Buying local is ideally the way to go as you are able to avoid long travel distances and you get to support your local economy. However, sometimes we just can’t buy local and have to have a product shipped, or need to ship out a product of our own. Shipping, although not so bad if items are shipped in bulk on a truck carrying hundreds or thousands of shipments, always leaves some sort of carbon footprint.
One website allows you to offset the carbon due to each and every shipment you make, for just pennies a package: GreenShipping.com. This option is great for individuals and businesses. For individuals, for each purchase you make that requires shipping, or for any package you ship to others, you can enter the tracking number (UPS, FedEx, and USPS) to see the amount of CO2 is released during this shipment, and how much it will cost to offset. For instance, we ordered our eco-friendly wedding invitations from a company in Seattle, Washington, USA (Wedding Paper Divas). Once we received the shipment, we entered the tracking number and found that our shipment started in Seattle, made stops in Kentucky, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, before making it to our home. With the destinations, mode of transport, and weight of the package, GreenShipping.com calculated that our package released 8.12 lbs of CO2. To offset this package, the cost is only 11 cents. Thus, our package will have a net-zero impact, and our offset will go to the development of renewable energy.
For businesses, using GreenShipping.com will allow your company to help the environment, and you can develop a new edge to help improve your sales! Your customers can see that their shipments are being offset to help fund renewable energy, and they can even track them through GreenShipping.com. What a great way for customers to see what actions their favorite green companies are taking.
Sign-up is free and only requires your name and e-mail. To offset your shipments, you must select the My Account option on the top right corner of the screen and then click Add Funds. Once you use your credit card information to add funds, you will be well on your way to offsetting any and all shipments you make.
We give GreenShipping.com a green thumb up for developing an initiative for all businesses and people alike to make greener choices in their daily activities, for pennies at a time.
