Stopping the junk mail tree killers

It’s two months since I began the no impact man stage concerned with stopping trash, but my recycling bin is still filling up with paper I never bought, never used, and never wanted. The junk mail pours in.

Five years ago, I bought my step-mother Beth some flower bulbs. The company has sent me two catalogs a year ever since. The product pushers discovered that Isabella was born but not that she has since aged two years, so we get piles of completely useless baby wear catalogs.

Do I ever look at these bundles of the coagulated flesh of dead trees? Uh, no. Do you?

According to the Native Forest Network guide to stopping junk mail, 100 million trees are ground up each year to make junk mail. Um, didn’t somebody mention that tearing down trees is contributing to global warming?

All in the interests of our economy—right?—except that 44 percent of junk mail gets trashed without ever being opened. Together with other types of paper and paperboard waste, the junk mail adds up to 40% of the solid waste in our landfills.

So here’s what I’m doing to stop the tree killers and keep their trash out of my bin:

1. All the junk mail, including that with plastic windows in the envelopes, goes in the recycling bin. For a guide to recycling in your community, go here.

2. I got my name off the credit card and insurance offer lists by going to the credit bureaus’ centralized service for opting out.

3. I spent a dollar—swear to God, that’s the price—to sign onto the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service, which reportedly will reduce my junk mail by 75%.

4. I began calling the 800 number on the catalogs and asking them to take me off their lists

It’s too soon to tell how well all this works, but I’ll report in a couple of months. Meanwhile, a couple of websites tell you how to make your own recycled paper from junk mail, but well, I’m too busy baking bread from local wheat and washing Isabella’s locally-grown, organic cotton diapers. God save me, please, from myself and this crazy project.

Comments

[Allie S-W]

Hey Colin

I was actually getting sooo much junk mail that I bought a paper shredder a couple months ago to deal with it all... shocking how much paper really is wasted on sending out that crap (like Americans need more credit cards anyway!!). So as soon as i read this post I submitted my request to opt out for credit card & insurance junk mail. thanks!

--allie

[cathy]

HI! My daughter is six and is obsessed with global warming and she will be very excited about what you are doing. A mom at her school set up a blog for kids in brooklyn to talk to kids in Singapore and in France about the plight of the polar bears and other aftermaths of global warming. I am very excited about what you are doing, even though it will be a book and probably be a bestseller and create more books and more paper. What are you doing about the toilet paper?!> I got to know. I use reclycled toilet paper and I don't think I can forgo wiping my tushie. I also feel I have to confess that sometimes I buy evil non organic produce becasue I am a writer now not a sitcom actress like I used to be so I can't afford organic all the time. Anyway, good luck with your project and you will probably get a letter from my daugher soon. Maybe you would like to come and talk to her class? They have all written letters to their senators and made posters about polutions and walking instead of driving and they really beleive they can save the world.

Yours Truly.

[Echo]

I have two viewpoints or MO’s in life:

Rule 1. Whatever makes my life easier… and
Rule 2. Whatever will save the world and make this a better place
Sometimes it’s like having two boobs facing different diagonal directions.

Yes, cooking for the zen center retreat, a url link, oh look- a blog, ooo a project, oh, interesting environmentalism in the city; links, and lookee there, in a matter of minutes I fell into it-- not like a trap, but like a cookie crumb trail. Here’s one, oh, here’s another, and oh, here’s another. By the time I lifted my head, I had opted out of all the catalogs, and paper bills that I and my boyfriend receive at home. Goodbye, Crate & Barrel, Design within Reach, Gaiam Yoga products, West Elm, and paper bills. The only ones I stayed on were Omega and Kripalu Retreat centers. “Besides,” I told my boyfriend, as I was telling him that he and I will no longer be receiving this stuff in the mail, “when we need something, we go online first and look for it anyway.” To which he agreed.

