Carbon Footprint: Electronic Statements

This week, my tip for greener living is brief. Consider paying your bills online or use automatic deductions to reduce the paper use and the gas needed to deliver the outgoing mail. Depending on your municipality and bank, you can pay electric, water, cable TV, phone, credit card, association fee, newspaper, insurance, mortgage, and internet provider bills using automatic deductions from your checking account or credit card statement. We save several dollars a month in postage and maybe an hour of work each month. Some agencies still send statements in the mail; the only difference is that the statements now say “Do not Pay. Automatic Deduction.” Several agencies will et you sign up for a electronic statement, further reducing the paper needed. Trees are saved from the paper mill so they can do their jobs of providing shade, absorbing solar heat and cleaning the air. Furthermore, there is less demand for paper, which reduces manufacturing energy. Try to remove yourself from bulk mailing lists and keep a recycling bin next to your front door so that junk gets diverted immediately to the circular file.

Thanks to Evelyn the Envelope for agreeing to pose for this week's clip art.