green friday, green mailbox.

I dread it every day.  I walk over to the mailbox, grab the fat pile of mail that barely fits in the box, bring it inside {typically while trying to juggle a coffee, keys, my bag and cell phone all at the same time} and drop it on the counter....THUD.


It is almost painful to sort.  Recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, maybe look at, actual mail, recycle, recycle, recycle, actual mail, recycle...... final tally {drum roll please}


Actual mail - 2
Junk mail -   11


And granted, I am recycling it and not just dumping it in the trash bin... but really.  Is this all necessary??When I am getting 5 Pottery Barn catalogues in one day {one addressed to me, one addressed to the former owner, one addressed to me forwarded from my old address, one addressed to my ex who never even lived here and one addressed to current resident} I know something MUST be done.


100 million trees, 28 billion gallons of water and $320 million in local tax dollars are used for the production and disposal of junk mail.


EVERY YEAR


Here are two great organizations you can register with online to help reduce mailbox waste.  It won't remove you from every list and you will still get junk mail here and there, but it will be much much better.


Direct Marketing Association {DMA}  https://preference.the-dma.org/cgi/ddnc.php
Abacus   abacusoptout@epsilon.com {send an email with your name, middle initial, current mailing address and a previous address if you've moved recently} 


By just removing ourselves from a few of these mailing lists and by signing up for paperless billing and statements from our banks and utility companies, we will be saving so many resources.


Now off to glance at the new Williams and Sonoma catalogue.  On second thought, I'll just browse online. :)


rachel