Save A Tree

Guilty! Yep, that's me because I must have an above average carbon footprint. After all, I drive an 8-year old pickup truck that by today standards is a gas-guzzler and I live in a house way too big for my needs.

I'm sure you've heard so many ways to conserve our resources that you've begun to tune them all out. But here are my favorite three "first steps" to take right now. They work, they are easy, and they are smart.

1. Stop all those catalogs that consistently show up unwanted in your mailbox. Go online to CatalogChoice.org and start inputting into their system those catalogs you want stopped.
2. Cancel the daily delivery of your newspaper. If you are computer savvy, which you must be since you are reading this Blog, you know how easy it is to read the important news items online as well as downloading store coupons.
3. Pay your bills online and go paperless. Most businesses and financial institutions allow you to opt out of paper statements. I receive via email and pay online every bill I can by using either my VISA or with a bank draft out of my checking account and I've never had a problem. Two caveats though. 1) I don't allow business to automatically charge my VISA or draw from my checking account. I review each bill online and then pay. 2) I rarely allow a business to store my VISA card number. I'd rather input the number myself each time.

This is simple stuff and really works, although I must admit I did go through withdrawal by not having my daily newspaper each morning.

Wow, I feel so guiltless by practicing the three items above and after writing this Blog entry that I might just jump in the gas-guzzler and drive over to the local coffee shop for a latte, and then go to the library and read the local news.