Black Friday kicks off the holiday shopping season this week and, according to a recent survey, sustainable shopping is on a lot of people’s minds this year.
For example, half of respondents in the survey, which was conducted by the consulting firm Accenture, said they would opt for lower-carbon delivery options — like slower shipping or in-store pickup — if possible when doing their holiday shopping.
Fortunately, there’s an easy way to give yourself those greener options: Start early.
If you get going sooner rather than later, you’ll avoid the need for expedited shipping, which often means more trips, and less-efficient ones, by delivery trucks. And, it’ll be easier to consolidate your items into fewer deliveries. Best of all, you’ll probably give more thoughtful gifts. A bit more time for research means fewer panic purchases that are likely to be returned.
“Buy less and buy well,” recommended Shilpi Chhotray, a spokeswoman for The Story of Stuff Project, a nonprofit group. “The gifts we can give can be thoughtful and helpful instead of impractical and contributing to more clutter.”
Kyla Mandel 