-friendly? 

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When you want to buy something nowadays, you have a choice between going to a store to get it or ordering it online. Since you have come here to read this article, you want to do what’s best by the environment.

Sometimes, actually, you may have no choice. Products made by local artisans may not be available online. Your local stores may not carry as many choices as their websites. For now, though, let’s suppose you have a choice.

At first, it may seem like  online shopping is better. After all, you don’t have to drive to a store. On second thought, however, a truck delivers your online purchases to you. The question becomes a little more complex. Thinking still more, you realize that whatever you get has a certain amount of embedded energy beyond the fuel it takes for either your car or the delivery truck.

Embedded energy in retail products

downtown stores vs online shopping

Downtown Buckhannon, West Virginia /
David Mark via Pixabay

By embedded energy, I mean all the energy it takes to acquire raw materials and then manufacture, package, and ship your products.

Very few companies sell directly either to stores or online. They make and package their products. Then they put a certain number of those packages in a carton. Then they pile cartons on a pallet and wrap them in plastic film. Finally, they load several pallets on a truck that goes to a warehouse.

From that warehouse, the products may go to another warehouse. If you live within a few hundred miles of a factory, the products probably travel from the warehouse to a store (or your home) on other trucks. Otherwise, they travel on ships, railroads, or airplanes. So the distance between the factory and you, and therefore what they travel on, matters a great deal for the amount of embedded energy they contain.

If the factory is within a few hundred miles and your online site ships from much farther, online shopping doesn’t look so green!

The only real difference in online shopping vs in-store shopping comes with last leg of transportation. Either you buy it at a store and take it home or you buy it online and it travels to you via at least one warehouse until it winds up on the final delivery truck. 

The delivery truck starts its trip with lots of packages for lots of customers. The driver knows the most efficient route to take to complete all the deliveries. You, on the other hand, may drive to a store and drive back home. Or you may combine several errands in the same trip. It matters. The latter uses energy much more efficiently.

A thought experiment: what are you buying?

traffic jam

Image by aled7 via Pixabay

Suppose you can find all four items at the same store or the same website. At the store, the clerk will put your purchases in a bag. You did remember to take your reusable bag into the store, didn’t you? But when you purchase online, someone puts those items in a box and probably adds more shrink wrap, bubble wrap, or other stuff you’ll have to throw out just to keep everything stable in the box.

In that case, in-person shopping winds up costing less packaging. That might offset some of your possibly less-efficient transportation choices.

But now suppose that you can’t get all four items at the same store, or even the same shopping center. Suppose you can’t find any two items at the same store. You’ll need four reusable bags. Otherwise you’ll make it home with four disposable bags after using a lot more gas. Meanwhile, you are likely to find the same items at one online site. In that case, they will most likely come in a single package. 

Some added complications in online vs in-store shopping

FedEx truck.

Lots of delivery companies just leave packages on your porch if you’re not home, but not all do. In that case, the failed delivery attempt counts against the carbon footprint of your purchase. Also, if you decide you don’t like something, returning it to a brick and mortar store is much more efficient that returning it to an online store.

If you live in an urban area with good public transportation, you may have a lower carbon footprint going to a store. If you live in a rural area, or even the suburbs, shopping online may have the lower carbon footprint. 

The carbon footprint of small orders when delivered from a local store is half that of small orders shipped from a distance. The larger the basket size, the less difference it makes. It’s best, then, if possible, to order a large number of items online once than to order the same items in multiple smaller shipments. 

Whatever advantages online shopping may disappear if you also frequently go to stores. But here’s the worst: Some people go to a store to see and handle merchandise and then go  home and order it online. That gets the worst of both worlds. Plus, it amounts to stealing from the store. Those people get value from visiting the store and then decline to pay for it by buying it there.

All the descriptions of transportation alternatives assume that you use the standard shipping for  your online purchases. If you indulge in two-day shipping, the carbon footprint goes through the roof. 

The bottom line?

So to summarize, shopping either online or in a store is tied for second in eco-friendliness. It would be best if we could walk somewhere and buy products made with local materials. Not many of us can do that. Alas, the only answer to the question of online shopping vs in-store shopping is, “It depends.” 

(Some thoughts from Is online or in-store shopping more eco-friendly? / Uma Campbell, US Green Technology. November 25, 2020) 

Dressing up a basic white sauce for unlimited meal ideas

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white sauce
White sauce (béchamel sauce) / Wikimedia Commons

One of the best ways to go green is to cook at home. You’ll save money and not generate as much trash as eating out or fixing prepared foods. Does that seem scary? You can have a mouth-watering supper on the table in half an hour. The stuff that comes in bags and boxes can take that long. If you know  how to make a basic white sauce, you can jazz it up with lots of variations. One simple technique, unlimited meal ideas.

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11 common recycling myths and what to do about them

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materials recovery facility tipping floor. recycling myths
MRF in Bowling Green, Ohio. Front loader pushing material to the hopper / my photo

Lots of people find recycling confusing. It’s bad enough that every town has slightly different rules. What one town accepts the next one down the road doesn’t. But what can make recycling really confusing? Lots of what people think they know about it isn’t even true. So let’s debunk some recycling myths. 

