Repurposing junk mail

Bulk mail. Perhaps the most annoying daily reminder of useless waste and pathetic, uninspired advertising. I just always wonder, what percentage of the population actually pours through these mailers and runs out to snap up the bottles of Miracle Whip for the bargain price of $1.89? Undboubtedly, most pieces of junk mail travel a short distance from mailbox to trash can. A while ago, I spent the few minutes it took to stop the various bulk mail bundles from arriving at my apartment--If you haven't already done the same, the info is here. The good news is it worked, and fairly quickly. But I moved into a temporary housesitting situation for a couple months and was faced with the massive amounts of "fresh boneless meat flaps!", "2 for 1 cans of creamed corn" announcements all over again. I finally got around to submitting my friends' address to the companies' "do not send" lists, but in the meantime, for weeks the mailers piled up. I refused to throw them away, vowing to find some use for them, damnit. Running late to a birthday party one day, I ended up wrapping the present with some grocery store's weekly specials, and I must admit I was incredibly pleased with the way it turned out. The same glossy, pandering ads for pork chops and bell peppers that made me cringe at the mailbox actually looked pretty cool around sharp corners. And as my friend Tracy says, wrapping is all about the ribbon anyway (so save every ribbon you get and reuse those too). I was so pleased with the result that I found myself looking forward to the next opportunity I had to wrap something--anything--with salvaged bulk mailers. I have enough just from one month's worth of mail to wrap every present I'll ever give out. So first things first, get on the "do not send" lists. But while the flow of waste is still coming, find a use for the bright colors. They'd make great matting behind photos in a frame...you could cut them into thin strips to make bookmarks, or make them into unique envelopes...What else?

Hot or not?

The first of a recurring series where I implore you, the reader, to evaluate whether a certain action is a sensible step in the direction of sustainability, or is barking up the wrong, crazy-person-making tree. Several weeks ago, fed up with how many paper towels I was using at work, I brought my own hand towel from home and hung it up in the bathroom.

Let me back up. I ran the idea by my coworkers first as a joke, then as it became a recurring lunch topic, I started thinking seriously about the viability of the idea. My theory was this: You only need a towel if your hands are wet. Your hands are only wet if you have washed them. Maybe I'm naive, but I assume that most people do wash their hands with soap, or would be prompted to if they're using a communal towel. And yet, the idea of sharing a towel freaked some of my coworkers out-namely, the men. (We have a unisex bathroom, and believe me, it's not nearly as cool as it was on Ally McBeal.) All the men were grossed out by the idea, but eventually some agreed to use it with provisions. One said he would use it if got washed every weekend. Fine. Another would if there were 5 towels, for each day of the week. Ridiculous! Some said straight-up that they would never use it. So I ended up bringing a towel in one day, hanging it on a hook that just happened to be in the bathroom, and putting up a sign inviting everyone to use it after washing hands with soap. I noted that it would be washed every weekend, and to please, not be afraid. The results have been...well, mixed. I know for sure that at least one other person uses it regularly. Better than nothing, right? One other colleague admitted to using a dry corner of it, once. Others have welcomed it when we run out of paper towels. However, I can't help but notice how many paper towels there still are in the trash, so I'm not claiming a major victory here. At the same time, I hold strong in my beliefs that in recent years we have become an overly germophobic society, which has fueled our disposable addiction. I think we obsess about germs way more than we need to. I should add that it's a small office, I don't think anyone has questionable hygiene habits, and heck, I have and would take sips out of their drinks at happy hour. So why not share a towel? My question to you is: Would you use the towel and why/why not? Hot or not?

Important: TP update!

You know, it's been way too long since we talked about a super-riveting topic, like, say, toilet paper. Well, I have breaking news, folks! How I missed this, I do not know (guess I've had my head up my arse--har har). As one commenter from the original TP post pointed out, Trader Joes' toilet paper is 100% recycled! And 80% post-consumer product, for that matter. The best part is that a 12-pack costs $3.49, compared to that approximate price for a 4-pack at Whole Foods and other favorite over-priced natural food stores. My sincere apologies for leading you astray and making you cough up the big bucks for over-priced arse-wipe. I know I looked at it in the store and thought it was only partially recycled. Or did they recently increase their recycled content? Either way, it's a relief to know that we can count on TJ's for non-forest-killing, bum-wiping tissue.

