The topic up for discussion today (even though it’s an old one that has been touched thousands of times): the environmental effects of spam and physical junk mail. By spam, we’re talking about all those e-mails in your inbox, your text messages, and even spam comments on websites. (We get quite a few of those here). Those pesky messages aren’t just annoying, they’re slowing impacting our ecosystems. Every action that we take as a species and as individuals impacts the Earth’s ecosystem. Just think of your own lifestyle and multiply it by 6,791,557,648 as of October 19th 21:42 GMT. That’s the current world population as estimated by US Census Bureau. Need money to get you thinking? Let’s say every person in the world has a dollar. That’s a lot of money! Here are some background facts regarding spam.

According to an article from the BBC published on April 16, 2009, it is estimated that 62 trillion spam emails are sent all around the world annually. That produces more than 17 million tons of CO2, which we all know is a greenhouse gas, which plays an important role in current global warming trends. Spam filters might help reduce unwanted spam, but it is far better to get this thing out in the open and fight the battle at the lowest level: the source. McAfee, a notable anti-virus firm stated that a “day without spam amounted to talking 2.2 million cars off the road”. Chew on that! How’d they get their numbers? Our computers use more energy when they are doing work and the additional work our computers do when dealing with spam gives us these magical statistics. Spam bot networks need power to send these irritating messages, too. How do we fight spam? Leave your comments below.

George Blakely, professor of art at the Florida State University makes Junk mail trees.

Thankfully, you can do something about all the junk you get in the mail. Most companies now offer paperless billing, allowing you to save trees! If you haven’t already, check your major providers for electricity, cable, internet access, cell phone coverage, credit card companies, and banks. They probably offer paperless billing. It’s the new thing! Facts: An average household receives junk mail that averages two trees and 92 pounds of CO2 for delivery. That adds up to about 100 million trees each year used to produce all that paper and 28 billion gallons of precious water to make it. Need we go into the energy consumption of the paper industry? That’s a lot of wasted paper if all we’re going to do is toss it without even reading it. Let’s offer up some advice on how to deal with junk mail.

1) You can always get creative. Best of all, this option is free! Write signs on your mailbox or on your door. Things like “No handbills” or “Please save trees. No junk mail!” Make sure you’re friendly and be inspirational. If you have other ideas, post them in the comments below.

2)  Call the contact numbers or customer service for catalogs and ask them to take you off their mailing list. You’ll be less annoyed and you’ll be saving the planet one step at a time.

3) Sign up for the National Do Not Mail list brought to you by Directmail.com. They’ll contact mass mailers and let them know you don’t want any more junk mail! Best of all, it’s free. Take 10 minutes and register!

4) What about those solicitations for credit cards and insurance? Want to get off those lists? You can choose to opt out of those lists as well, for a period of 5 years or permanent opt-outs. Just visit Optoutprescreen.com.

Let’s move on to some paid services, if you so choose that are dedicated to protecting the environment and helping you lighten your paper burden.

1) Stopthejunkmail: For $19.95 a year, you can reduce your junk mail by 90%. Easy and simple.

2) Tonic Mailstopper formerly GreenDimes: For $20 a year, they’ll automatically remove you from 5 of the largest mass mailers. They’ll even plant 5 trees on your behalf!

3) 41pounds: The average adult receives 41 pounds of junk mail a year. 41pounds will help you shed those pounds by contacting the companies and stopping your junk mail. The service costs $41 for 5 years, which equals $8.20 a year. They’ll even donate 1/3 of their fee to community and environmental organizations that will help plants trees!

So how about it? Take the effort to help curb deforestation and consumption of our precious resources that are being used to generate junk mail. Then we can move on and focus on other problems. Be a part of the solution!

Leave comments below, we’d love to hear from you!

Printing Tips:

1) Go Digital: Probably the most important one out there. This idea has taken businesses by storm. Even though you might not always be able to, try sending documents and information using email or eFax. PDFs are a great way to go. It’s pretty much universal and works like a charm. Need to carry documents around? How about a flash storage device?

