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BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters cut their catalog intake by 100%, we'll avert the same CO2 produced by powering 51 family homes for an entire year.
COCKTAIL FACT
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services reports that marriages arranged via mail-order have a lower divorce rate than the rate for America as a whole.
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home › tip library › Stopping Junk Mail
Are you ready to break off your relationship with mail order?
The Bite
Then you won't need those catalogs anymore. This year, get off catalog mailing lists to save energy, paper, and embarrassment when your neighbor sees you pull an unwanted mail-order-marriage catalog out of your box.The Benefits
- Mailbox bliss. Every American receives about 63 mailbox-clogging catalogs per year.
- Saving resources. U.S. catalog production uses 53 mil trees and enough water to fill 81,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools each year. Even true romance might not be worth all that.
- More time. Americans waste about 8 hrs per year dealing with junk mail - almost as much time as they spend writing alimony checks.
- Save money. Keeping your eyes off glossy pages filled with shiny bobbles might mean fewer impulse buys. Might...
Personally Speaking
The SF Biter team has no idea how we got on the GK Elite Figure Skating mailing list, but we'd like to remove ourselves from it immediately.Wanna Try?
- Catalog Choice - it'll get you on no-send lists and stops catalog spam.
- DirectMail.com - free, quick way to get your name off commercial mailing lists.
- OptOutPrescreen.com - opt out of pre-approved credit card and insurance offers online or by phone: 1-888-5-OPTOUT.
- EcoLogical Mail Coalition - helps businesses stop mail addressed to former employees.
- Native Forest Network's Guide - five easy steps to stop junk mail.
Jan 11,2008
Sponsor
All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
Fewer Catalogs = More Trees + More Cash + Fewer Sweaters?
I've managed to stay off catalog mailing lists since high school (might have something to do with moving an average of two times a year since then), but one of my best friends is on the lists for Anthropologie and J. Crew, which send her catalogs with the regularity of a Newsweek subscription.
I'm guessing she probably flips through a little less than half of them, but then volume is how direct mail works. Marketing 101: She's not going to get through all of those catalogs, but bombard her with enough images of cashmere sweaters, and she'll have to have one.
Get off the catalog mailing lists, and you're bound to save some cash money.
-Toshio...off to put on a sweater...
I'm guessing she probably flips through a little less than half of them, but then volume is how direct mail works. Marketing 101: She's not going to get through all of those catalogs, but bombard her with enough images of cashmere sweaters, and she'll have to have one.
Get off the catalog mailing lists, and you're bound to save some cash money.
-Toshio...off to put on a sweater...
Biter Comments...
I was glad to see this tip, but surprised that you didn't mention GreenDimes:
http://www.greendimes.com/
They are a company that will remove you from unwanted mailing lists AND plant trees.
Sarah
I was going to also toot GreenDimes's horn. Yeah Sarah! My husband and I use it and we've also given it as a gift to family members.
The main problem I still have with junk mail is those pesky fliers on newspaper-grade paper that are delivered by USPS to each mailbox. They are not addresses to me, but have either no addresses or are 'To the occupant'. I wish we could get USPS to stop delivering that junk.
Any way?
Is it me, or are we getting better by the month, at making this planet better? Mmmmm...cool! The good news are: for our kids, we do the right thing here. There is certainly LESS junk mail coming in our mail boxes then even five years ago because we, one by one, are taking steps to stop it with sites like Greendimes, Directmail and Catalogchoice.org.
Well done everybody!
Positive moves equals positive results.
Ah, yeah...Idealbite Team? YOU ROCK!
I would also like to mention Green Dimes- I've been a happy member for over a year! The amount of junk mail coming into my apartment has dropped dramatically and I love that they give back by planting trees. Definitely check it out!
http://www.greendimes.com/
"81,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools each year" full of junk mail is such a shame seeing as how only 1 in 10,000 ads is useful to the targeted recipient.
