Opting-Out of Junk Mail, Spam, etc

My landlord has been on a crusade today - she's been getting spam mail on her cell phone. And to make matters worse, one of her friends started getting porn offers on her cell phone! Good grief! So my landlord gave me some links to stop receiving all that junk mail. I thought I'd share them with you:

Stop cell-phone telemarketing: http://www.donotcall.gov/

Stop credit-card and bank offers: https://www.optoutprescreen.com/?rf=t

Maybe this will do the trick!

Nix Your Unwanted Catalogs

In today's New York Times, I learned about an online service called Catalog Choice, a non-profit organization that helps consumers eliminate unwanted catalogs from the mail. Catalog Choice only been existence since last Wednesday and already 30,246 people have used this free service.

Naturally, I went online to check-out this site. It's really easy to create an account and start nixing those unwanted catalogs! I only get two catalogs: J. Crew and Barrie Pace. The J. Crew catalog I can live without because although I love their clothes, I'm not going to spend a fortune on their products. And I get Barrie Pace because of a former resident who lived in my duplex. I can definitely live without that catalog!

So with Catalog Choice, I can stop placing those catalogs into the recycling bin. Now I won't have to deal with these catalogs anymore. I'm sure trees everywhere are exhaling a sigh of relief!

Paper or Plastic: What's the Greener Choice?

Jennifer, thanks for letting me know about the Dateline report, which addressed the classic grocery store question: Paper or plastic?

Apparently, this question elicits a lot of guilt among shoppers. Some folks think paper is better than plastic, and vice versa. According to Allen Hershkowitz of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the decision to use paper or plastic bags depends on where you live. If you live near a coastline, use paper. If you live in the Midwest, use plastic, he advised.

Is this sound advice? Unfortunately, the story did not provide any compelling evidence to support this claim. Given that a vast quantity of recyclables are shipped to far-away places for processing, does it really matter where I live?

In fairness, this report did make a good point: When it comes to selecting the right bag, the decision isn't always easy. I agree because shoppers aren't presented with a third option: reusable bags.

We could all sidestep this bag dilemma by bringing our own bags (or purchasing cloth bags at the checkout). That way, we wouldn't have to weigh the pros and cons of this "paper vs. plastic" decision, nor would we feel guilty about our bag selection. And maybe, just maybe, we could enjoy the rest of the day, perhaps even focusing on other issues that merit greater attention.

Paper Increase Passed to Us

This morning, I received a "FYI" email noting that Office Max has received an increase in the cost of paper from manufacturers (i.e., Boise, Domtar, and International Paper). As a result, this price increase will be passed onto consumers effective May 3rd. Lucky us!

Here are some highlights I gathered from reading the manufacturers' letters:

• There is a US $60/ton paper increase on copy paper
• This increase will raise prices to $1,020/ton
• Laser paper printing will increase 5.35%
• Inkjet paper printing will incrase 5.55%
• Printing on 30% recycled paper will increase 7.8%

Why the price increase?

According to Domtar Co., this increase is due to tight markets in the U.S. and to price increases already implemented in Europe.

So, what should we do?

According to Tom Westerhof, Staff Member of Purchasing and Contracts, we should, "please keep this increase in mind when reviewing your paper needs for the near future." In other words, it's time we conserve paper, too.

The Cost of Celebrating Christmas: American style

As I began reading chapter 12 (It's Coming on Christmas) of Elizabeth Royte's book "Garbage Land", I was shocked by the number of holiday catalogs that hit our mailboxes in 2001-a whopping 17 billion or 59/person!! I receive approx. 2-3 catalogs per day (not including the holiday season) and it makes me crazy! I've decided that I must be on every mailing list that exists because it takes me about 30 minutes/night to sort through my mail trying to decide what to keep, recycle, tear-up or just throw in the fireplace.

Having already established my own set of issues about how commercialized the holidays have become, I became curious about how much we Americans were really spending during the holidays. According to the U. S. Census, Americans mail 1.9 billion cards to family & friends every year and receives 20 billion letters, packages, and cards between Thanksgiving and Christmas (USPS). In December 2004, we spent $31.9 billion at retail stores and in 2002 we cut down 20.8 million Christmas trees! So, who's birthday is it anyway?

This Book is Not a Tree

That's the title of the first chapter in Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, by McDonough and Braungart (2002). Instead of using paper to print their book, the authors used a polymer film. As a result, this book is not only readable, it's waterproof, too!

Anyway, I'm currently reading this book. It's a fascinating read, though you should be warned, it's not a "light" read. (In other words, this book is not like reading your favorite Cosmo magazine.)

I like this book because it explains the role of technology and the importance of product design on the myriad of artifacts we can't seem to live without. And it offers a hopeful, rather than a grim message, which I find refreshing.

This book clearly demonstrates an alternative printing method for the book publishing world. As Amy lamented in a recent comment, "...it seems that authors really are at loggerheads when it comes to [this] issue." Yet, this need not be the case. Cradle to Cradle really does offer innovative alternatives to reconciling these environmental and economic dilemmas.

Case in point: gdiapers.

Gdiapers is a company that offers an alternative to the cloth vs. disposable diaper issue. And it's the first company to receive a Cradle to Cradle certification for their product. (To see other companies with the Cradle to Cradle certificate, click here.)



Instead of continuing the same, tired debate (cloth vs. disposable), gdiapers gives us a third option: flushable diapers.

Skeptical? Read more about their product here.

I'm impressed by the fact that gdiapers are compostable (only the "wet" diapers, poo poo not allowed in the compost pile).

Anyway, knowing this information does give me hope. (And if I ever become a parent, I'll buy my diapers from this company.)

It also reminds me of our project. The media have done a fantastic job raising the "paper vs. plastic" issue. But they fail to discuss a third option: cloth bags. It's as though we only have two options, with no clear solutions. Yet, if you consider the third option, that's when the glimmer of hope arises. Too bad the media won't air my response when I've been asked this question.

Paper Recycling

So way, way, way back in the 6th grade, our class did a recycling project where we crafted our own "homemade recycled paper". I remembered it being relatively easy to do, not too messy, inexpensive, and most importantly- fun! Knowing that many people in our class have kids, I thought it would be neat if I could find and post directions on how to do this. I did a few searches and found this great instructional video on youtube.
DIY Paper Recycling:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIF-5ZhxMmA

Also, I found this other really interesting news clip about a new material, made from recycled paper, that is being used to build homes. I'm not sure if it was mentioned on the blog already, but the video is only a couple minutes long so be sure to check it out!!
Papercrete:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qArHD0kPGjM