But I liked doing this, it was rule #1 and #2 together, hand in hand, heart to heart, your rainbow and my rainbow. I kept thinking paper, paper bills, paper recyclables, paper products, and then from here to there, I was online again reading about something called a “Keeper”, a “Mooncup”, and (unfortunately) a “Diva”Cup. I already carry around a reusable Nalgene bottle, a habit of my festival-traipsing ways and growing up on the west coast. Now, before I go into this more, I know how much boys and men love advertisements and women talking about feminine products, especially on blogsites!—but still pay attention-- the women will appreciate it. Here it is: a non-paper feminine product that’s reusable up to ten years! Yippee, you say? Say it.

A statistic: 7 billion tampons, and 13 billion menstrual pads end up in the sewer system and landfills.

I thought: they count these things? Who’s the lucky dude who counts these things. Do they do it by weight? I didn’t want to imagine. I did though think that “biodegradable” meant that things breakdown, melt or dissolve, that there wouldn’t be billions of them to collect and count. How long does this take? That’s kind of why I used them in the first place, because I didn’t like all the packaging and plastic of maxi pads bundled up and ending in the landfills.

So, I read up about these cups, and ordered one. (Amazon.com) I had to. Healthy, too: no more ultra-bleached cotton up my watooki, and no more risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome, and not another biodegradable ounce to add to the landfills.

Plus-- 35 bucks for a mooncup, vs. $10 a month times 12 is $120 a year on feminine products. That’s $1200 in ten years (the suggested time you can use a mooncup). Spending some money for a worthy cause has its merits; investing wisely for a worthy cause is even better, doing all this with a couple clicks is fantastic.

Thanks for the info and the links Colin! I like this! I see a danger warning light going off in my head though: I may have to make some changes at home and drag my boyfriend who's usually content with things, into this environmental stuff further!!

[Jen from Brooklyn]

To Cathy regarding organic produce: I don't know where you live, but you might check out one of the food coops the city offers - the Park Slope Food Coop is the best, but there's one on E 4th street between Bowery and 2nd as well. You can get excellent organic produce there for cheap!

[evan austin]

i'm pretty happy so far with my GreenDimes membership....calls and writes to cancel my junk subscriptions for me.

[Laura]

I like to save some of my junk mail. I'll save the blank envelopes and letters that have a blank side or some writing space. They're good for writing down grocery lists, to-dos, and directions to places.

[Klong]

You guys make me want to throw up. If you want to make a difference and make a statement, why don't you tell your wife to stop working for Business Week, a publication that promotes the corporate consumerist ethos? Plus it sends out a junkload of mailings to me to subscribe.

It seems pretty hypocritical to be able to enjoy the benefits of this carbon consuming civilization while only selectively giving up certain perks.

Why don't you guys sell your place in Manhattan, quit your jobs, move out to somewhere rural, build an adobe or sod house, and run a farm?

Oh I forgot, because you guys want to stay in one of the media centers of the world, get your publicity and your book deal and your movie exposure when your little experiment is over.

[Angela]

Klong, the blog seems inspiring to people to learn new ways to reduce waste. Is that a bad thing? Setting an example is a wonderful way to change the world, even if nobody is perfect.

[Mary]

Uncluttering my mail-box has been on my list of things to do for about a year- as a way to simplify my life. I never thought of it as a way to reduce landfill waste, but your links made it extremely easy. I will suggest this tip to my family and all of my friends! I've been taking my own bags to the store for quite some time, but perhaps I should buy some for other family members so they can do the same.

Keep sharing tips as you learn more along the way! Thanks!

[Lauren]

I read your article in the paper yesterday and ever since then I haven't been able to get your project off my mind! You have honestly inspired me to change the way I live as well. I even spoke to my parents today about planting more trees at their house! However, as I was thinking about all the ways I could help, I thought of a few things (I thought) I wouldn't be able to change and junk mail was the top of that list! I'm so glad you have addressed the topic! I'm going to go follow those links right now. Thank you for what you are doing!

