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Benefits of Catalog Shopping

Direct Shopping Reduces CO2 Emissions and Saves

TrafficBy replacing just two trips to the mall each year with shopping by catalogs or direct mail, Americans could:

  • Reduce the amount we drive by 3.3 billion miles
  • Reduce carbon dioxide emission by more than 3 billion pounds
  • Save more than $490 million on gas costs

Base Assumptions:

Households in the US: 111,090,617
Source: US Census 2005 American Community Survey - Click to visit source

CO2 emissions per gallon of gas (average) = 19.564 pounds per gallon
Source: US Energy Information Administration - Click to visit source

Fuel Efficiency: average car gets 21 miles per gallon
Source: EPA - Click to visit source

Cost of gas: $3.10 per gallon (US average on May 16, 2007)
Source: American Automobile Association - Click to visit source

Assumption of miles driven in a round-trip to the mall: 15 miles

Calculations:

30 miles saved per household
(15 miles x 2 trips per year = 30 miles)

3,332,718,510 miles per year saved
(111,090,617 households x 30 miles saved = 3,332,718,510 miles)

158,700,881 gallons of gas saved
(3,332,718,510 miles รท 21 miles per gallon = 158,700,881 gallons)

3,094,667,179 pounds of C02 emissions saved
(158,700,881 gallons x 19.5 pounds per gallon = 3,094,667,179

$491,972,731 saved on gasoline costs
(158,700,881 gallons x $3.10 per gallon = $491,972,731

updated: Friday, December 7, 2007 10:31 AM