Please Mr. Postman, stop sending me junk WEEK

I'll admit it: I get slightly excited about checking my mail every day. There's always the possibility of something unexpected and fun, right? A postcard from a friend, a magazine, some article clippings from mom. But most days, instead of anything remotely personal, our mail simply reminds us of our position in the world, financially: How much money we owe, that there are unlimited opportunties (pre-approved!) to spend money we don't have, and that there are numerous worthy organizations we could donate to, if only we had more money. Worst of all, of course, is the bulk mail. It really boggles my mind that advertisers actually pay for that--what a waste of money! And of course, of paper and other resources. Think about all the unwanted mail you get and multiply that times the 300 million people in this country...Bottom line, we all get way too much unneccessary mail and it has a monumental effect on our environment. Here are some ways to cut down on the annoyance factor AND save some trees, energy and pollution along the way.

CREDIT CARD OFFERS
Isn't it ironic that the more debt you're in, the more credit card offers you get? Suffice it to say there was a time when I was a prime candidate for those sharks, and I was getting at least 2 offers for new cards every day. Fortunately, those days are behind me, and so are the credit card offers, because I took my name off some creepy master list several months ago. There is a number on every credit card offer that you can call, and it's worked so well that I actually can't find one so I can provide you with the number! But look for that number at the bottom of the offer, or try this opt-out site, which should also do the trick.

JUNK, AKA BULK, MAIL
More than 100 million trees' worth of paper is sent every year as bulk mail in the U.S., according to New American Dream, an organization that is fighting this huge waste. They also estimate that "The production and disposal of junk mail consumes more energy than 2.8 million cars." That ain't peanuts, people! Here are some tips, which I stole from GreenLAgirl's list. (Notes are hers). I just did the online steps and will make the calls tomorrow, so I'll be watching to see how fast each one goes into effect.


Valpak coupons: Go here.

Pennysaver: Call (800) 422-4116. They have odd service hours, but you can leave a message with your address info for removal.

ShopWise (big weekly tabloid-size clump of flyers, and the “Have you seen us?” postcards): Go here, and fill out the online form to be removed in 6-8 weeks.

Money Mailer: Send an email to jlimon@moneymailer.com, requesting to be removed from the mailing list and specifying your snailmail address.

Bed Bath & Beyond: Call 800.462.3966 and hold still till you get an operator. Tell her/him your name & address — you should be off the list in a couple weeks.

Also, (this is me again) demand legislation that would create a junk mail opt-out list, just like the one for telemarketers, through New American Dream's campaign.

BILLS
You might already pay your bills online anyway, but still receive paper statements. Next time you're logged into your various accounts, find the "stop paper bills" function and liberate yourself from paper bill bondage.

PERIODICALS
Do you receive newspapers, magazines or newsletters that you never get around to reading? Stop subscribing and read them online when you get the urge, or buy one occasionally from a newstand. After college, when I was living alone for the first time, I got suckered into receiving the New York Times every day! (Those salespeople sure are convincing..). I'm pretty sure I liked the idea of appearing intelligent and informed much more than the reality, because I just ended up feeling guilty about the waste and my tiny apartment was always covered in newspaper that I never had time to read. If you don't read it, be smart and stop the madness.

CHARITY SOLICITATION
There are so many great organizations out there doing important work in the world. And I'm pretty sure I get a really compelling letter from each of them every month asking me for help. I'm flattered that they think I'm the kind of person who wants to support them (I am!), and when I hit it big, I will! But for now, I wish they would spend their limited resources in other ways, and save some paper along the way. I think the only way to stop this kind of solicitation is to contact each organization and ask to be taken off their list. I'll be saving this one for a really rainy day...

