One of the Simple Ways to Help readers, Kathleen Shecter, suggested we discuss how to reduce the onslaught of junk mail in our mailboxes. Kathleen is an avid recycler and environmentalist. She launched a personal campaign to get junk mail out of her life. She shares her experience with us today.

Junk mail is a problem, a big one. It wastes our natural resources. It stuffs our mailboxes, ends up in the landfill (for those who are not recycling) and is a general pain in the butt. No more! I have successfully managed to alleviate all unwanted mail. It took some phone calls and letter/email writing but after about two months (it takes awhile to get out of the systems of some of the larger places) it tapered off and then just disappeared. The following are the places I contacted:

1) OptOutPrescreen.com: (888) 567-8688. This is a centralized service to accept and process requests from consumers to “Opt-Out” of unsolicited credit card offers. Very important to avoid identity theft!

2) ADVO: (888) 241-6760 to delete all those unwanted grocery circulars. These guys are the largest private customer of the USPS! They have a free online form to fill out. It takes about 5-6 weeks to get you out of their system. Call again if it doesn’t work after that.

3) Harte Hanks Communications: (800) 422-4116. These folks send out that “Pennysaver” pamphlet. With Ebay available who needs a printed ad?

4) Val Pak: (800) 237-6266. That packet of coupons that comes once a month.

For addtional resources check out http://www.stopjunkmail.org.  Also, whenever I get a new catalog that I did not request I immediately call and ask to be removed from their mailing list.  Everyone is willing to help.  They don’t want to waste the money if you aren’t interested. With a little time and energy you can stop the waste and keep your mailbox from being stuffed with junk you don’t want.  It feels great to open the box and only have two pieces of mail! Now if I can only stop the bills.

In addition to Kathleen’s great suggestions there are a number of companies that purchase and collect information from government records, telephone books, consumer surveys, product registration forms, etc. and sell the lists. To be removed from the mailing lists of some of the major data compilers, contact the following companies.

• Acxiom: (877) 774-2094
• Donnelley Marketing: (888) 633-4402
• Equifax ( 800): 873-7655
• Experian Marketing Solutions: (888) 246-2804
• TransUnion: (888-567-8688)

Thank you, Kathleen, for suggesting this topic and sharing your experience.  It is always motivating to hear about how people have taken steps to be green in their lives.

In what ways have you elimated waste in your everyday life?  Your stories will inspire us all.

What do you think it would take to soak up the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by Russia in one year?  One tree per person.  The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has organized a tree planting drive with the goal of seven billion trees by November 30, 2009.  Seven billion trees is the equivalent to approximately one tree per person alive on the planet and would offset the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by Russia in one year.

Trees help the environment in many beneficial ways.  Not only are they beautiful, but they can also reduce your heating and cooling costs, reduce noise pollution, improve air quality, help conserve water, provide shelter for wildlife and add value to your home.  Temperatures near trees are cooler. The larger the tree, the greater the cooling effect will be. The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to 10 room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  In the winter trees can function as windbreaks thereby reducing your heating bill.  Over the course of a year, the average home could save between $150 and $250 on energy costs through strategic landscaping.

If you live in a condo or there is no place in your backyard for a tree the UNEP has organized a program called Plant for the Planet which encourages schools, members of the community and the private sector to become involved in tree planting.  Organizing a tree planting project in your condo complex or neighborhood is a great way to connect with neighbors to do a community good deed.  It is also a good way to model for your children how one good deed makes a difference to the planet.

If you want to do this Monday Mitzvah from your office, the U.S. Forest Service has a Plant a Tree Program that accepts donations.  This program qualifies as a charitable deduction for the Internal Revenue Service and can be donated in honor of someone or a special event.

If you are like me and live in an older home without central air conditioning, this is probably the time of year when you start contemplating installing an air conditioning unit. It is 95 degrees today where I live in Silicon Valley so air conditioning is on the forefront of my mind.

The best green solution is to do what I am doing today which is to keep the shades down and the doors closed. I have a fan blowing directly on me and am considering putting a bucket of ice water in front of it. Isn’t that how they used to stay cool in the deep South?

