When Laziness Pays: Getting Your Groceries Delivered Is Good For The Environment
Help out Mother Earth Get milk and cookies delivered to your doorstep. DreamstimeSit back, and let FreshDirect bring the milk and cookies to you. In case you wanted another excuse to just get everything delivered straight to your door… getting your groceries delivered emits less carbon dioxide than driving to the grocery store yourself, a new study found. Even companies that don't optimize their trucks' driving routes, and instead just deliver when their customers want them to, create fewer emissions than all of those households would driving by themselves, according to a paper from two civil engineers at the University of Washington in Seattle. Every scenario the engineers examined was a win for delivery, which always saved on emissions by at least 17 percent for their study area around Seattle. The savings would increase for less dense cities. They're also better if companies have more customers and are able to optimize...