The Greener Guide #3:
Just Say No to Junk Mail
Does junk mail cause you stress? It does for me. I have piles and piles of mail that I don’t want or need. However, I don’t feel comfortable throwing pre-approved credit cards, mortgage insurance offers or even cable marketing info into the recycle bin without first attacking them with a pair of scissors… and thus, the piles.

More than 62 billion pieces of junk mail are delivered to US mailboxes every year. That’s 41 pounds per person, 100 million trees and 28 billion gallons of water annually! Over 44% of that junk mail is thrown away unopened. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t shed many tears if I stopped receiving marketing mail for services I am already subscribed to, credit cards I don’t want and catalogs that the owners from 20 years ago subscribed to. While it may seem like a hopeless situation, there are things we can do to reduce the amount of junk that is delivered to our homes and therefore reduce that water, trees and gas needed to produce this mountain of trash.

1. Stop credit card offers: www.optoutprescreen.com - The consumer credit report industry lets you opt out of receiving pre-approved and prescreened credit card offers.

2. Stop junk mail and telemarketing: www.donotcall.gov (National Do Not Call Registry)

3. Don’t let you name be sold. When you shop online or over the phone specifically state that your information is not to be lent, sold or traded. If there isn’t a check box or clear place to enter this info online, use the comment box found in most checkout carts.

4. Let Precycle take care of it for you:www.precycle.tonic.com. Precycle is an organization that will help you reduce the amount of junk delivered to your home and plant a tree on your behalf. For less than a dime a day they will get you out of the mailings you want to get out of, but still keep the catalogs you want coming. They will plant five trees on your behalf when you sign up and one tree for each of the first five catalogs you opt out of. You will also receive a Chico reusable bag and two CFL light bulbs.