Home Office Answers

After I reviewed the staggering impact my paper bills have on the environment I started wondering about the impact of the countless coupons I receive in the mail everyday.

I did a rough estimate of the amount of coupons and fliers I receive and here are the results from the pay it green calculator.

Paper 20.2 pounds of paper wasted
Water 192 gallons of wastewater
Gasoline 6.5 gallons of gas
Greenhouse Gases 360 pounds of greenhouse gases
This amount of greenhouse gas is the equivalent of: 354 miles driven in your car
50 square feet of forest deforestation

I did not input any return mail so the numbers are very real. WOW

There are some alternatives to paper coupons.

1) Cell Fire

Cellfire delivers paperless coupons to your mobile phone so you’ll never have to clip coupons again. Cellfire is a download to your mobile phone and the catch, if there is one, is the company has to list their deals thru Cellfire. The benefit if you just pulled up to Ben & Jerry’s and want a coupon for your RockyRoad cone you can simply check on cellfire for any Ben & Jerry’s coupon codes.
I haven’t tried this service yet myself, if you have please tell me about it in the comments below.

2) Wifi On-line Codes

I really like the idea of giving of getting a coupon code right when I need it.
If you use a service like Brad’s Deals and have WiFi on your phone that’s all you need. If you are at BestBuy and decide to make a purchase you can go to Brad Deals and find the best coupon and then show the clerk the screen, with the coupon code at check out. It’s as simple as that.

3) Store Coupon Codes in your cell phone

If you don’t have Wi-Fi on your phone, you need to plan ahead a little to use your cell phone in lieu of paper coupons. Look up the coupon codes on line and store them in your phone contacts before you leave home.
I suggest using a contact name like X- Best Buy, to make it easy to find and delete when you are finished. Once you are at the check out simply provide the cashier with the applicable code number for your purchase.

Do you have other suggestions for paperless coupons?

  We recently covered Go Green with On-Line Bill Paying  and how it could help you organize your office and save you money at the same time. 

I have already switched my bills to electronic bill paying wherever possible, but I couldn’t resist trying this green financial footprint calculator to see how much I am saving.

By switching to electronic bills, statements, and payments, I conserve the following resources in 1 year:

Paper 5.6 pounds of paper saved

Water 53 gallons of wastewater prevented from discharging into lakes, streams and rivers

Gasoline 7.2 gallons of gas saved by not mailing your bills, statements, and payments

Greenhouse Gases 223 pounds of greenhouse gases avoided

This amount of greenhouse gas is the equivalent of: 219 miles not driven in your car

3 trees planted (and grown for 10 years)

31 square feet of forest preserved from deforestation

I must admit I am feeling pretty pleased with myself right now, saving all that with such an easy change, WOW!

Click on over to use Pay it Green’s calculator to see how much you, and your friends and family, can save by going with green with on-line billing.

If paying on-line is a new process for you please read our tips before you start.

If you have some companies that don’t offer on-line bill paying be sure to give them this web site link with your next check, maybe they will consider it.

Go Green One Change at a Time

Do you fill up your trash everyday with notes you are compelled to jot down?

One of the easiest ways to reduce paper is the simple dry erase board you see in my picture. 

Keeping the dry erase board by my computer has saved countless pieces of paper from unnecessary use.

Could you save paper by using a dry erase board?

Make your home office greener today with this straightforward tip.

If you don’t already have one check out The Green Office Link Below and order yours today.

The dark side of my brain wonders if we all saved our junk mail for 30 days and then returned it all to the post office on the same day, would “they” get the message.

When I am being rational I know it’s not the postal workers problem to solve and most of them probably hate junk mail as much as I do.  So who do we contact to STOP the madness?

The folks at ForestEthics have started a DO NOT MAIL campaign to petition congress. 

If you want congress to know you are frustrated with junk mail and want it stop, I recommend you sign the petition.

There are web sites organized around helping you stop your own personal influx of mail.

There is the free service Catalogue Choice.  It’s very user friendly.  It is only going to help reduce catalogues that you receive.

You can Cut Junk Mail up to 90%. Plant 10 Trees. All for $20.
www.greendimes.com  their service is designed to help you reduce all mail not just catalogues.
Green Dimes has also recently added a free version, where they will send you $1.00 to try it out.
Check it out www.greendimes.com

ProQuo is a free service designed to help reduce all junk mail and catalogues. 

41Pounds appropriately cost $41.00 and covers you for 5 years.

I think the bigger question we have to answer is why is something that seems so simple  really so complex?   

