The study used Buy.com’s distribution model of shipping goods directly to a consumer from their manufacturer partners, skipping the ‘middle man’ shipping through a distribution center and then to either the consumer or to a store. This model was found to reduce environmental impact by 35% over driving to a retail store and reduced the total number of steps needed to get the product to a consumer.

“Consumers are looking for ways to live a more environmentally conscious lifestyle, whether that be recycling at home, reducing paper and packaging consumption or purchasing products that have less impact on our natural resources,” said Neel Grover, CEO and president of Buy.com. “This study solidifies that online shopping is another avenue they can embrace to help lower their carbon footprint and energy consumption.”

You can learn more about the Buy.com model at their website.

Happy shopping!

Well, as of today, the number 1 Green Product is a 5 pack of Reusable Tote Bags. Also on the list is one of my favorites, the Clean Kanteen stainless steel water bottle. It’s a welcome alternative to the leeching plastic bottles and mine does a great job of keeping me hydrated.  They come in all sizes… one will fit you just right.

Another interesting item on the Top Ten list is the wireless Amazon Kindle Digital Reader. The device allows you to read your favorite books just like you would a paper book, with the white background pages and black ink. Lets you keep important documents like PDF’s and Word documents handy as well, and everything is done wireless at no additional cost. The Kindle has received great reviews and looks like another way to save paper and money as well.

And you can’t forget about toilet paper! The 48 Pack of Seventh Generation 2 Ply Toilet Paper also makes the Top Ten. It’s reviewed well and made from 100% recycled materials and no chlorine used in whitening.

Visit Your Green 3 to find out what products made this list and vote on the top green products you wish everyone had.

Our health, resources and the well being of future generations will depend on what we do every day, not just one day out of the year. It’s wonderful to see the growing number of events, actions and products that are environmentally aware… and it’s a great start.

For example, here are a few things we can do every day that will make an impact on our environment today and into the future:

• Consider buying items that are used often in bulk. This saves you buying additional packaging from small containers/packages as well as transportation costs from less shopping trips.
• Consider buying fewer packaged items, especially foods. Packaged foods are also processed, enriched, modified, often filled with artificial ingredients and far less healthy than whole foods. Fresh, ripe and organically grown fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and natural grains are considered the healthiest foods.
• Consider car pooling with co-workers.
• Consider telecommuting, working from home. If you can’t arrange that full time, try a few days a week. With the internet and advanced telecommunication today, most any type of work can be done remotely.
• Consider starting a home business.
• Consider switching to an online fax service and recycle your traditional fax machine. You can save a considerable amount of paper and electricity while sending and receiving your faxes by email or directly from any application on your computer. Much easier to organize as well.
• Get reusable shopping bags in place of paper or plastic when grocery shopping. Cities like San Francisco have already banned plastic bags and many stores including Walgreen’s, Fry’s, Whole Foods, and Safeway, among others already offer reusable bags, as well as being available online.
• Let off the gas pedal. It’s surprising how much fuel you can save by driving at a moderate speed rather than speeding away from a light and speeding ahead of others on the highway. Studies have shown that you get better gas mileage at around 60 than 70 miles an hour and by speeding up moderately. Often it’s amusing to watch drivers speed around me in frustration on surface streets just to meet them again at the next light knowing how much I save every much. I’ve literally added 5-6 extra miles per gallon by following several efficient strategies including these. Depending on your regular mileage, that can save you 1-2 gallons on every fill up… a big savings at today’s fuel prices.
• Recycle paper, metal and plastics with your local trash service program. If you have plastic bags from the grocery store, recycle them at your local Whole Foods, one of the only locations that recycle them (surprisingly).
• If you do business online (or plan to) use a web hosting service that is eco-friendly. There are hosting companies that are powered exclusively by wind and solar energy and socially progressive in their business operations to conserve energy.

Keep it green every day!

Shaklee is the number one natural nutrition company in the U.S. and has been around for over 50 years. Their focus has been to make the planet healthier by what they do everyday.

They started back when green was just a color and biodegradable was barely a word. In fact, as early as 1960, they made one of the first biodegradable household cleaners ever. And interestingly enough, they were the first company in the world to obtain Climate Neutral™ certification and totally offset their CO2 emissions, resulting in a net zero impact on the environment. Not many companies can make this claim.

They do what they do because they think it’s essential to do their part as part of the larger movement to make people and the planet healthier. And in doing so, they believe each of their contributions put together will create the major change they would like to see in the world.

Learn more about Shaklee products.

Chlorine free products include diapers, baby wipes, feminine care products, as well as recycled paper products that are whitened without chlorine, including bath and facial tissue, paper towels, plates and napkins. Non-toxic cleaning products include high-efficiency laundry detergent, liquid dish and dishwasher detergent, and kitchen and bathroom cleaners designed to clean without harsh chemicals. Seventh Generation was founded as a socially responsible business in 1988 and is headquartered in Burlington, Vermont; products are sold in stores nationwide.

A few of their broad line of non-toxic, environmentally friendly products include:

(click on any image for more details)

Drugstore currently has a ‘Go Green Resolutions‘ sale and new Drugstore.com customers can receive $5 off orders of $30 or more through March 31, 2008.