In an ideal world, we could order things like ink cartridges and they would arrive, nearly just-in-time, the next day and in a carbon-light way. In today's less than ideal world, I've decided that "planning ahead" verses adopting a "real-time/just-in-time" attitude toward my on-line purchasing habits lowers my indirect carbon footprint. I used to order on-line an ink cartridge here, a pack of photo paper there, but now I plan ahead and order a bunch of stuff at one time, and I rarely designate the option "to ship stuff separately" - just so I can get things sooner (at the expense of more eco-efficient packaging and delivery). If I need a last minute ink cartridge, I'll try my best to arrange my physical travel that day so I can pass by the "local" Staples without traveling too far out of my way. Sure, it's "inconvenient", but unchecked global warming will be far worse than inconvenient.

-joe
http://www.greenjoe.com/