Reams and reams of trees WEEK

Back in "Let's stop flushing forests down the toilet WEEK", we learned that the paper industry is one of the biggest contributors to global climate change and environmental degradation in general. The problems are (at least) three-fold: First, virgin forests that help absorb Co2 and that support complex, biodiverse ecoystems are ravaged. Once that biodiversity is gone, it's lost forever--we can't just create a simulated perfectly balanced ecoystem by planting new trees. Secondly, the pulp-making process is highly polluting--releasing greenhouse gases, and poisoning water and air. According to the NRDC, in many countries the paper/pulp industry is both the biggest consumer AND polluter of water. Third, of course, is the problem of what happens to our disposable paper products after their short lives of usefulness to us. Again, according the NRDC, "Americans use an average of 741 pounds of paper, per person, each year." Most of that ends up as trash in our ever-expanding land-fills. We can't keep putting our rubbish in holes in the ground forever. (Funny, I wonder what the ratio of landfills is to in-tact forests these days. Has our refuse for unwanted, single-use items already surpassed the resources that gave birth to these disposables?) The ridiculous thing is, we can get so much more usage out of our paper products. You guys probably do a lot of this stuff already, but here are a few basic tips for reducing, reusing, and recycling our copy and writing paper at home and at work.

1. REDUCE
One of the gifts of the electronic age is that we can communicate, create, and stay on schedule without ever having to make hard copies. Take a second to think before you pull the trigger and print only what you really need! Too many times I've printed out a whole page for one small piece of information, like an address. If you mapquest something, write down the directions in your planner or on the back of an already used piece of paper. On a related note, did you know you can refill your printer cartridges for half the price of buying a new one? Visit Cartridge World (thanks, Green LA Girl) instead of throwing that cartridge away. They have Pasadena and Westside locations...if you're not in LA, they might have one near you because there are 400 locations nationwide. Yipee for saving money and not creating more plastic trash!

2. REUSE
This is a real revolutionary one! Instantly cut your paper usage in half by using BOTH SIDES of a piece of paper! That goes for notebooks and loose paper. At work, write on both sides of that legal pad. Fill your printer with paper that has only been printed on one side. Many businesses are designating a drawer in the copier and printer for this purpose. If you ever need to print something "official", just put in a blank piece on top. Also, make a stack of half-used paper that has been folded or is otherwise unsuitable to go through the printer, and use that as a writing pad. For years I've kept such a stack on a clipboard to use whenever I need scratch paper around the house. These stacks last so long, that I never have to buy pads of paper to use at home. It's also a fun jaunt down memory lane to flip through the used side--old college papers mixed with bank statements and drafts of cover letters for jobs I never got. I've also taken to saving envelopes in the same way, because I always end up writing on them anyway, so i might as well gather them on a clipboard.

3. BUY RECYCLED

When you do have to buy paper, buy 100% recycled with the highest post-consumer content you can find. I just paid Staples a visit and they have quite a variety of recycled paper in practically every form you can imagine. Reams, spiral notebooks, legal pads, file folders, envelopes, post-its (although the latter is suspect because nowhere on the package does it say what percentage is recycled--the better option would be to just stay away from post-its altogether and use pre-existing scratch paper, see above). From what I saw, the recycled stuff is a tad bit more expensive than the generic Staples brand, but pretty equivalent to other brands. And, since you'll be reducing your paper usage via steps 1 and 2, it will surely even out over the long term. Also, try to get unbleached paper when possible.

What are some other ideas? I know I'm forgetting stuff on this one...

If you haven't already bought wrapping paper...

Check out Umbra's advice on using "found paper" to wrap your holiday gifts. She asserts that in making a gift attractive, more important than the actual paper used are crisp, tight folds and creative garnishes like ribbons and glitter.


And this year, designate a bag for wrapping paper/bows/gift bags that still look as good as new and can be saved for next year. My dad is a master at this. For years my sister and I have seen the same bags and bows surface year after year, most likely outliving many of the presents they housed. And while we used to give him a hard time about what we perceieved as extreme thriftiness, I now totally appreciate the path he forged for us. (That's us last Christmas. I'm pretty sure that bag dates back to at least 1997.) It's all about changing our orientation. Once you stop seeing wrapping paper, gift-bags, bows, newspaper, envelopes, copy paper, ziplock bags, etc. etc., as single-use disposables, a whole new world opens up! Don't cut their lives off prematurely after one use...Get creative and save a bow from a landfill. It wants to be a part of the family.

