Greener online shopping

Sometimes it can be hard to find exactly what you're looking for. Maybe you live in a small place? Or maybe your local store just has a poor range of products. I'm sure we've all ended up buying something online, at some point in our lives.

I won't argue, online shopping is great! Unfortunately, it also has some downsides such as long travel distance and that isn't very green. Most forms of transportation is not light on the carbon footprint. The best way to avoid being a contributor is to do thorough research and make sure that you're not missing any local store that might have your product. Keep in mind that cheapest often is the least sustainable. So please, don't be the kind of person who orders something from the other side of the globe, just to save a couple of euros. You're not saving the environment. Try to look at those extra euros you're paying for a more local purchase as a form of environmental fee.

Here are some questions you should ask before every online shopping trip

• Do I need it?
• Can I get from a local store?
• If it's for short-term use, can I borrow it from someone I know?
• Check if a local citizen is selling a used version it.
• Could this item be found in a thrift shop?
• Can I make this item myself?

• Buy within your own country. If that's not possible, check out what the nearby countries offer first. Generally, try to stay within your continent. The only time you should be ordering something outside of your continent is when the product is completely unavailable in your own.
• Buy consumables in bulk so that you won't have to make frequent purchases.
• Try to get items from different shops sent to you in one package by finding a shop that sells them all. Getting all your items in one package accounts for one travel, instead of multiple ones. (This is difficult and sometimes completely impossible).
• If you buy multiple consumables from the same shop on a regular basis, wait until you've used up several of them before making your next purchase.