For most of us, it’s nearly impossible to imagine life without the convenience of Amazon. What started as an online bookstore has become the world’s go-to site for just about everything. But, the more Planetarian you become, the more difficult it becomes to click “Add to Cart” without thinking of the environmental cost and human impact of online shopping.
Several people I know, including my sister, have stopped using Amazon, and for good reason. But for most of us, there are reasons we can’t, or won’t. So here are a few of our suggestions for becoming a more Planetarian Amazon shopper.
Before searching Amazon… ask yourself, “Can I get what I want from a small business owner in my community?“ Do you really need to order Gorilla Glue from Amazon? Or could you buy it from your local hardware shop?
Reduce the number of deliveries and boxes. If you don’t need it right now, add it to your cart and wait until you have several items to check out. (Bonus: you’ll be surprised how much you delete from your cart by check-out time.) Even more convenient, pick an Amazon Delivery Day, which consolidates your purchases and delivers them on the same day each week—you choose the day! Ours is Monday.
Amazon Warehouse & Amazon Renewed—Shop returned devices, furniture, TVs, electronics, baby products & more on Warehouse. These products go through a twenty-point inspection process to ensure they’re as good as new! You can also shop refurbished products on Renewed. These products are also inspected, tested, cleaned, and fixed.
Amazon Smile—If you haven’t heard of Smile, it’s a simple way to support your favorite charities. AmazonSmile donates 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the organization of your choice. Consider supporting a climate or environmental non-profit! Find set-up instructions here.
Climate-Pledge Friendly—A relatively new feature on Amazon, this allows you to search products that meet one (or more) of nine certifications that are better for the environment. It may seem like greenwashing, but one of the main certifications is Compact By Design: less packaging is never a bad thing. Just tick the “Climate-Pledge Friendly” box in the filter category section.
The simplest tip—buy less! The most sustainable thing you can buy is nothing. We don’t need as much as we think we do, so challenge yourself to think twice before you click.
This week’s podcast is all about Greening-Up Your Amazon. It’s an honest, enlightening conversation, and we all learn a lot. Tune-in for more inspiration.