Some of them either overestimate or underestimate the value of recycling to society. In other cases, people remember the way things used to be, but time changes. 

Common recycling myths debunked

1. Recycling is the best way to reduce waste

Actually, the standard 3 Rs of waste management are reduce, reuse, recycle. In that order. 

The best way to reduce waste is not to accept any in the first place. Don’t buy what you don’t need. Take care to reduce the amount of packaging you take home. After all, packaging amounts to trash that we buy along with whatever it is we really intend to get.

Then, when you’re finished with something, try to find a way to reuse it. Or give it to someone else who can use it. Donations to thrift stores (so long as you don’t donate junk) count as reuse.

So prefer recycling to throwing something in the trash, if possible. But reducing and reusing take precedence. 

Oh, and some people propose 5 Rs of waste reduction (refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, rot) or even 7 Rs. Longer lists of terms are harder to remember, so it’s OK to stick with the 3 Rs. By the way, rot means compost.

2. We recycle everything we can

Alas, recycling rates in the US are distressingly low. About half of what ends up in landfills could have been recycled. And about a quarter of it could have been composted. 

We can and must do better than we have been. And that means not only getting people to participate more, but also designing infrastructure, financing, and procedures that work better. Of course, only government and industry can provide infrastructure, but the rest of us can stay informed, become vocal when the opportunity arises, and vote. 

Drop-off center. Recycling myths,
Drop-off center at the MRF in Bowling Green, Ohio. That man is looking for boxes he can use / my photo

3. You can tell what’s recyclable from the number in the recycling triangle

Once upon a time, but not anymore. Not long ago, recycling programs accepted only plastics numbered 1 or 2. For the last several years, however, they have accepted plastics with any number. That doesn’t mean that they accept just any plastic. 

No. 6, for example, is polystyrene, and a lot of polystyrene is made into foam. (Styrofoam™ is one well-known brand.) It breaks into little pieces in the sorting equipment at the materials recovery facility (MRF) and contaminates everything else. You shouldn’t put it out at the curb, but not all polystyrene is foam. The jewel cases for CDs and DVDs are polystyrene. If your local recycling program still accepts mixed plastic (numbers 3-7), it will take any no. 6 except foam.

With any luck, you live in one of the rare places that have drop-off centers for foam. If so, collect foam and take it there. 

The current instructions for your recycling program very likely specify that you can recycle plastic bottles, jars, and jugs, but not anything other than approved shapes. That is, they don’t mention numbers anymore. 

4. Recycling pays for itself

Well, that was the idea at first. Haulers take recyclables to a MRF. The MRF used to pay municipalities by the ton for what they contributed. Since the Chinese crackdown on recycling imports, the MRFs charge a tipping fee. That is, now the municipalities have to pay to dump recycling there. 

So recycling isn’t as great as some people think. But here are some recycling myths that represent opposite errors:

5. Recycling takes more energy than making something new

In fact making recycled paper takes only about 60% of the energy of making paper from virgin wood pulp. Each ton of recycled paper represents 64% savings in energy and 58% savings in water. What’s more, it saves 17 trees, which each filter out 60 pounds of air pollutants. 

Recycling steel (tin) cans saves at least 60% of the energy needed to make them from virgin materials. Recycling aluminum cans saves about 95%. Recycling plastic saves about 33%. Recycling glass saves about 25%. 

Each ton of recycled steel also means that it’s not necessary to mine 2,500 pounds of ore, 1,400 pounds of coal, and 120 pounds of limestone. 

recycling: human sorting at material recovery facility
High Point MRF. Plastic line, PET bunker. Someone else has already removed HDPE and sorted it by colored or uncolored / my photo

6. Recyclables just get thrown out

It’s true that MRFs end up sending stuff to landfills, but it’s mostly trash that should have never entered the recycling stream in the first place. 

China used to be the only place that worked with certain cheap papers and mixed plastic. And that’s the first kind of material they stopped accepting. If a MRF can’t sell what it bales, then its space can be more valuable than its company and it has to go to the landfill. 

But think about it: any MRF, whether operated by a commercial company, a non-profit, or a municipality, sorts and bales materials with the intention of selling them. It will do everything it can to sell its output. Landfilling anything except the trash, an absolute last resort, is very rare. 

7. Recycling is too inconvenient

People have to put their trash in some kind of container in the house. Then they have to empty that container into the one they have to haul out to the curb. How is separating trash from recyclables in the house and putting them in separate containers any more inconvenient? 

We spend too much time chasing conveniences that, when we stop to think about them, aren’t really all that convenient. And they have hidden costs. Do we really need to pay for the cost of convenience?  

8. Products from recycled materials are inferior

They certainly used to be. The earliest recycled paper was an off-color and brittle. It jammed copiers and printers. I have too little personal experience with other recycled products to try to describe them, but they weren’t much better.

Now, it’s possible to get copier paper made with 100% recycled content. It looks and acts just like paper made with no recycled content. It’s just as bright white. It has the same feel. It doesn’t deteriorate any faster or jam machines. If you saw stacks of recycled paper and ordinary paper side by side, you couldn’t tell the difference anymore. 

