sure, environmentally friendly gift baskets won’t save the world. But they can make a difference. Packaging, freight and shipping are three of the biggest environmental culprits. That’s Caring gift baskets are designed to minimize their effects, so our baskets are chummier with the Earth than the garden-variety kind. Giving one of our baskets is an easy way to do the Earth a favor. Think of That’s Caring as a great way to show your appreciation, with a little extra good deed thrown in.

Below are some facts and figures to give you an idea of how much harm just sending a package can do.

packaging

• Packaging is responsible for 65% of household trash.
• About 1/3 of an average landfill is made up of packaging material.
• Ordinary packing peanuts are made out of polystyrene, which generally is not recyclable.
• Polystyrene takes 900 years to decompose in the environment.

freight and shipping

• Ground freight contributes about 40% of nitrous oxide ( N₂O) emissions and about 31% of particulate materials (PM) emissions from transportation sources.
• Ground freight is also a major source of greenhouse gases, contributing about 20% of the carbon dioxide ( CO₂) emissions from transportation sources.
• Ground freight transportation consumes 35 billion gallons of diesel fuel each year and produces more than 350 million metric tons (about 772,618 pounds) of carbon dioxide a year. By 2012, those numbers are expected to increase to 45 billion gallons and over 450 metric tons (about 992,080 pounds).
• Air transport consumes more fuel and produces more greenhouse gases per ton-mile than any other mode of transport.

Facts compiled from epa.gov.