Day 334
My old postman called me the Catalog Queen. Since my move I have been demoted to Princess. I don’t get as many catalogs.
My new postman, however, begs to differ.
I still get a lot. As in a TON. As in 21 in ONE DAY. Hence my title.
I received 13 in today’s mail … 11 of which I don’t plan on looking at, don’t like their offerings, don’t need, don’t want, etcetera.
So, I decided to turn over a new leaf (no pun intended) and save a tree or two or two hundred. And opt-0ut of the catalogs I no longer want to receive.
I’ve done this before and then got lazy about it and new catalogs took the place of the old ones and so it went. So, today I went to www.catalogchoice.org and plugged in the necessary info and hopefully my mailbox (and my mail carrier’s pack) will be lighter in the future.
I plan on opting out next week, too … and the weeks after that until all the catalogs I no longer want will have been notified. I’ll set aside the catalogs I no longer want and opt-out from the mailings in one fell swoop or a week at a time.
According to the National Resources Defense Council (which, to me, sounds like some bogus group made up by people who’d like to show up to a party and say they’re with the National Resources Defense Council so they sound important.) … Americans receive 19 BILLION catalogs annually.
I’m pretty sure I get about half of them! Ask my postman!
That amount is equivalent to (catch your breath) … 53 MILLION trees. Sickening, isn’t it?
So … though I love my catalogs (and I do) … I will start being more diligent in opting-out of the ones that I really don’t want. It makes sense all the way around. I mean, really, do I need a catalog for American Girl dolls?
And even though catalogs are recyclable (and I do recycle mine when I’m finishing reading them – or I pass them on to neighbors) … it still takes an inordinate amount of resources: trees/paper, water, and energy to manufacture and transport that catalog to my doorstep.
I’ve gone one step further and opted-out of online issues as well. I know it doesn’t save a tree, in this instance, but I don’t need to clog up my inbox with stuff I don’t want or need either … so, less “delete” time for me and a reprieve for my index finger!
Recycling … it’s such a good thing, I’m surprised that more places (this day and age) don’t offer it as an option. Even at Starbucks and the grocery stores. You pay with a plastic gift card and instead of them recycling them they are thrown away. I picture my grandchildren climbing mountains of rectangular gift cards instead of jungle gyms. Something needs to be done.
I don’t know what … but for the time being, I’m trying to be more aware of what I buy and what I use and what I need and, more specifically, what I don’t. I take my reusable bags to the stores. I reuse/recycle/reinvent. I don’t buy water in plastic bottles. I don’t buy plastic bottles (if at all possible).
I’m working on it. Saving a tree here, a forest there. Small changes make big differences. Join me … make a fresh start and do your part.