Junk Mail
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These women are my fellow Green Team members sorting junk mail at lunch yesterday. When we started up last fall, I set a blue recycling box in the mail room just for catalogs and junk mail so I could have the names removed from the mailing list. It's mostly mail addressed to former employees. I tried to do a little bit each week but quickly fell behind. So yesterday we sorted it all out by company and each took a stack to work on over time.
I did the same thing with our home mail last year. Just a quick email and it's done. I saved each email in it's own company folder so I'd know whether I'd already contacted them or not. Even I was shocked at how many different mailing lists just the two of us were on. Since we get a lot of our bills and statements electronically, my goal was to see if we could ever have a "no mail day". So far it's happened twice! Walking back from the mailbox empty handed is kind of weird. Used to be years ago where that would make me sad. Now it makes me super happy.
Since we started our Green Team at work, we have been happily shocked at the reception by fellow employees. We expected some good natured teasing and resistance. Not so much. One of the things we've done is set up recycling bins for glass, metal and 1 & 2 plastics. They have been filling up routinely. Every time we send out a newsletter to employees, we get some "way to go" enthusiastic comments. I guess on one hand, I shouldn't be surprised since "green" is such a huge topic these days - everywhere you look.
I remember the first Earth Day in 1970 vividly. I went to school at Mendon Center Junior High and a ton of us walked to the high school and back to honor Earth Day. I felt like that was my first public protest. Maybe my only public protest. I prefer to lead by example, having learned that from my parents. I remember separating colors of glass and metal in our house with my mom and taking it to the town garage for recycling - must have been around that time, so like 40 years ago. Wow. That number shocks my system.
In my own home, I can barely remember not recycling, using cloth napkins, buying products based on packaging, etc. Simon will tell you as a kid he used to beg for individual juice containers (juice boxes and the like) but I wouldn't buy them because they aren't "environmentally responsible". He used to hate that. (Juice boxes are now recyclable here - too late for Simon though!) Steve will tell you that I'm responsible for teaching him to recycle. I can't walk by a wastebasket at work that contains paper, without pulling it out and putting it in the blue recycle baskets.
Next up: I've been wanting to check into solar panels for our home. I'm pretty sure they are out of our budget, but it will be interesting to research. Someday they will be part of every home, I'm sure.
It's nice to know I'm not alone in this. This is one "fad" I'm happy to see happening.
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I did the same thing with our home mail last year. Just a quick email and it's done. I saved each email in it's own company folder so I'd know whether I'd already contacted them or not. Even I was shocked at how many different mailing lists just the two of us were on. Since we get a lot of our bills and statements electronically, my goal was to see if we could ever have a "no mail day". So far it's happened twice! Walking back from the mailbox empty handed is kind of weird. Used to be years ago where that would make me sad. Now it makes me super happy.
Since we started our Green Team at work, we have been happily shocked at the reception by fellow employees. We expected some good natured teasing and resistance. Not so much. One of the things we've done is set up recycling bins for glass, metal and 1 & 2 plastics. They have been filling up routinely. Every time we send out a newsletter to employees, we get some "way to go" enthusiastic comments. I guess on one hand, I shouldn't be surprised since "green" is such a huge topic these days - everywhere you look.
I remember the first Earth Day in 1970 vividly. I went to school at Mendon Center Junior High and a ton of us walked to the high school and back to honor Earth Day. I felt like that was my first public protest. Maybe my only public protest. I prefer to lead by example, having learned that from my parents. I remember separating colors of glass and metal in our house with my mom and taking it to the town garage for recycling - must have been around that time, so like 40 years ago. Wow. That number shocks my system.
In my own home, I can barely remember not recycling, using cloth napkins, buying products based on packaging, etc. Simon will tell you as a kid he used to beg for individual juice containers (juice boxes and the like) but I wouldn't buy them because they aren't "environmentally responsible". He used to hate that. (Juice boxes are now recyclable here - too late for Simon though!) Steve will tell you that I'm responsible for teaching him to recycle. I can't walk by a wastebasket at work that contains paper, without pulling it out and putting it in the blue recycle baskets.
Next up: I've been wanting to check into solar panels for our home. I'm pretty sure they are out of our budget, but it will be interesting to research. Someday they will be part of every home, I'm sure.
It's nice to know I'm not alone in this. This is one "fad" I'm happy to see happening.
Labels: Life Update
posted by Stefani at 5:24 AM
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6 Comments:
Here's another: Way to go!!
I had forgotten about taking glass to the recycling center. Maybe we were ahead of our time and just continued while everyone else catches up. In our office instead of putting paper in the recycle box we print on the other side for in-house stuff.
Some of us do that too, Mom. Next we're going to try setting the default on our duplex capable printers to duplex so they will automatically print on both sides. That might take some getting used to, for some people.
Our printers would all jam if we set them to duplex. I pull paper out of the trash bins all the time. We waste an awful lot of paper around here. Cans and bottles go in blue bins, but the waste management contractor only picks up paper now, so I took all the cans and bottles home this weekend for Roo's college fund! I'm a dumpster diver! Go me!
I'm rather curious Stef if all the paper products you buy for cards are recycled? :-)
Ruh-roh - busted by Bonnie! No, I don't use recycled paper for my art but it is something I've been giving some thought to lately. I was thinking last night, if I had more time, I'm sure I'd be into making my own paper for some projects. That always looks like such fun - but that's a whole 'nother thing.
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