[rachel]

I LOVE your whole project. I can't believe how people are nitpicking you, I applaud the changes you've made and you've really inspired me. Thanks so much for the links on reducing junkmail, I've been meaning to do this for a long time but tonight I finally did it. Thanks!

[Sarah P]

Hi Colin!
I was so excited to see that the MPS service is for Canada too! I spent my $1 and I greatly look forward to a reduction in my junk mail! Yay! Thanks for doing this project! It's inspiring!

[Sarah P]

Klong,
I always wonder why when someone tries to make a difference, people nitpick at them for not being perfect! No one is perfect! Are YOU making any effort at all?

[Nicole D.]

The moment I saw it, I signed up for the permanent opt-out for those blasted credit card mailers! And paid the $1 to reduce junk mail. Thank you, thank you!

My husband and I are expecting our first, and though I've always been aware of the impact my choices have made on the environment and people around me, the notion of having a little one has inspired more significant choices.

Thank you for your inspiration!

[A. Murphy]

Hi there,
Just heard you on NPR and came to the site to see what it's all about. I am grateful to have found a way to reduce my junkmail and signed up for both the credit agency removal and the dma.
thanks again. Look forward to more tips!

[Heath Johnson DeKalb, IL]

Helloooo green guy, I also just listened to the NPR story, good luck tonight on the Colbert report! This is a real inspiration and I'm gonna keep reading, people have been doing wacky life experiments a lot lately with the internet to work with, this is one that might actually do some good!

[Scott]

Colin

Thanks for the great info! I did this right away. I have been hauling about 50 pounds of junk mail per week to the recyclers and grumbling about a way to hold back the flood. I plan to call all of the catalogs I get now and get off their lists individually as well.

I just finished reading "Better Off" by Eric Brende and "The Good Life" by Helen and Scott Nearing. I recommend both of these books highly for anyone that wants to move farther off the grid and toward sustainability. My goal is to move off the grid entirely, eat with the seasons, and shop locally while thinking outside the big box.

Hmmm...you may have inspired me to get into this all the way. Sounds like fun. I will be watching your posts closely and studying your site. I have acquired quite a library on simpler living (I know it's paper but it's not going into the trash) and baby stepping my way there.

I admire what you are doing.

[Sloane]

I heard the NPR show too. I am glad there are people in the world like you (and your family). I have signed up or opted out however you want to say it. Thanks for the inspiration, information, and I will see you tonight on the Colbert Report!

[GreenYogini]

Love your blog and, moreover, the concept of No Impact Man. I am perpetually investigating new methods for living harmoniously *with* my environment, instead of *in*, or *on* it. (By the way, for me, this includes getting along with all my "neighbors", plant, animal, and humans of all varieties.)

After reading your recommendation on reducing junk mail I filed my own Opt-out request. I'll decide about the Mail Preference Service after I see what kind of junk mail I'm still receiving. I have to point out, though, that for years I've been trying to remove myself from catalog lists, and I notice that even if they stop sending me catalogs for about three months or so, they inevitably begin again shortly. I have contacted the catalog companies directly and have asked them to not only remove my name from their mailing list, but to also remove it from their partner company mailing lists and to permanently remove my name from lists that they sell and/or trade.

For the past five years or so I've been gradually changing over my habits and consumption choices to decidedly more "green" methods and products. While my friends and family often scoff at my strange (and sometimes admittedly costly) choices, I find that eventually they all find that one of these changes seems to solve their own health, energy, or money-related issues (in addition to just being eco-friendly).

One thing I swore I'd not change was toilet paper. ;) Good luck with that one. I recently found, though, that Seventh Generation has improved their recycled TP so that now it doesn't feel like sandpaper - in fact, it's just like regular TP and is much better than the TP in public restrooms. Now I'm a convert.

As for recycled paper, I have been able to find recycled printer paper and recycled notebooks at my local Kinko's. EnviroTech makes my spiral-bound, 100% recycled notebooks (though I'd prefer they didn't have spirals). I haven't tried making my own paper yet, but I reuse every piece of blank paper that comes into my home by printing on the back side or folding and tearing it into quarters for notes. Oh, and I don't send greeting cards - I send e-cards, courtesy of www.care2.com.