How did we get where we are and how can we get out?

In my former life I worked at a major financial institution that used direct mail solicitation on a regular basis.  The cost of direct mail advertising is so cheap compared to all other methods of advertising that to have a successful campaign the company only needed a 7-10% response rate.  I doubt that the rate is any higher today.

Simply put- Junk mail WORKS. 

Think about your own experiences, have you EVER been prompted by something you received in the mail to go out and make a purchase you were not planning?  I think if you are truthful the answer is yes.  Most of us, at least once, have seen an ad in the mail and said “I want that”. After all who doesn’t love a good coupon from their favorite store?

Accepting that fact that advertising works no matter how much we hate it, forces us to look at the junk mail problem from another angle.

A quick search on the USPS web site reveals that the bulk rate postage paid by advertisers is about half what we pay as consumers to send mail. 

My search also revealed the USPS web site is barraged with information about how to start a direct mail campaign to increase business.  Should the government be encouraging direct mail ads?

I think eliminating bulk mail rates for businesses may be a start.  I realize eventually the increased cost of mailing advertisements may filter down to us, the consumer, thru the cost of the products.  However; maybe an increase in mailing cost will cause each company to look for and find alternative advertising methods.

What do you think the answer is? 
Please post your comments maybe together we can find the real solution to stop junk mail.

Today the sun is shining and spring fever has arrived.

Take 10 minutes 15 if you can manage,  and look outside.  Really look.  This is the view out my office window.

Appreciate all the beauty that surrounds you.  The greening grass, the trees budding, if you are really lucky maybe you’ll even see some flowers popping thru the soil.

Looking outside on a fresh spring day like today reminds me of why taking the steps to make my home office green are important.

Share your office view with me.

Bestselling Author David Bach is teaming up with Waterkeeper Alliance and Gaiam, Inc. This time Bach is going to show us a whole new way to get rich living green.  I am so excited to get this book. “Go Green, Live Rich” outlines fifty ways to make your life, your home, your shopping, and your finances greener–and get rich trying.  Besides getting a great book and helping planet earth, if you pre-order Bach’s book from greengreen.com  before 4/8 you get lots of extra bonuses and you’ll be entered to win additional prizes.  The grand prize is an awesome vacation package. Take a look at the site for details.

Bach will be on the Today Show Monday so hurry on over an order your copy before the rush.

I already ordered mine.

Have you seen the revolutionary new rechargeable battery - the USBCELL? This NiMH AA cell can be used like any normal battery and can be recharged simply by plugging into a USB port.  If your home office equipment is using normal AA batteries, USBcell may be a green friendly alternative. There are over 15 billion alkaline batteries made and thrown away each year, wasting resources, C02 and creating toxic Landfill -
USBCELL offers a eco-friendly option.Each one can be re-used hundreds of times as no charge adaptor or cable is needed, saving you money, hassle and waste.  

Do you use rechargeable batteries? 

If you like this product tell your friends you heard about it at Home Office Answers

  Trade-Ins’ are not just for cars anymore. 
Similar to the way you trade in your car when you are ready for a newer model it is now possible to trade in some of your used office electronics and receive gift cards in exchange at both Best Buy and Circuit City.

Of course if you have the time and inclination you can probably sell your used electronics on EBay or thru another auction venue. 

The trade-in option is convenient, quick and easy, plus you can find out up front how much your gift card will be issued for.  Unlike auctions, where if you don’t have a reserve, you may get less than you expected.

Best Buy and Circuit City offer similar programs to trade in your office electronics.

Best Buy Trade In

Circuit City Trade In

Best Buy goes a step further with older equipment that they do not accept for trade in.  You may not be able to get a gift card but if it is less than 70 pounds they may send you a free shipping pick up ticket to have the item recycled at no cost to you. 

I am excited to see the stores making it easy for us to make our home office green.  With the easy trade in and recycling programs I have reviewed I don’t think I’ll ever need to throw away an office electronic again.

Do you know of other trade in or recycling programs?  Please tell me about them.

The Mom’s Talk Network website has been quiet since Kelly McCausey assumed ownership back in October 2007, but no more.  Starting today the website will be brimming over with fresh Guest Blogger appearances and a resurrected Mom’s Talk Forum which I will be helping to breathe new life into as a Moderator.  Come on over and say hello today and be entered for a chance to win gifts, free advertising and even a cash prize.  Every blog comment and forum post made on April first will serve as an entry in today’s relaunch drawing  

Look at the Prize List