However, despite the carbon footprint if you really want to stay cool air conditioning is obviously the way to go. Energy Star air conditioners are the most energy efficient option. If you already have an air conditioning unit and are thinking of replacing it with an Energy Star unit, consider the following:

1. Is your air conditioning unit more than 10 years old? If so, Energy Star air conditioners can save you up to 20% on cooling costs.
2. Do you use your entire home? If there are certain rooms that you don’t use, you may be better off purchasing a window-unit or portable AC.
3. Is your AC the right size? Replacing your old AC with one that is the same size can often be a mistake. An AC that is too big or too small will be inefficient and waste energy.
4. Is your home energy efficient? Make sure your home is insulated and all air leaks are sealed. This will have an impact on the size and cost of the new air conditioning system.
5. Is your outdoor (condenser) unit is mounted on the roof or in an attic? You may want to move it to a cooler location when you install a new unit. That alone can make a large improvement in efficiency.

When you replace an inefficient air conditioning unit with an Energy Star product, you not only save money on utility bills but you help keep the air cleaner by minimizing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. As Martha Stewart would say that is “a good thing.”

I received the following question from Ritu in Connecticut:

“I am a mother of a newborn and time is a luxury! I have purchased paper plates to cut down on dishes. But, after reading your blog I was wondering if it is better to use paper plates and save the energy by not using the dishwasher or would I be better off using a regular plate and thus using the dishwasher. Please note: doing the dish by hand is NOT an option right now!”

Thanks for the question, Ritu. The best choice for the environment is to use porcelain (reusable) dishes and wash them in the dishwasher. Dishwashers use energy and electricity but at least the water can be treated and reused. Although convenient, paper plates require trees to be cut down and will eventually end up in landfills where they will never fully degrade.

If you are going to a picnic or find yourself in a position where you really need to use paper plates, purchase products made from recycled paper or better yet potatoes. EarthShell produces plates and bowls made from renewable corn and potato starch mixed with abundant limestone. Both Wal-Mart and Target offer EarthShell products at select stores.

This may surprise you but hand washing dishes is worse for the planet than using a dishwasher. Hand washing a pile of dirty dishes can require up to 20 gallons of water which is more than five times the water used by most Energy Star certified dishwashers in a single load. Rinsing your plates before putting them in the dishwasher is just as bad and can waste almost as much water. If your dishwasher is not strong enough to remove the food from the plates, use the dishwasher rinse cycle which remarkably still uses less water than hand-washing.

What green questions do you have?

“Of course they cut down on energy. You can’t see a damn thing with these light bulbs.”
– an 80 year old woman overheard talking to her daughter in the light bulb section of a Safeway Supermarket in CA.

It is well documented that greenhouse gas emissions are bad for the environment. It has also, however, been widely reported that there are ways to deal with and reduce greenhouse gases. One such way is choosing Energy Star qualified lighting fixtures and replacement bulbs.

Energy Star is a joint program that combines the efforts of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOA). The goal of the program is to promote energy efficient products and practices. Energy Star qualified lighting uses about 75% less energy than standard lighting, produces 75 % less heat, and lasts up to 10 times longer.

I have to admit that the woman I overheard in the grocery store does have a point. It does seem like these bulbs are dimmer and take longer to turn on, but that is a small price to pay to help the world. Exactly how does it help? Well, if every American home replaced the bulbs in their 5 most frequently used light fixtures, (i.e. kitchen ceiling lights, outdoor porch and post lamp, floor lamps, family and living room lamps), with Energy Star bulbs, we would save close to $8 billion each year in energy costs. This is equal to the greenhouse gas emissions of 10 million cars.

The bottom line is that the energy used in the average home can equal twice the greenhouse gas emissions of the average car. Using less energy at home is a very simple way to help the world and it saves money as well. To calculate your exact savings you can use this light bulb calculator.

Challenge for the week: Replace 5 light fixtures with Energy Star bulbs.