Environmentalism
We use only energy-saving / energy-efficient office equpment and conscientiously recycle all we can.
We print on only recycled papers, and take every possible step to eliminate unnecessary paper trails.
We encourage our employees to carpool, walk or ride a bike to work if they can.
We also encourage others to follow the following ten steps:
(from the Direct Marketing Association Web site)
- Shop by Mail
Shopping from home and work through catalogs and other forms of direct mail replaces shopping trips made by automobile, saving you time and gasoline, and cutting pollution. A recent survey by the US Postal Service found that:
US households made 334 mail order purchases in 2004. Based on a conservative assumption that single shopping trip would replace three direct orders, 111.3 million shopping trips were replaced by catalog purchases in 2004.
By that same assumption, at an average round trip distance of 14.9 miles per shipping trip, catalog mail reduced the number of miles driven in 2004 by 1.7 billion miles (0.06 percent of all miles driven in the United States).
This reduction in miles driven equates to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of more than 35,000 tons, and a reduction in gasoline used of 75.9 million gallons. At a current (January 2007) average price of $2.17 per gallon, this represents an annual savings of more than $164 million. - Support Recycling in Your Hometown
Towns and cities in many parts of the U.S. are collecting catalogs, direct mail and other "mixed papers" in waste-reducing recycling programs. Contact 1 (800) CLEAN-UP, or visit www.earth911.org. If your town recycles, join the effort! If it doesn't, visit the American Forest & Paper Association's website www.paperrecycles.org to obtain a variety of materials that have been developed to raise awareness about the importance of paper recycling. The site also contains guides for implementing sustainable office, school and community recycling programs. Share Your Magazines and Catalogs
Find creative ways for others to enjoy the magazines and catalogs that you've already read. Donate them to hospitals, clinics and doctors' offices for use in waiting rooms, schools for use in art projects, and to retirement communities for reading and easy shopping. If you live in an apartment building, set up a system for tenants to share catalogs and magazines. Or set up a shopping-by-mail library in your office lunchroom so many people can use and reuse the same catalogs.Reuse and Recycle Packing Materials
Founded in 1991, the Plastic Loose Fill Council operates the Peanut Hotline, a national recycling program to collect used small loose-fill polystyrene packing materials ( "peanuts"). Through the program, consumers can drop off "peanuts" at Peanut Hotline collection sites. There are over 1,500 collection sites in the US. To find a location near you that accepts peanuts for reuse, call 1 (800) 828-2214 or visit http://www.loosefillpackaging.com. Also, save packing materials for reuse when shipping gifts and other packages. Or give them to friends or colleagues who are moving to new homes or who ship packages from work.Support "Green" Businesses
Many catalogers and other companies are leading the way toward environmentally sound business practices. JCPenney, Orvis, Lands' End, Real Goods, Fingerhut, National Wildlife Federation, Seventh Generation, and others, for example, print portions or all of their catalogs on paper made with recycled content. The Body Shop, a national cataloger and retailer, rewards customers for returning product containers for refilling and recycling. Catalog company Hanna Andersson sends gift orders in an attractive gift box made completely of recycled cardboard and paper. Look for environmental messages and other socially responsible program descriptions in the catalogs you receive.How Environmentally Sound Is Your Company?
Does the company you work for use direct mail or direct marketing? Want to find out more about how you can make your business or workplace more environmentally sound? Check out DMA’s new, FREE Environmental Tool & Optional Policy Generator online at www.the-dma.org/envgen/. The tool educates on the complexity and variety of environmental issues facing the direct marketing community, and provides marketers with over one-hundred options to improve their environmental footprint. The tool also features a generator function, allowing marketers to create and personalize an internal, environmental vision statement or policy.Support Tree Planting
The American Forest & Paper Association reports that self-sustaining forestry techniques in North America ensure that cut trees are replaced. You can help the effort by supporting companies that contribute to tree replanting programs. The Fingerhut Corporation, a consumer goods cataloger based in Minnesota, for example, has its own corporate forest. Woodworker's Supply helps to replant trees along New Mexico's Highway 66, and clothier Eddie Bauer works closely with Global ReLeaf.Streamline Your Mail
You may enjoy shopping by mail but prefer to receive less advertising in your mailbox. DMA offers consumers assistance in getting off mailing lists. For more information, visit https://www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing.Buy Environmentally Sound Products
Many companies now sell products that are environmentally sound for use in home and office. Catalogers, for example, offer items such as sturdy canvas shopping bags, natural lawn care products, rechargeable batteries, and toilet dams to reduce water waste. Call your favorite catalog companies and local retailers to find out more about products that will help you protect the environment, or look for them in your mailbox.Support Environmental Not-for-Profit Organizations
Be receptive to mailings you receive from not-for-profit environmental organizations. They recognize direct mail as a responsible tool for raising funds, and most obtain up to 80-percent or more of their funding through direct mail solicitations.