Victoria's Secret catalog goes green-ish

You can now enjoy the air-brushed babes of the "lingerie catalog" (come on, we all know it's borderline porn), without feeling guilty (at least, about what trees were used in the making of, that is).

Grist reports today that Limited Brands, (which owns Victoria's Secret, The Limited, Express, and Bath and Body Works) has announced some really important changes in the way they do business. A huge user/waster of paper (apparently Victoria's Secret alone sends out more than 1 million catalogs a day!!), they have agreed to stop using virgin pulp from the Boreal forest--yes, that same place your plush toilet paper comes from. They have also agreed to a number of new forest-friendly policies, including using at least 10% post-consumer recycled content for their catalogs. Just goes to show that we can put pressure on corporations to do better, and that many of them are starting to listen!

While we're on the topic of corporate responsibility, for those of you who have been inspired to switch to toilet paper made from recycled paper, take the extra step and send Kimberly Clark an email to help pressure them to do what Limited Brands has done.

Let's stop flushing forests down the toilet WEEK

Alright, people. So far, we've been easing into this whole "saving the planet" thing. You've been asked to make some small changes and you've risen to the occasion. Many are now proud users of reusable bags, and you haven't even been laughed out of the grocery store yet! Several of you have reported refusing numerous unneeded plastic bags, remembering that we can still carry objects without the use of a handle. Hoorah! This week, something a bit more...intimate is being asked of you. But first, the facts:

Did you know that most of our toilet paper, paper towels, facial tissue and paper napkins come from ancient, endangered forests inhabited by trees that are (or rather, were) 70-180 years old? That's because Kleenex, Scott, Viva, Cottonelle, Charmin, Bounty, and Puffs, among other brands, are all made from virgin trees in virgin forests--forests that, until now, have been left largely untouched by humans and our destructive ways. Imagine: 150 years of perfect sun, rain, soil and fresh air all working together to grow magnificent oxygen-producing, CO2-absorbing beauties...All so that you can savor the moment of wiping your bum with something soft and fluffy, then--quite literally!--flush it down the toilet. Somehow, I don't think that's the end result nature intended. I mean, come on: Do we really want future generations to know that we cut down the few remaining in-tact forests for the sake of some really comfy arse-wipe? I don't think so...

But let's backtrack a bit. Many of us find it difficult to envision how things were done "back in the day"--before the advent of all these fine disposable products we can't imagine living without. What were the precursors to our flushable friend? How did people survive?! Modern-day toilet paper wasn't even invented until 1857. Before that, according to Wikipedia:

"Wealthy people used wool, lace or hemp for their ablutions, while less wealthy people used their hand when defecating into rivers, or cleaned themselves with various materials such as rags, wood shavings, leaves, grass, hay, stone, sand, moss, water, snow, maize husks, fruit skins, or seashells, and cob of the corn depending upon the country and weather conditions or social customs.


In Ancient Rome, a sponge on a stick was commonly used, and, after usage, placed back in a bucket of saltwater. In some parts of the world, the use of newspaper, telephone directory pages, or other paper products was common. Old Farmer's Almanac was sold with a hole punched in the corner so it could be hung on a nail in an outhouse. The widely-distributed Sears catalogue was also a popular choice until it began to be printed on glossy paper (at which point, some people wrote to the company to complain)."

Now THERE'S a use for all those unwanted catalogues that have been piling up! Kidding, kidding. And don't worry: What I'm asking of you will be much less painful than wiping with seashells.

These days, by Charmin's estimates, Americans use, on average, 8.6 sheets per trip to the loo, or 57 sheets per day, which turns out to be 20,805 sheets a year...or 52 rolls annually. How convenient--1 roll a week per man, woman, and child in America. That's a lot of trees flushed down the toilet. The NRDC (National Resources Defense Council) and Greenpeace are trying to convince paper giant Kimberly Clark (which owns Kleenex, Scott, Viva, and Cottonelle brands) to start making their products out of recycled paper. Kimberly Clark's paper comes from trees in the Canadian Boreal forest, which represents 25% of the old-growth/virgin forest left in the world. NRDC cuts to the chase in their campaign slogan: "Keep forests from become toilet paper".

