This is a follow up to my previous post in which I bemoaned my eternal state of clutter. Like many of you, I get way, way, way too many catalogs and industry mags, the vast majority of which I didn’t request and will never use. While I do intentionally subscribe to a number of magazines, I try to keep my subscriptions to a manageable number and discontinue them when I find that I am not reading them regularly.
To help diminish this deluge of paper, my husband & I have recently registered with two services.
I first learned about Catalog Choice from a friend and I recently registered with this nonprofit, web-based organization dedicated to helping consumers reduce unwanted catalog deliveries. The way that it works is you register, free of charge, at www.catalogchoice.org and as you identify catalogs that you would like to discontinue receiving, you log on to the site, register your wishes; they then facilitate registering your request with the various retailers. The organization was recently featured by Bill Moyers on NPR; learn more here.
Another action we took recently was to register at www.41pounds.org , another service focused on helping to eliminate unwanted mail. This service does charge a $41 fee to subscribe to their service for 5 years, but according to their website more than a 1/3 of this fee goes to non-profit organizations such as environmental groups, schools, and youth groups.
A startling statistic from their site:
An average of 41 pounds of junk mail is sent to every adult citizen each year. Approximately 44% of this mail goes into a landfill unopened.
By taking these actions, we can make a positive impact on our environment; save trees, save water, reduce global warming!
Go here for more info on the environmental impact of junk mail.
