Green Hands USA: America Volunteers

I just came back from the post office, where I picked up a couple of Christmas gifts I recently ordered. In a few weeks, I'll wrap those gifts, pack them back in new boxes, and start shipping them out. But geez, all of that shipping requires cars and trucks and airplanes... and will create tons of carbon emissions in the process. What to do, what to do?

Well, the folks at GreenShipping.com sent me an email to let me know about their site, which offers an easy and inexpensive way to make shipping your packages carbon neutral. The site, which can be used by both individuals and businesses, lets you purchase carbon offsets to compensate for the greenhouse gases that will be created by shipping your package. The cost is minimal -- a package traveling by ground for 1,000 miles is around five cents, for example -- and the money goes to help fund the development of renewable energy sources.

You can use GreenShipping.com to calculate the carbon cost for shipping through the US Post Office, FedEx, and UPS. (You need to actually send your package through one of those services first, then visit the site to buy your carbon credits.)

I live in the middle of nowhere, and my family and friends are spread out all over the country, so this looks like a great option to help me offset my carbon emissions. Give it a try and let us know what you think!