On Kimberly Clark and its subsidiaries, the NRDC says: "Instead of making better use of materials such as post-consumer recycled fiber and agricultural residue to meet the escalating demand for toilet paper, paper towels and other disposable tissue products, these companies buy virgin pulp from suppliers that reach deep into North American forests for timber, from northern Canada to the southeastern United States...Kimberly-Clark -- one of the largest tissue paper producers in the world, with offices, factories and mills in 37 countries -- uses more than 1.1 million cubic meters of trees from Canada's boreal forests each year to produce some 465,000 metric tons (equal to 512,575 tons) of pulp."

Go here to read more about the ecoystems being destroyed on behalf of our arse-wipe.


Fortunately, a solution exists. Numerous paper companies have adopted more sustainable practices by incorporating some percentage of recycled material into their pulp. There are many brands of toilet paper, paper towels, facial tissue, and napkins available that are now 100% recycled. Look for ones with high post-consumer recycled product.

Here's a guide for brands to try and ones to avoid. It covers facial tissue, paper towels, and napkins too. (For the sake of time, this post focuses on toilet paper, but by all means, please start replacing your paper towels, facial tissue, etc. with recycled versions. In the future we'll also explore cutting down on the usage of these disposables as well.)

I've been using Seventh Generation toilet paper for the last few weeks, and it really isn't bad. My favorite part is the back of the packet, where they provide several facts that make you feel all warm and fuzzy--(even if the TP itself doesn't)--see pic at left. Wow, check it out--1,450,000 trees could be saved just by every household replacing one virgin four-packet of TP with recycled TP. Amazing!


Ok, full disclosure: Recycled paper products are not as soft as virgin products. There, I said it. Apparently there's a legitimate reason for this, not because the companies want to punish you for buying recycled, but because it's a different kind of pulp. So far, I can report no injuries or irritations. Still, I can already hear the complaints rolling in. You like your 2-ply, 1000-count aloe-enhanced friend. I understand. And if you have a compelling argument for why the comfort of your own nether-region is a more important cause than preserving the few remaining pristine forests of our planet, then I'm all ears! Until then, enjoy your recycled arse-wipe, and relish in the thought that it's not corn on the cob. :)

BYOB: Bring your own bag WEEK

Plastic bags are just bad news all around. And paper bags are even worse (but we'll get to that).

PLASTIC BAG FACTS:
Worldwide, we consume between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags annually.
Americans use and trash around 100 billion plastic bags a year, which are produced by an estimated 12 million barrels of oil.

Yes, plastic bags are made out of petroleum...that's right, oil! We all know the double-whammy problems with oil: Namely, the fact we are quickly running out of it, and that its usage emits CO2, which is a major cause of global warming. So, we can look at our unthinking use and disposal of plastic bags as just another manifestation of our addiction to oil. Get this: The manufacturing of just 14 plastic bags uses the same amount of oil as it takes to drive one mile!!! And with that come the same problems--global warming emissions and more dependency on the countries that control the dwindling amounts of oil left in the world (the exact countries we want to be extricating ourselves from).

That's just touching on the production of plastic bags. They also pollute our environment as trash, killing hundreds of thousands of sea animals who end up mistaking them for food. And, not only do they not biodegrade, they actually photodegrade into tinier toxic particles that get absorbed into soil and water. Bad, bad, bad...

PAPER BAG FACTS:
Have we forgotten that all paper products are made from trees? 15 million trees are cut down every year to supply our addiction to paper bags--around 10 billion a year. Again, there's a two-fold effect here: Trees help absorb greenhouse gases, but only if they are still alive! So by cutting so many trees down, we are simultaneously reducing our capacity to absorb CO2 and other greenhouse gases, then, of course, the elecricity used in the production of paper products emits more greenhouse gases!! On top of that, the production process of turning the tree pulp into paper (like all manufacturing) creates tons of toxic pollution that contaminates our air, land and water (which we end up breathing, eating, and drinking).

Not convinced yet? Yes, the manufacturing of practically every modern convenience is problematic in terms of resources used and pollution created in production. But what makes plastic and paper bags worse than say, a plastic telephone and a wooden table, is that we get so little usage out of them compared with all the problems involved in their production.



They are disposable products that are usually used no longer than 20 minutes from store to home. And, most importantly, a super-easy alternative exists....

