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Green Shipping on uShip:

Help the environment and save money

Since 2004, uShip has made transport and trucking more affordable and efficient. We've matched hundreds of thousands of customers' shipments with the extra space in service providers' trucks, reducing the number of empty miles on the road and saving people millions of dollars in lowered delivery costs.

But that's only half of the equation. uShip also has a long-standing partnership with TerraPass, the award-winning carbon offset provider, to purchase credits to further neutralize the negative impact of carbon dioxide emissions created from service provider jobs booked on uShip. Whether you're a customer or a service provider, you can easily participate by purchasing TerraPass credits to make a difference.

The Transportation Problem

Logistics and transportation activities contribute approximately 5% of the 50,000 mega-tons of carbon-dioxide emissions generated by all human activity annually. (Source: Supply Chain Decarbonization)
When trucking companies can't arrange for a return shipment (i.e. backhaul), drivers pull empty trailers, often accounting for a significant percentage of all mileage of long-distance trucks.
The typical long-haul truck drives over tens of thousands of empty miles each year, consuming thousands of gallons of diesel in the process and emitting CO2, the primary greenhouse gas.

The uShip Solution

Customer shipments are matched with service providers' extra space.

example

The offset credit for a Toyota Camry (3,680 lbs) being
transported 1,000 miles would be just $2.63.
uShip customers contribute an eco-offset to help neutralize the CO2 emissions resulting from their shipments, based on the weight and distance of their delivery.
Green service providers help offset their emissions from all uShip shipping activities through a small contribution through TerraPass

By the numbers

Since 2006, 30,000 uShip shipping customers have offset their deliveries, representing 1,560 tons of offset CO2. This amounts to 30 million offset miles by service providers, equal to 1200 trips around the Earth.
In 2011, uShip shipping customers offset 500 tons of carbon from their uShip deliveries, representing 3.3 million offset miles – equal to 135 trips around the Earth.
TerraPass Certified: Over 5,000 certified green service providers voluntarily contribute offset fees that are directionally proportional to CO2 emissions from their shipments.
Carbon Neutral: uShip offsets 100% of its internal operations, including servers, site traffic, commuting, utilities and business travel, verified through TerraPass.

uShip: TerraPass Carbon Balanced, Blue Badge Partner

uShip and TerraPass have partnered to sponsor clean energy and carbon reduction projects that result in verified, measurable reduction in carbon emissions. uShip annually purchases offset credits based on company activities and resources used:

uShip has balanced emissions from these sources:

Site Offset

Energy use in buildings, including electricity,
natural gas, propane and heating oil

Server Offset

Energy use in computer data centers

Travel Offset

Employee travel, including flights and train trips

Commute Offset

Employee commutes, whether by car or by public transport

Other eco-friendliness at uShip

On-site lunches to reduce lunch trips
Organic food for employees
In-office recycling

Bio-diesel corporate vehicle and TerraPass offset
Community eco-initiatives
Carpooling and public transit subsidies

uShip Blog

uShip Customers now Offsetting CO2 Emissions from Their Own Deliveries

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Posted by [email protected] at 12:13 AM

When given an option to make a fiscally-friendly or an Earth-friendly decision, a recent study shows that most people side with saving their green rather than "going green." But now, when it comes to shipping and transporting their items, they don’t need to make a choice – people can do both on uShip.

Customers using uShip are already saving money and reducing emissions when their shipments are matched with extra space in transporters’ trucks. And now through uShip’s long-time partnership with TerraPass, the award-winning carbon offset provider, shipping customers can further help neutralize the negative environmental impact of their uShip activities by purchasing TerraPass offset credits.

The eco-offset credits are based on the shipment’s weight and distance, and are purchased at the time of check-out on uShip. For example, the offset credit for a Toyota Camry (3,680-lbs) being transported 1,000 miles would be just $2.63.

So how do carbon offsets actually work? A carbon offset is a certificate representing the reduction of one metric ton (2,205 lbs) of carbon dioxide emissions, the principal cause of global warming. When uShip transporters and customers purchase carbon offsets through TerraPass that money goes to projects that reduce carbon dioxide emissions making the air clean again. See a full list of TerraPass emissions projects.

Read full blog post >

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