14 DAY TRIAL // A team of researchers might have just come up with the best excuse not to go to the store once one's pantry gets a tad too empty.
Long story short, these specialists claim that having someone deliver one's groceries to one's doorstep is more environmentally friendly than driving all the way to the store and then back again.
The University of Engineers specialists who took the time to compare the environmental impact of grocery delivery services and individual trips to the store argue that the former can yield significant environmental benefits due to their attending to more than just one household.
All in all, a grocery delivery system might half the carbon dioxide emissions that would be released into the atmosphere should families opt for doing their own shopping.
By the looks of it, the only downside is that reducing carbon dioxide emissions to such an extent is only possible if the customers of one such delivery system live in a clustered neighborhood.
EurekAlert quotes specialist Anne Goodchild, currently working as a professor of civil and environmental engineering, who wished to make the following observations:
“A lot of times people think they have to inconvenience themselves to be greener, and that actually isn't the case here. From an environmental perspective, grocery delivery services overwhelmingly can provide emissions reductions.”
Anne Goodchild and fellow researcher Erica Wygonik reached these conclusions following their collecting and analyzing data concerning the ecological footprint of grocery delivery services and personal vehicles in Seattle.
Their analysis reportedly showed that grocery delivery services produced roughly 20-75% less carbon dioxide.
They also found that, when delivering groceries to customers clustered in a fairly small area, stores also saved a lot of money on fuel.
“What's good for the bottom line of the delivery service provider is generally going to be good for the environment, because fuel is such a big contributor to operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Saving fuel saves money, which also saves on emissions,” Erica Wygonik said.
A detailed account of this investigation and its findings was published in the Journal of the Transportation Research Forum.