Published on March 24th, 2010 | by Zachary Shahan

Clean, Green & Cheap Shipping

Ever need to have something shipped and wish you knew of a great green (or cheap!) shipping service?

An online shipping service I just found out about nails this one for you. The service brings together thousands of professional movers, truckers and couriers and connects them with people who need something shipped. If you post a potential shipment on the website, the site’s movers, truckers, couriers, etc. who have space to pick up a little something extra (or sometimes a lot) and are going in the right direction bid on your shipment until you choose your shipper.

Shipping packages, furniture, cars, appliances, boats, overnight letters, flowers, pets, or other things in a vehicle that is being underutilized helps to reduce greenhouse gases and other pollution and it also helps people to ship their stuff at a cheaper price.

The price can be driven down by as much as 75%, the website states.

So, what is the website?

Image Credit: AisKOOL

Green shipping

The website is CitizenShipper and it now has nearly 10,000 members.

The site is 100% free and super simple to use. You select (from a list) what you want to ship, enter the pick-up address, delivery address, preferred dates, and how much you are willing to pay. Then, you submit it for bidding. You get all kinds of information on the drivers bidding on your shipment and whenever you are ready, you choose your shipper.

Simple, eh?

Details on the Green (Environmental & Economic) Benefits

As the website states, using statistics from The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the US Department of Transportation (DOT), “29% of trucks on our roads today drive empty. The corresponds to 149 million tons of carbon emitted needlessly into the atmosphere each year.”

“I believe that if enough people utilize this service then we can make a significant impact at reducing the CO2 emissions in the US, while at the same time helping the economy by reducing the amount of fuel that’s wasted,” physicist and company founder Richard Obousy wrote to me.

This is also 15 billion gallons of wasted fuel a year. That comes to a cost of $30 billion alone.

The individual savings can be huge. One lucky user (mentioned on the website) received bids as low as $180 to have everything in her one-bedroom apartment moved from Carlsbad, CA to Escondido, CA.

“Once we reach a critical mass of users, then using the service becomes a win-win situation for everyone who takes part. Drivers can make extra money delivering shipments in an otherwise empty truck, while clients can make significant savings on their shipments,” Obousy wrote.

Safety or Security Concerns?

The company completes professional background checks on verified members. Also, if your shipment is lost, damaged or stolen it is covered by the company’s insurance (if you get the insurance).

Looks like a great service. Next time you need to ship something, consider CitizenShipper. I know I will.

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Tags: carbon emissions, citizen shipper, citizenshipper, shipping, transportation

About the Author

Zachary Shahan is the director of CleanTechnica, the most popular cleantech-focused website in the world, and Planetsave, a world-leading green and science news site. He has been covering green news of various sorts since 2008, and he has been especially focused on solar energy, electric vehicles, and wind energy since 2009. Aside from his work on CleanTechnica and Planetsave, he's the founder and director of Solar Love, EV Obsession, and Bikocity. To connect with Zach on some of your favorite social networks, go to ZacharyShahan.com and click on the relevant buttons.