Last week, I ordered a harder-to-find book online. Three days later, I got an email from the vendor saying the book had shipped, but it would take another six days to arrive. What?!?
I couldn’t get the book locally, but I didn’t urgently need it. Waiting several days for delivery used to be the norm, so why was I so annoyed?
It bothered me that two-day shipping had started to feel less like a convenience and more like an entitlement.
I try to make choices that help the environment every day.
No trash company will come down our street to pick up recycling (it’s a whole thing), but I can’t bring myself to toss it out with the regular trash. Instead, whenever I visit nearby relatives who have the privilege of recycling pickup at the end of their driveway, I bring my recycling along and add it to their bins (with their permission, of course). Glass isn’t accepted in their bins, though, so I put their glass with mine and drop it off at our town’s glass recycling center. Styrofoam goes to the grocery store’s dedicated drop-off spot.
Most times, I bring reusable bags into the grocery store. Any plastic grocery bags that come home get a second life as doggie poop bags or get donated to a local crafting group, who cut them into strips and turn them into “plarn” – plastic yarn crocheted into mats for unhoused folks downtown.
Isn’t all this effort enough to earn me expedited shipping?
When we cook, we’re mindful of portions, and we eat 95% of our leftovers for lunch or freeze them for later to avoid food waste. Buying single-use plastic water bottles pains me, so I carry a refillable one everywhere (my grandparents would probably find this odd).
I pick up litter during neighborhood walks and make sure trash and recycling go in the right bins when I’m out and about, so the whole contaminated lot doesn’t end up in a landfill.
Don’t I deserve to get things faster when that option exists?
My husband drives a hybrid, and my car is small with good gas mileage. We consolidate errands where we can – although I’ll admit this is just as much about saving time as saving the planet (but both things can be true). And when possible, we take the subway instead of fighting traffic above ground.
I haven’t fully joined the thrifting trend yet, but several family members are all in (especially our 20-somethings). I donate clothes I no longer wear, borrow and loan special occasion items, and give old shoes to DSW to be repurposed.
Before buying something that will be used only once (or once a year) – like holiday table decorations or specialized tools – we trade among friends and family. It’s better than cluttering the garage with yet another rarely used item.
Isn’t all this enough???
The modern world delivers things at lightning speed, and we get frustrated when it doesn’t. But at what cost?
It took me longer than I’d like to realize that much of a package’s emissions come from the “last mile” – the final stretch before it reaches my doorstep. Even when they’re brought to us in electric vehicles, packages marked for quick delivery force drivers to make more stops, spend more time in traffic, and often take less efficient routes just to meet our chosen four-hour window. It makes sense, but that Prime button’s pull is strong!
Let’s be honest – outside of emergencies, like the specialized pillow I needed after unplanned eye surgery, very few things need to arrive at my door within 24 hours.
I’ll still use fast shipping when it’s truly necessary. But the rest of the time, vendors are offering options like consolidated deliveries, flexible delivery dates, and shipping in the product’s original packaging to cut down on waste and environmental impact. I need to choose differently.
Old habits die hard, but they’re just what we’ve gotten used to. We can adjust to new habits – and even tolerate a bit of inconvenience – if it means protecting the planet we call home.
None of us can do everything, but each of us can do something. What habit could you break that might make a big impact on the planet?
Happy Earth Day!
Please share this message with people in your life and remember – you matter! Together, we can make a positive impact on this world – one word, one action, one person at a time!
(Photo/Erik Mclean)
