What's Greener - Shop At Store, Or Ship to the Door

Dr. Scott Matthews, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, got a little curious about the environmental costs of shipping vs buying books at a retail store. The culprit that got him and his friend Chris Weber researching was the astounding sales of Harry Potter books. This was extensive research -- factoring in things like printing costs, shipping costs, warehouse costs, consumer driving patterns/distances, the costs to run the bookstore, energy costs of the on-line data center, etc. He ended up with a complicated 18 page report, but overall determined on-line was better environmentally - at buy.com which doesn't have warehousing (Amazon.com has huge warehouses). There are many variables and this isn't one-size-fits-all. Considering shipping of food, for example, its clear and obvious that purchasing from the farmer down the road or at a farmer's market is much better environmentally. Beware though -- not all produce is local at farmer's markets especially over winter and now as we gear up for the local growing season. Think about what might be in season now and go from there. Here's a nice chart to help you learn to buy by the season