Green Stamps

I was in the post office the other day and saw these:

Totally awesome.

The Postal Service claims that the stamps are recyclable and the adhesive biodegradable.

Reducing Junk Mail

I'm always annoyed at how much junk mail I get and how wasteful and environmentally damaging it is.  I decided to finally take some steps to reduce the amount of junk mail I receive.  I followed the Today Show's recommendations:

1) I went to OptOutPrescreen.com where you can opt out of pre-approved credit card and insurance offers for five years by filling out an electronic form.  There is also an option to print out a personalized form letter to send in via snail mail to opt out of offers permanently.

2) I mailed letters to three different list brokers, which are companies that prepare and sell mailing lists to all kinds of businesses:

Metromail Corporation

List Maintenance

901 W. Bond St.

Lincoln, NE  68521

R. L. Polk & Co. / Name Deletion File

List Compilation Development

26955 Northwestern Highway

Southfield, MI  48034-4716

Database America

Compilation Department

470 Chestnut Ridge Rd.

Woodcliff, NJ  07677

See my form letter [which I printed on reused office paper and sent in old envelopes from my high school graduation (which had to be taped shut because the glue was so old)]  here; imagine the Xs replaced with my actually address and phone number.

3) I filled out an online form with a fourth list broker: Acxiom.

4) I went to the Direct Marketing Association website and had my name and address removed from the list they share with 5,200 companies.  Once you register on their site, you can "manage your mail," and pick and choose which companies can use your information, or you can have your name removed from all "Credit Offers" (which sends you back to OptOutPrescreen.com), "Catalogs," "Magazine Offers," and/or "Other Mail Offers" lists.  The Today Show site says this costs $1, but that article was dated 2007, and today it appears to be a free service.

5) I sent an email to optout@abacus-us.com asking to have my name removed from catalog mailing lists.

6) To fend off coupon offers addressed to "Occupant" and "Resident," I went to Valassis and filled out their short online form.

7) I don't currently get them, but if you want to stop receiving Valpaks, follow this link and enter your information from the outside of the blue envelope.

It will take a few months to see a reduction in my junk mail, but this whole process took less than an hour and will hopefully save lots of paper over my lifetime.