3 ms·

Alternatively, they just get delivered to your local store instead. And most people drive to the store.

jsz0 16y ago
Most cars get better gas milage than a UPS truck though. I know there's a ton of factors to consider here (what if the UPS truck is already making a delivery to my neighbor?) but it just seems really wasteful and indulgent to me. It's one of those things where I know if I signed up for it I would use it for the most frivolous and lazy purposes because it's just too easy and the consequences are completely hidden from me unless I make a real effort to think about it.
- erikpukinskis 16y ago
  It doesn't seem that complicated. A UPS truck drives less than 100 miles per day[1], and gets 9 miles to the gallon[2]. At most, that's 11 gallons of gas to deliver packages to 150 people[3]. If those 150 people were to drive to the store instead, they'd get an average of 23 miles to the gallon[4]. The average round trip to the grocery store is 5.5 miles[5]. That's 35 gallons of gas for all of those people to go to the store. By that calculation, driving to the store uses more than three times as much gas as centralized delivery. [1] http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/30/fedex-aims-30-percent-biofuels-2030 http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/30/fedex-aims-30-percen... [2] http://www.hybridcars.com/news/fedex-and-ups-add-electric-drive-vehicles-27727.html http://www.hybridcars.com/news/fedex-and-ups-add-electric-dr... [3] http://gas2.org/2008/12/11/ups-drivers-using-bikes-to-deliver-packages-this-christmas-i-seen-it-wit-me-own-two-eyes/#comment-41106 http://gas2.org/2008/12/11/ups-drivers-using-bikes-to-delive... [4] http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_04_23.html http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_stat... [5] http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/foodnutritionassistance/funding/RIDGEprojectSummary.asp?Summary_ID=151 http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/foodnutritionassistance/fun...
  - bkrausz 16y ago
    That is the best research-to-length-of-post density I've seen on HN to date. Kudos sir.

jsz0 16y ago

Most cars get better gas milage than a UPS truck though. I know there's a ton of factors to consider here (what if the UPS truck is already making a delivery to my neighbor?) but it just seems really wasteful and indulgent to me. It's one of those things where I know if I signed up for it I would use it for the most frivolous and lazy purposes because it's just too easy and the consequences are completely hidden from me unless I make a real effort to think about it.

erikpukinskis 16y ago
It doesn't seem that complicated. A UPS truck drives less than 100 miles per day[1], and gets 9 miles to the gallon[2]. At most, that's 11 gallons of gas to deliver packages to 150 people[3]. If those 150 people were to drive to the store instead, they'd get an average of 23 miles to the gallon[4]. The average round trip to the grocery store is 5.5 miles[5]. That's 35 gallons of gas for all of those people to go to the store. By that calculation, driving to the store uses more than three times as much gas as centralized delivery. [1] http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/30/fedex-aims-30-percent-biofuels-2030 http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/30/fedex-aims-30-percen... [2] http://www.hybridcars.com/news/fedex-and-ups-add-electric-drive-vehicles-27727.html http://www.hybridcars.com/news/fedex-and-ups-add-electric-dr... [3] http://gas2.org/2008/12/11/ups-drivers-using-bikes-to-deliver-packages-this-christmas-i-seen-it-wit-me-own-two-eyes/#comment-41106 http://gas2.org/2008/12/11/ups-drivers-using-bikes-to-delive... [4] http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_04_23.html http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_stat... [5] http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/foodnutritionassistance/funding/RIDGEprojectSummary.asp?Summary_ID=151 http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/foodnutritionassistance/fun...
- bkrausz 16y ago
  That is the best research-to-length-of-post density I've seen on HN to date. Kudos sir.