Patent ID: 8738430

Claim:
A method for enabling the selection of a shipping option responsive to an environmental preference, comprising: selecting and implementing via a central processing unit a highest ranked one of a first ranked plurality of shipping options for a shipping of an item, wherein the plurality of shipping options are ranked in a first ranking as a function of shipping option cost values determined for each of the shipping options from environmental impact costs, shipping price costs and time-to-delivery costs; dynamically recalculating the determined cost values of at least one of the plurality of shipping options during a shipping of the item by the implemented highest ranked one of the first ranked plurality of shipping options; updating via the central processing unit the ranking of the plurality of shipping options to generate a second ranking of the shipping options that is different from the first ranking in response to a change in value of the recalculated at least one shipping option cost values; and changing via the central processing unit the implemented selected shipping option during the shipping of the item from the highest ranked one of the first ranking to another of the plurality of shipping options that is ranked higher in the second updated ranking.