I looked into carbon offsets of shipping containers from China to the US as part of my job. I was shocked at how little was emitted per container - Probably cost around $40 of offsets for one 45 footer.

Like you said, the bigger issue is the trucks needed for last mile / between distribution centers.

Whats a good way for me to take the dive into self hosting without getting myself in trouble security wise? I would love something that is basic to build off of as I experiment with it to teach myself the more advanced stuff.