2009 in Review/The New Decade/Reduce Junk Mail and Save Trees in a Win Win

Happy New Year! It has been a while since we last wrote. The end of 2009 turned out to be very busy, and looking forward we continue to be very excited about the increased activity, attention, and interest toward lowering our consumption, increasing efficiency, and reducing our impact. The last year saw a monumental shift in the focus on renewable energy, and our President has even been trying to rebrand efficiency as sexy. What a difference a year makes!  Added into the equation was the big drop in the cost of solar, increased tax credits, and still strong rebates to help offset the cost, making 2009 a great year for solar. You can now make your investment back in as little as 7 years. (and dropping) But let’s not forget: its clean energy!

I shake my head each day as I listen to the debate about global warming and climate change and how both sides argue about its existence. It shouldn’t matter! Cheap, ubiquitous fossil fuels like oil and coal built this country. That’s a great thing. Unfortunately they are filthy, and they poison our environment and wreak havoc on our health and well-being. Quite simply, we are overdue for a shift to cleaner fuel sources, and solar is one of the answers.

Want to make 10-12% on your money, with a strong chance that the interest you earn will increase by 7% more each year? That is what is happening right now when you eliminate your bill with solar and protect yourself against further rate increases. Over the next few decades. It sure beats the 0%  bank account rates and 2% CD rates. If the timing is right for you we would love to be your guide throughout the process!

It’s hard to believe that it’s the year 2010. It seems like just yesterday that we feared the world was going to collapse because of our computers inability to handle the change in 000’s as we entered the unfathomable year 2000.  I do think there will be much more change in this decade than the last. The City of LA intends to be “coal-free” by 2020. Most states will require that 20% or more of their energy come from clean fuels, and new technology will certainly emerge as the demand for cleantech and efficiency solutions grows. But I am especially excited knowing that my friends, neighbors, and community are all making steps in their own lives and identifying what solutions work for them. Together we are making a huge impact and helping to push the movement closer to the tipping point!  With all of our efforts, this could be quite an exciting ride.

Since this newsletter is already on the lengthy side, I will make this issue’s sustainability tip a brief as I can. I arrived home one day last month, checked the mail, and was blown away by the amount of junk mail I continue to receive each day. Did I ever order anything from Crate and Barrel? How did I get on the Eastbay Athletics mailing list? One thing I do know is that I do not qualify for AARP membership yet! We did the research a few years ago about junk mail and the facts aren’t pretty. Over 90 million trees are cut down each year for junk mail printing alone. 44% of that junk mail goes right into the garbage, unopened and unread, and NOT recycled. Trying to remove yourself from the dizzying array of list brokers, direct marketers, and national mailing lists can be a truly exhausting process, only to be added again once you buy something or send in your warranty registration.

Catalog Choice (http://www.catalogchoice.org/) is a free service that allows you to manage your receipt of close to 1300 retailer catalogs. It’s a simple process where you can remove yourself from some or all of the catalogs completely, switch to paperless email editions, or find somewhere comfortable in between. It’s a win for all involved. We are able to reduce the clutter and unnecessary waste, retailers save on distribution costs and better target their market, and the reduction of waste, emissions, and felled trees makes an undeniably positive impact on our environment.

For a small fee of $9.00, the Privacy Council (http://privacycouncil.org/about/) will remove you from all of the necessary lists to virtually eliminate your junk mail. They do the legwork that can be painful if you do it yourself. Most of the companies require you to write letters to be removed, and many of them. This might be the option for you!

Please be advised that we do not advocate or endorse either of these solutions. We just found them to be helpful resources that seem to work well.

Finally, the Los Angeles Department of Public Works has a useful junk mail site that is very informative and can guide you through some of the steps if you’d like to take the matter into your own hands. http://ladpw.org/EPD/junkmail/index.cfm

Thanks so much for reading, and again, Happy New Year!

-Matt