Ordering online and eco-guilt

[Anonymous]

I'm a working mom and so it goes without saying that I am short on time. I do a lot of online shopping (for diapers, toiletries, clothes, books, gifts, toys, baby gears...practically everything). I've been feeling rather guilty about all the boxes and packaging that comes with online shopping. I recycle the boxes, but there is still a lot of packaging that can't be recycled. And I feel bad about all the waste. How bad is this really? Can anyone (maybe Organicmama) offer some perspective or advice?

[Anonymous]

No advice, but here is some perspective - if you bought it in a store you would have to get to the store itself (by car perhaps?), and the store would give you non-recyclable plastic bags to put your purchases in.

[Organicmania]

Hi, this is OrganicMania here...(not sure if I'm still signed in) ...I'd suggest you let the companies you do business with know how you feel. Many now have blogs where it's easy to leave a comment, or at least an online form. Most companies these days are looking for ways to go more "green" or eco-friendly but they don't even know where to start! And in huge companies, the right hand may not know what the left hand is doing...they may have a sustainability group that hasn't yet addressed the packaging issue. It's rampant...my wedding china came packed in less packaging than my son's plastic toys! And a publisher just sent me a review copy of an eco-book -- all wrapped up in a plastic bubble envelope!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

No advice, but here is some perspective - if you bought it in a store you would have to get to the store itself (by car perhaps?), and the store would give you non-recyclable plastic bags to put your purchases in.

I agree with this comment. I figure if I don't have FedEx or UPS deliver it on their route (which I hear is efficiently generated thru a software), I'd have to drive to the shopping center myself, generating all the carbon emissions that go with it.

[Anonymous]

Yes - if you drive there are emissions. But the delivery truck likely has more emissions than your sedan. As did the airplane that flew our order into town. And if you remember to bring your cloth bags with you (You can take them into Target, not just the grocery store) you don't need plastic bags.

I'm not saying that you should do all your errands by car. I'm a working mom too and it is near impossible to live without the internet. But justifying it that way just doesn't make sense.

How about bundling your orders for staples into just 1 shipment a month? And ordering from a local source rather than a big-box warehouse so it isn't shipped as far? Or doing a Costco run every 3 months and totally filling up the car with diapers and wipes?

I'm so glad that people think about these things! We can all make such a difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes - if you drive there are emissions. But the delivery truck likely has more emissions than your sedan. As did the airplane that flew our order into town. And if you remember to bring your cloth bags with you (You can take them into Target, not just the grocery store) you don't need plastic bags.

I'm not saying that you should do all your errands by car. I'm a working mom too and it is near impossible to live without the internet. But justifying it that way just doesn't make sense.

How about bundling your orders for staples into just 1 shipment a month? And ordering from a local source rather than a big-box warehouse so it isn't shipped as far? Or doing a Costco run every 3 months and totally filling up the car with diapers and wipes?

I'm so glad that people think about these things! We can all make such a difference.

In in your reference to Target, they sell these convenient red bags that zip up and about as long as a checkbook. I carry it in my purse all the time and on those occasions I think I forgot the reuseable grocery bags, I see the bright red zipped bags in my purse. Just a thought to reduce, reuse, recycle every chance we get.

[Anonymous]

Where do you live? I run an online store and we would love to recycle quality packing/shipping materials by using them again!

e-mail me if you want to give away your boxes!

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