Math Artifacts

$$\text{Why You Should Give a Truck About Two Day Shipping}$$

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As convenient as two-day shipping is, it does come at a cost (even when it's free with Amazon Prime). When orders are expedited, instead of filling the delivery trucks all the way, companies often leave them half empty. What impact does this have on the environment?

It is true sometimes we need that two-day shipping, but we can afford to wait a couple more days for most things we order. By choosing a slower delivery option that is equally free, we can lessen the impact on the environment.

Let’s look at the energy efficiency and environmental impact difference in delivering one truck full of goods. Suppose one truck-full of goods weighs about 2 tons. The distance traveled by the truck (for this particular delivery) is about 1000 miles. The truck emits roughly 170 grams of carbon dioxide per ton-mile (i.e. for every mile traveled with a ton of goods, the truck emits 170 grams of carbon dioxide). The truck itself weighs 5 tons.