TO DO:
1. BUY SEVERAL REUSABLE BAGS. My favorite site is www.reusablebags.com--lots of cheap and stylish choices--but there are many others out there, easily found. (Many grocery stores are also now selling their own reusable bags very inexpensively.) So far, my faves are the black acme totes because they are discreet and don't have that corny white tote-bag look. I've had mine for a week, and it's amazing how easy it's been to get in the habit of just keeping them with me, in case I need to stop by the store. If you already take your own bags every time you go to the store, there's always more you can do. My best find has been the produce bags on reusablebags.com. They're great, because those flimsy plastic produce bags have even fewer uses than the thicker ones given at checkout.

This week, I used the produce bags at the market and once I got home, transferred the produce into some plastic bags that I already had. I can just keep reusing the same plastic bags for refrigerator storage, and use the cloth produce bags for new produce, so I don't have to keep accumulating more plastic ones. Also, as the holidays are approaching, these bags make great gifts! I'm convinced that once people have them around, they will get in the habit of using them (especially after you inform them of the evils of paper and plastic bags). And to all the guys who have expressed to me that they will look, um, unmanly taking their cloth bags to the store, I guess all I have to say is...get over it. We are adults. Real men bring their own bags.


2. FOR SINGLE OR SMALL ITEMS, REFUSE A BAG. Ok, I understand that even after you get set up with your reusable bags, the time may come when you run into the store for a single item and find yourself without them. You're buying a salad at lunch or a bottle of shampoo on the way home...Do you really need a bag for one or two items? No! Part of our job is also training the baggers to not automatically give people a bag for 1 small item. We might have forgotten how to, but we ARE able to carry things that don't come with a handle, after all. Same goes for double bagging...if you find yourself without your reusable bags, don't let them double bag! Even at a supposedly socially-conscious store like Trader Joe's, they automatically double bag. I have worked in grocery stores and I know this habit came about because customers end up complaining because the bag broke and their eggs cracked. So the stores want to preempt any whiney customers. But it is unnecessary and is yet another reason to BYOB...because reusable bags are not going to break!

3. USE YOUR REUSABLE BAGS FOR NON-FOOD PURCHASES TOO. Ok, so this may seem extreme to some of you, but it's just the logical extension of using resuable bags for groceries. Start thinking about all the other places you are given plastic bags...well, in every other store, too. And given our level of consumption, we all end up with a ton of Best Buy, Target, Gap, etc. bags. Guess what? You can take your reusable bags to those places too. Yes, the cashiers will look at you like you're crazy...but who cares, we're starting a trend!

Last weekend, I did a little clothes shopping (at a totally un-socially conscious chain store that will go unnamed), and I put my purchases in my "shopping bag" (I do have a different one for non-grocery purchases, see pic at left), and I was good to go. It's funny, maybe this has happened to you: You're at a book store and you might have a purse or backpack with you anyway, and yet feel self-conscious about putting your purchase in your own bag...it is somehow more satisfying--perhaps the completion of the consumption process--to walk out with a fresh plastic bag advertising that, yes, you are a dutiful consumer. But I think it will be a lot more satisfying to to leave one plastic bag behind.


4. As for all those excess plastic and paper bags you have at home....REUSE, REUSE, REUSE...THEN RECYCLE. Some of us girls have a stash of beautiful, sturdy paper bags from department stores or boutiques. Yes, they are pretty...so reuse them until they fall apart. You can even take them back the next time you shop there...you'll be saving them money, which any locally-owned store will appreciate. Then recycle them. And next time, BYOB.

But you say: I use my plastic bags as trash liners, or to clean up dog poop. I'm sure you will occasionally forget to bring your reusable bag and have to get a plastic bag, and if you have a use for them, you will be in no short supply. But a quick search found this product. As they put it: "Stop mummifying your dog's poop in plastic bags that won't biodegrade...now there's truly no reason to use plastic". I'm sure there are many other products out there, maybe even available at Whole Foods. I need to investigate biodegradable trash bags, but I think we've learned enough for one day. Phew.

One last word on recycling bags: It's not the panacea we think it is. Read more here.

If you already BYOB, please post tips or experiences you've had. For those of you who start, let me know how it's going! Please post a comment!