Tip of the Week

Junk Mail Redux

I still get junk mail, but far fewer catalogs and unsolicited direct mail pieces than I was getting just a few months ago, before subscribing to 41pounds.org, the junk mail reduction gurus. I'd be curious to know if those of you who also signed up with them have seen a dent in your everyday mail pile. According to 41pounds.org, since last summer several hundred Green Guide readers paid $41 in return for a junk mail reduction kit and a promise to help you drop your junk mail by as much as 95% in 4 months. The savings from those few hundred participating Green Guide readers came to 205 trees and 72,000 gallons of water. It's a tip of the iceberg for sure, but has me excited to do more.

41pounds.org is not the only organization which for a fee promises to help you reduce your junk mail. The Green Guide has also reported on Greendimes.com which charges $3 per month and automates the process of removing your name from junk mail lists. Because the smallest actions, such as donating to charity or purchasing items from a catalog or web site, are enough to put your name on yet another list, Greendimes is constantly checking lists for your name, and their list of junk mailers is constantly updated.

You don't need to work with a service to reduce your junk mail. You can also register online for the national Do Not Mail list at www.the-dma.org/consumers/offmailinglist.html though you should be warned that it is only free by postal mail. The online opt-out method costs $5, but I'd recommend the online method, since while you are there, you can put your email addresses on the Do Not E-mail list, and stop the flow of unsolicited commercial e-mails that pile up in your email box.

And if unwanted phone solicitations are the bane of your dinner hour, you can register online at www.donotcall.gov, to be removed from their list.

I'm determined to simplify my life, and in an age of information overload, I have found reducing the flow of junk mail wherever it flows, is a small step that yields great rewards every day.

© The Green Guide, 2008

| Email this post

Discuss this blog

Green Gab is for registered users only. If you are not a registered user and would like to join the discussion, register today. Already registered? Log in here:
Username:		Password:
If you have forgotten your password, click here.