Having your groceries delivered is no longer just a convenience for those who dread the weekly trip to the store. Studies have recently shown that having your groceries delivered to your home could also help us to live a more eco-friendly life.
Over the years I have slowly changed my way of living to a "green" life, and what at first seemed to be an inconvenience is now proving to provide more convenience in my life. From the little things like using energy efficient lighting all the way to my not so regular trips to the grocery store, it seems I spend a lot less time doing tedious things, leaving more time for work and fun.
Up until the last few weeks I was against using a delivery service for my groceries. I didn't think it was possible that the big diesel trucks used to deliver items from my local grocer could be better for the environment than my car. Then I stumbled upon an article that told me just the opposite. University of Washington engineers Ann Goodchild and Erica Wygonik recently conducted a study based on the CO2 used by cars vs. trucks. In their analysis, they took every resident of Seattle and compared the traditional way of shopping to what would happen if they all had their food delivered to their homes. They took every home to the nearest grocer. Personally, I don't shop at the store closest to my home, and I am sure that I am far from alone, so the results of using a delivery service could be even more dramatic than what was found in the study.
Through these studies, Goodchild and Wygonik found that if we were all to change the way we shopped we would significantly reduce the amount of CO2 emissions compared to driving to and from the store ourselves. While this is clearly not where we as consumers are just yet, it does give a hint of the potential for saving if society (and individual attitudes) evolve in this direction. I had to jump on board and give insight to those around me in hopes that we can get this idea rolling.
I have started in my community and within a couple of weeks I have gotten nearly all of my neighbors to jump on the grocery delivery train, which makes me think that at the very least we are saving our environment a little bit at a time. The amount of damage we have done over the last hundred years to our ozone cannot be undone; this doesn't mean through education we can't change the path. Green has become the way of life for those who are conscious enough to make the right decisions. These choices don't have to come with an inconvenience or by spending extra money. They just have to come with a lifestyle change.
A wide variety of sites have great tips for your house or apartment to save money and reduce pollution including carbon emissions. For example, you can save on energy by closing doors to rooms that are not currently being used. Wrapping an insulation blanket around your hot water tank in order to prevent heat loss is another heat-related suggestion that many do not think of.
There are many ways to save our environment so that our youth can live a healthier life than we did before all of this knowledge came to the forefront. From green home products, to the use of solar or wind power, to cutting back on trips made in your car. None of these things really change how you live, with the exception of thinking before you do.
Fossil Fuel
sampeters