Manufacturers of all kinds of recycled products have learned from their early mistakes. They know how to make recycled products that are every bit as good as their other products. In fact, many brands today make only recycled products. And they have a great reputation for their quality. 

Recycling isn’t finished until someone buys products made with recycled materials. So if you have been holding back, give it a try! 

Finally, some recycling myths don’t involve any kind of value judgment. They’re just incorrect.

9. What you recycle has to be in good condition

What the MRF bales and sells, some recycling processor shreds and crushes. If a can or bottle is already crushed or cracked, it really doesn’t matter. Paper has to be clean, but it can be torn. (MRFs can’t handle shredded paper, however. It won’t go through the equipment to get where it belongs, so it contaminates nearly everything. You can compost it, though.)

There is only one exception to the recommendation to go ahead and recycle damaged or broken materials. Broken glass presents a hazard to workers. Contact your local program to find if there’s any way you can safely send it. 

MRF. recycling myths
MRF in High Point, North Carolina, from the floor looking up / my photo

10. Materials can only be recycled once

In fact, glass and recyclable metals can be recycled indefinitely without becoming degraded. Plastic is usually not turned into the same product that was put out for recycling. Your PET bottles become fabric or other non-container products. Your plastic bags become composite lumber, etc. It’s true that these products are not recyclable. But that shouldn’t influence your recycling decisions.

If you’re wondering if what you want to put out for recycling is really useful, ask yourself only if it’s something your local recycling program accepts. Leave any other questions to the experts. 

11. Whatever I do doesn’t matter much

There are billions of people in the world and hundreds of millions in the US. So how much difference does it make what one person does?

Not much, but that’s the wrong question. After all, none of us are the only person in the country who does any of what we do. 

The better question is, how much difference does it make if millions and millions of people do the same thing I do? If something I do is good and lots of other people do the same thing, it has a good effect. If something I do is bad and lots of other people do the same thing, it has a bad effect. Make it a habit to do the good stuff and get out of the habit of doing harm. 

Recycling is not the most important thing we can do for our community or our world, but it is important. Doing it well is important. And if other people see us doing it well—and constantly improving how we do it—then they might be moved to do it well and keep doing it better, too. 

It matters.

Sources:

7 common recycling myths, debunked / Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics. November 13, 2019
7 recycling myths debunked / Andrea Davis, Granger Waste Services. January 24, 2020
As a matter of fact: fun tidbits about recycling, energy and climate change / Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection 
Recycling myths debunked / Dakota Valley Recycling

10 simple ways to save water at home

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dish water. save water at home
torange.biz

Why save water? Water might seem like a renewable resource. Water evaporates and forms clouds. Then it rains and water returns to the earth. It doesn’t necessarily turn up where we want it. As you read this, chances are somewhere in the world is suffering from prolonged drought while somewhere else has to deal with massive flooding.

Water, water everywhere (nearly). But in fact, the earth has only a finite amount of water. Nearly all of it is saltwater. 

It’s true that we use and reuse fresh water all the time. A water treatment plant takes water from a lake or river, purifies it, and sends it to our homes and businesses. When we’re through with it, it goes to a wastewater treatment plant, and from there back to a river or lake. 

Modern water treatment adds some complication to the natural water cycle. It takes a lot of chemicals to make water safe to drink. It also takes a lot of money and energy to treat and distribute water. Especially when it’s necessary to pump it uphill.

When we waste water, we also waste all the effort, energy, materials, and money that went into purifying it.

Conserving water doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are 10 easy ways to save a lot of it, not to mention time and money.

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7 worst greenwashing examples and how not to be deceived

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greenwashing graphic

The majority of American consumers today are willing to pay more for products that seem good for the environment. Corporations want their business. Unfortunately, some resort to a dishonest marketing tactic called greenwashing. Let’s look at some of the worst greenwashing examples and see what we can learn from them.

American consumers started to care about environmental issues in the 1960s. After Earth Day in 1970, the environment was the most popular political issue. Many American companies started to explore ways to take better care of the environment.

No company has yet succeeded in making truly sustainable products. There will always be a gap between what they aspire to and what they accomplish. 

Unfortunately, other companies have only wanted to make it look like they care about the environment. They make little attempt to take care of the environment, but their marketing departments want consumers to think they have a good impact. 

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Guide to energy conservation techniques at home

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energy meter with money. energy conservation techniques

As much as we might want to, we won’t kick the fossil fuels habit anytime soon. The more energy we use, the more energy companies must extract from the ground. And the more greenhouse gas emissions we account for. Green living therefore requires we all practice energy conservation techniques at home. 

Energy conservation and energy efficiency are closely related concepts. Energy conservation means any behavior that uses less energy. Turning off lights when you leave a room is a common example. Energy efficiency uses technology that requires less energy to perform the same function as something else. For example, using LED lights instead of incandescent lights.

For the purposes of this article, the distinction doesn’t matter. Practicing energy efficiency results in energy conservation, provided we don’t somehow waste the savings.

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