And another plug for Seventh Generation - I use their laundry detergent for high efficiency washers, their dish soap and detergent for dishwashers (haven't yet given those up myself), recycled paper towels (which I use only for possible bacteria-covered surfaces), tampons without applicator, and menstrual pads. Kudos to a company that can fulfill so many household needs! While most of their products are a tad more expensive than the average brands, I tend to be more conscious about how much I use, thereby using less of the product.

I applaud your efforts, and can't wait for the results of your experiment. It's too bad you live so far away - I'd love to be your intern! :)

[belinda]

I applaud you and your family for going pretty much as far as anyone can go to save our planet. So here's something to add to the list, something that saves trees, landfill space, pesticide use, water, and babies butts - go diaper-free! Or at least diaper-less, i.e. rely less on the use of diapers for your little one. We're practicing this method, also known as elimination communication, natural infant hygiene, or infant potty training, with our 2 month old just as we did with our almost 4 year old. And we live in Westchester. Now who's crazy?

Actually, just as billions of people on this planet don't use toilet paper, millions of babies born to these people don't use diapers and there is no name for this "method" - it's just what they do. And we in the "civilized" world can do this, too. We do use cloth diapers as backup (and also *gasp* the occasional 7th gen disposable) but for the most part we try to recognize our daughter's need to go (because we are trying to learn her signals) and take her to the bathroom.

For anyone interested, here's a good place to start: www.natural-wisdom.com. And here's a yahoo group for NYC parents: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYCdiaperfreebaby/.

PS - The Diva Cup is awesome. I also had a mini-shower (a little sprayer that attaches to the toilet line) to wash off, you know...and then blot dry with a cloth/towel. Not much grosser that washing poo diapers because there's really no poo on these cloths. Anyway, I sorta digress since this entry was about junk mail...happy hygiene, everyone!

[Michael]

Just wanted to let you know that I spent a good deal of time reading your blog and am looking forward to further exploring all of the options for decreasing my family's impact on the earth. My wife and I have always tried to be conscious of our environmental impact and attempt to set a good example for our children. It is always nice to read about all of the other things we could do that maybe we hadn't thought of before. Thank you and your family for all you are doing to set an example for the rest. Just from reading the 'comments' section tells me that minds are being changed and eyes are being opened. Thanks again.

[Dan]

Klong, Maybe the wife should keep the job, but try to influence the company's philosophy. And, the city is probably the greenest invention of man ever. If we all lived in rural settings, but had the same population as the world has now, we would have out grown the earth a while ago.

way to go noimpactman - i'm going to try to cut my junk mail. even if i din't care about the earth, it would be sweet to not have to go through so much of the stuff.

[stacy]

i did #2 after reading this. i already do #1 but i have to drive myself to take it to the local recycling center, along with my trash. i have a large compost pile in the back yard. having to haul my own trash/recycling has made me think more about what i am producing. when i lived in suburbia, i just took it out to the curb and a truck picked it up every thursday. now, it's up to me to sort and empty the items into their bins at the center. i have learned more about composting and appreciate it now.

[Cynthia]

I have been on the opt out list for years, but when I bought my first home, I began getting a deluge of junk mail from loan officers. I call each to get off the mail, but they tell me there is nothing they can do about it. Someone told me to call the company managing my loan and tell them to stop giving out my information. I did. I got hung up on. I called again. I was told they had the right to do it because of "The Freedom Information Act". They were REQUIRED to give my information to anyone who wanted it. I asked to speak with a supervisor. I was once again, hung up on.

The Opt out program ... works awesome with everyone else but finance companies. If anyone has an idea how to stop them ... let me know!

[Heather]

Alright, I'm in. Even though I am an evangelical republican...I know, gasp! We're out here, too.