We reuse some junk mail in our product: Papergeist books
I just have to rave a little bit more about GreenDimes. The organization I work with, Sustainable Harvest International, is one of their tree planting partners. So far, GreenDimes has donated enough for farming families working with SHI to plant 246,220 trees in Central America. Hooray for GreenDimes and their work to reduce waste by getting rid of junk mail AND their the support of crucial reforestation projects. You can see photos of our tree planting projects here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sustainableharvest/sets/72157594471620685/
Thanks Idealbite for the opportunity to share/rave about a great project!
Sarah
I definitely love the fact that GreenDimes plants trees but some people are still reluctant to pay the $20. There is a new site that wasn't mentioned in the bite which offers the same service for FREE! Check out www.ProQuo.com. Yes, it really is Free! I have accounts on both sites.
I'm also going to chime in on behalf of GreenDimes.com - they work for Canadian junk mail too! So, yay, GreenDimes! I've been using them for about a year now and LOVE them!
I also was surprised to not see GreenDimes listed in the "Wanna Try" We've been happy customers for over a year, and we've really seen a result. It makes a great gift too!
I love your site! I'm linking it to my blog: www.livingontheedge.typepad.com
I also mention you on my website forum whenever I can work it in!
You have great tips for the moms who use my site.
I've already signed up with CatalogChoice; ProQuo seems to do the very same thing CatalogChoice does so I doubt I need to sign up with both sites, but, maybe.
I like the fact that GreenDimes plants trees, but I'm one of those who's reluctant to shell out the $20.
I just checked out the ratings on this tip. It doesn't seem possible that more than 80 respondents rated this tip less than a 5. You mean there are actually folks who LIKE to get a mailbox full of catalogs, especially during the holiday shopping season?!?!
I tried posting this question a minute ago but it didn't seem to go through.
In response to Linda's comment above -- how do you rate the tips?
This is my first time on the web site and I'm planning on coming back frequently! Great web site!
I need some help. I went to the catalogchoice website and it won't work. The pages turn green and won't respond?? I really want to make use of this but I can't. Any advice would be great.
I agree with Serge about the 'newspaper' stuff that comes in the mailbox.
I actually do like some catalogs, I just hate getting multiples of the catalogs. I really hate all the credit card and insurance offers...blech. I get more 'newspaper' flyers than catalogs.
ProQuo is actually different from CatalogChoice in that you can stop all different types of junk mail not just catalogs. You can stop all those credit card offers, the coupon circulars, etc. Its cool because you can pick and choose which ones you want to stop. I'm registered on CatalogChoice as well. ProQuo and CatalogChoice are the only two free websites that I've found.
Thanks for the info on ProQuo, Suzie! I don't get coupon circulars, and I get credit card offers every now and then, but it's neat to know that ProQuo isn't JUST for catalogs, so, I guess maybe I WILL sign up with them, then I'll be able to stop the junk snail mail I get from the environmental groups from whom I also get e-mails, not to mention all the other non-catalog, junk snail mail I get!
To Newbie:
On the "Ideal Bite" e-mails, there is a little box on the left-hand side with the numbers 1-5. Just click on the circle of the number you want, and that will register your vote for the tip. That will open the "Coffee Guy" window showing the chart of the vote tally. (By the way, why is "Coffee Guy" drinking his coffee out of a paper cup with a plastic lid rather than a reusable ceramic mug? Just won'drin'.)
Julie,
Have you tried the CatalogChoice site again since you posted here? If so, were you successful this time around?
Regarding Catalog Choice...it works on my laptop but not my home computer. Go figure ???
What really irks me are the countless phone books that are delivered even though we all use the phone directories on the Internet now. Does anyone know how to stop all of the phone books from coming? Thanks!
I enjoyed all Biter tips on curbing junk mail and have acted on them. Meanwhile, I'm still receiving multiple catalogs from Pottery Barn. I was delighted to see their new line of "green" products but felt it was just a marketing ploy considering I got 3 catalogs from them in the same week. How can they market "green" and still mail that many catalogs? Frustrated....
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Kristin | January 11, 2008 at 06:16 AM