I will add my YouTube video when completed.
Illustration by OpenClipart-Vectors
Note, this article refers to Amazon.com.
About a month ago, I shared an inquiry to this giant group involving to ask them to discontinue using bubble wraps and plastic bags filled up with air.
For food deliveries, I suggested them to install a new process like this one. Instead of the baggers to place the food into paper and plastic bags, they would put it inside one or more crates. The driver would then pick up the crate(s) to customers’ residence. The driver would empty the content at the spot chosen by the customers. They would have to make sure they left something out in order to the driver can deposit the food inside. This idea would suppress the paper and plastic bags altogether for food deliveries. Of course, I realize people also purchase frozen food. Okay, so I suppose they do not buy frozen food without to be home, right? Right! This food would be put in special containers to keep them frozen. They would require the customer to have their special containers outside ready for the driver to put inside.
Also, this group owns other shops. If instead of manufactured plastic bags for food, they would step away from all plastic content, that would be better for the food itself that can spoil in plastic bags and for the environment. It would cut their expenses in not having paper and plastic bags made for them.
The baggers would still handle the food, just reusing the same crates over and over. They wouldn’t lose their job. The drivers still would bring the food to customers’ front porch or so. They would have more work, but I would assume they might get a raise too (which is pure supposition coming from me and nobody else). Who knows!!! If they cut on paper and plastic bags, why not to imagine a raise. Utilizing used crates would avoid additional pollution though. I am not advising anyone to have new crates manufactured for their business. Used crates can be cleaned up and become like new. Who cares they are not all the same.
Also, it might be irrelevant to this topic, but not really. It could lead to food waste which would not be helping the planet, but the way around. I asked multiple times also – like for everything else -to their customer care and one more time directly to the group itself to add to their site and app some more functions. When ordering food, I suggested to have diverse options, especially to opt out for the bags, but also to be “choosing” our food. I understand orders are made virtually, which means not picking up by ourselves the food, since we cannot see the actual one that will be delivered to us. This could be resolved with a more developed site and app. Let’s pretend one wants to purchase bananas. Some they need for next meal, but wait they also have a party and are going to bake later this week banana bread loaves. They also need to make some sort of dessert requiring overripe bananas. Finally, they would take some more for later since they don’t feel like ordering again before one to two weeks. Of course, when placing their order, there is no space to write anything, so they cannot communicate their preference with the bagger. A small open space should be provided within their app & website when ordering food. In addition to this, there should be some options when buying the food. Let’s go back to the bananas. Would not it be nice to have a list opening before placing a specific food in our shopping cart? In the case of the bananas, there could be two types of options. The first one would be their ripeness or color, while the second would be the number of bunches needed in each of these categories. Okay, let me explain it further below. Less unhappy customers requesting a refund of the food not as they expected it would also be less money spent on the business. To be clear and honest, this article and all of my suggestions are NOT to make businesses richer. No… The non-humans are my real concern with having a more livable environment, thus an healthier planet for all of the sentient beings of any species (humans or not).
Let’s pretend there are tiny squares. I am not sure how to make it with this software. You click on the first square for the ripeness of the banana.
There are:
Green, yellow, overripe to choose from for instance. They could be more like between ripe and overripe!!!
Putting a check mark in the square to get yellow bananas. When checking this box-like, another square would open (or a drop down list with numbers to choose from) to state how many bunches you desire in this ripeness.
– 6 bunches of yellow organic bananas (1 for next meal + 5 for the banana bread loaves)
– 1 bunch of overripe bananas (for the dessert)
– 3 green bunches (for later)
Besides that, for a very long time now and repeatedly, I asked many times to customer service representatives working for this group to document my suggestions to stop using plastic bags, and to send my comments to the concerned department. I also requested this directly to this group. I made them more suggestions/requests, but it is not relevant of this subject.
With Global Warming that unfortunately not everyone wants to admit it is happening, it is extremely important that each of us does our part to help reduce this change of climate. As I have expressed over and over to customer service representatives, Planet Earth belongs to everybody but no one in particular. Big companies and everyone should help reducing the damages caused to the planet without to add more (plastic bags, over consumption or more manufacturing). I used to be over consuming myself, but I became a minimalist. What would be the use to have (too) many unnecessary material items if Earth becomes harsh to live on? I believe it’s better to take measures now – anyone of us – to help with this environmental issue before it’s too late then turns to catastrophe. Are you going to join in the efforts, not only contacting this group but other businesses to ask them to focus on minimizing their footprint impact?
Thank you to all of you willing to help fighting this climate emergency
