Keeping e-Commerce Environmentally Friendly—What Consumers Can Do

By Miguel Jaller, Anmol Pahwa, Seth Karten | December 1, 2020 | Transportation and Climate Blog by UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies

With more states and individuals observing stricter limits on in-person shopping, and with holidays coming, what can we do to limit the environmental and societal impact of online shopping? And even beyond this moment, how do we minimize the harm—or maximize the benefit—of online shopping to society and life on our planet?

The short answer: Buy what we need, and do what we can to allow packages to be consolidated for the most efficient delivery routes, so the fewest miles possible are traveled for each package brought to the door.

So what does this mean for us as consumers? Factors that increase the number of items per vehicle mile of travel in a delivery or shopping trip will reduce the pollution and traffic impacts of our purchases. We should consider the following actions, when possible, to reduce the environmental impact of our online purchases:

1. Allow longer time windows for delivery whenever possible, even if we o not save out-of-pocket expenses for it.
2. Group orders together as much as possible by pooling orders into a single delivery and do not impose additional constraints on the delivery, such as specific days and times.
3. Minimize returns and consider buying clothing, shoes, and electronics in-person, as these have high rates of return from online shopping (clothing/shoes 56%, electronics 42%).
4. Avoid driving to the store to decide on—but not purchase—an item, and then ordering it online to save money, thereby increasing the miles traveled for one purchase.
5. For recurring purchases, take advantage of subscriptions, which can save money and allow the vendor to optimize planning and delivery.
6. Select, when possible, an alternative delivery location (e.g., pickup facility, lockers) at a place that you are already going to travel to, preferably by walking or biking.

Click here to read the full article.

Support ECOS Through AmazonSmile

When you do your Christmas shopping online, shop at AmazonSmile and you can support the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) at the same time. AmazonSmile is a simple and easy way to support ECOS when you shop for Christmas gifts, at no cost to you.

What is AmazonSmile?

AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support the Environmental Council of Sacramento every time you use Amazon, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is available at smile.amazon.com on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android phones. When you shop at AmazonSmile, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added benefit that AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the charitable organization of your choice. You can choose from over one million organizations to support.

How do I shop at AmazonSmile?

To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com on your web browser or activate AmazonSmile on your Amazon Shopping app on your iOS or Android phone (found under settings on your app). On your browser, you may also want to add a bookmark to smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile. When you’re using the app, always check for the “AmazonSmile” logo to ensure you’re activated for AmazonSmile.

Please choose Environmental Council of Sacramento Inc. as your nonprofit of choice. Thank you from all of us at ECOS.

Request for Nominations

Since 1973, ECOS has honored local persons, groups, businesses and innovations with the Environmentalist of the Year awards. Although we won’t host an in-person event this year, we feel it’s important to honor those worthy. Please take some time and recall an event – in the past year or so – which you were taken with. Then think of the people or group which made that positive impact. If you thought this important, here is your opportunity to have that recognized. Please submit your nomination using the nomination form by Monday, December 21st, 2020.

We appreciate and will consider all nominations. We hope to host an online celebration of the awardees in the coming months. Thank you in advance for your time and effort.

Click here to view past Environmentalists of the Year.