'Tis the season to be shopping, and one of the recommendations for being more sustainable is to shop online. Collectively we are putting tons of CO2 in the air from all of those trips to mall that are made worse by sitting in traffic.

Many folks suggest shopping online as a way to reduce your carbon footprint since having goods delivered by shipping company or the postal service is more efficient than mall hopping yourself.

That makes sense when shopping for most manufactured goods since the majority are made in China or elsewhere outside of the U.S. But buying locally made goods, especially food, can be an even more sustainable way to shop.

Yes, locally made products such as furniture can cost more, but you should consider the environmental cost of transporting the goods from all over the globe. All of those miles on ships or by air, rail, or roadway ads up to extra greenhouse gases being emitted. Food that is grown locally travels a fraction (from 1/10th to 1/20th of the distance as food imported by retailers), according to the book Harvest for Hope by Jane Goodall.

While it may not be an equal payback to the added cost, buying from local companies also provides extra income that is taxed locally and creates jobs in the region. In theory (if your local government is effective) the extra tax revenue would be used to lower other taxes or increase government services.

Website FiveLimes has launched a website that makes it easier to shop from local companies that emphasize sustainability. The new service makes use of Google Maps and covers 16 North American cities, but the database isn't very comprehensive as it just launched.