Ditch Paper Statements to Reduce Your Footprint
Banks in the US could save enough paper to circle the earth 239 times if customers stopped receiving paper statements, according to a new study by the Javelin Strategy report. That's 687,000 tons of paper. Right now three out of four customers still receive paper bank statements. I am certainly not one of them. I cut off my paper statements years ago. I keep an eye on my transactions online every couple of days, I pay all the bills that I can online and I don't even get those insidious receipts that come out of the ATM.
If you want to make an immediate impact it's really not difficult.
Turn off paper statements. This is the easiest and most widely available way to make an immediate, substantial impact on your carbon footprint and it even lowers your risk of identity fraud.
Switch to direct deposit.
Start using online banking. It's easy and significantly reduces waste. Plus you save money on postage.
Skip the receipt and possibly the deposit envelope. Recently my neighborhood bank, B of A started using a non-envelope system in the ATM. Unfortunately it doesn't work very well. And I fend myself using a bank closer to my office. They assure me that they are working to perfect it.
About this blog
Roxanne Kotzman is a Daily News Photo Department veteran of nine years. When she and longtime friend Stacy Long
discovered their love all of all things environmentally responsible, they launched Happy Monkey Planet and jumped head-first into the vibrant eco-community.
Wow, so much to learn! But initially the idea is a pretty simple one: Let's change the world through information, education and action.
Rox & Stacy are a lot like you: ecologically minded but sometimes just plain overwhelmed when charged with the task of making a far-reaching difference in the environment. They have jobs, families, homes, lives and pets.
But what if doing better was a simple as a light-bulb change, a reusable canvas grocery bag, recycling that soda can or a cold-water wash?
These eco-chicks just hope to have a little fun, learn a little more, share a lot of information and maybe make the planet a happier, greener, cleaner place.
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