2) Buy Recycled: Be proactive and find a recycled paper supplier. Don’t know where? Run a “Recycled Paper” search on a search engine (a green one preferred). Here’s a bonus. We took the liberty of running the search for you and came up with these great resources: “Save a Tree – Print Green” from Green Options, Why Buy Recycled? from RecycleWorks, and The Green Office. Have a Twitter account? @thegreenoffice to keep up-to-date.

3) Print double-sided documents: If you’re going to be printing multi-page documents, print them double-sided if possible. It’s a simple way to conserve your paper. Don’t know how? Just print out the odd numbered pages, flip them over and then go back and print the even numbered pages.

4) Double-check: Proofread and proofread again while the document is still on your computer to eliminate reprints because of errors. We’re all human and will make mistakes, but double-checking your work always helps.

5) Reuse misprinted papers: If pages get misprinted or you find errors, keep them and use them for scratch. We’d recommend starting a box or a pile to store these “draft papers”. Keep them handy. If you want, you can even cut them into smaller squares and use them in place of post-it notes.

6) Learn your software and print options: Make sure you know the tools you have at your disposal. Learn the options regarding printing that comes with the software you’re using. For example, most word processers and programs give you the option of selecting page ranges when printing. Take advantage of it and avoid printing what you don’t have to.

7) Recycle: Do your part and properly recycled your sheets of paper when you don’t need them anymore. This paper will be turned into other paper products. How cool is that? If you don’t have a recycling bin already, grab one!

The Golden Rule: As the WWF puts it: think to yourself; “Do I really need to print this?” before you press the button.

Tools to help you get it done:

Let’s go through a couple of tools that’ll help you save paper and ink.

Keep in mind that in a lot of browsers have options to print only selections. This means you can select text in your browser, hit Ctrl+P and change the print options to “selection”. Don’t print what you need and save money! Printing in black and white will help you save your color ink.

1) Lexmark Toolbar Add-on: If you need to customize your printing, try the Lexmark Toolbar. You can save ink by removing images and color when you print. You can also easily print only highlighted portions of a site.

2) PrintWhatYouLike Button Add-on: This add-on ties in with PrintWhatYouLike, a web-page editor that allows you to choose what you want printed.

3) PrintWhatYouLike: Excellent tool. All you have to do is input a URL, edit the page online, and then print it. It’s easy to condense webpages, reducing paper and ink usage. @pwyl

4) Printfriendly: Another great online editor for editing websites before printing, Printfriendly grabs the webpage and allows you to remove images and even blocks of text if needed. It prints cleanly and shows a print preview. It even includes a “get PDF” option. @printfriendly

5) GreenPrint: Eliminate pages that don’t need to be printed by using GreenPrint, a program that runs on your computer and acts as another printer. When you need to print, simply select GreenPrint as the printer, take out what you don’t need, including images in just one click, and print away. You can even save the edited files as PDFs and send them. View a demo here. Here is their twitter: @greenprint

If you have more resources for green printing, please share it in the comments. We know we haven’t talked about using soy-based inks, but it is definitely an option. Anyone know much about them? Cheers

1. TreeHugger: It may be obvious to you guys already, but this is by far one of the most influential blogs on the Internet. If you haven’t experienced it, you’re missing out. @TreeHugger

2. Go Green: Ready for an awesome site that provides the latest news, resources, technologies, and an uber-fantabulous green sites directory? Here it is! If you need some easy tips for greening your lifestyle, this is the place to go.

3. GreenHome: What about shopping? Need some eco-friendly goods for the household, work, or events? GreenHome is the way to go. With a magazine, sections full of resources, and neat tricks, starting could not be easier. @greenhomey

4. EcoMall: More shopping, coming right up. EcoMall encourages environmentally conscious practices, recycling, and green goods. With a directory full of companies, products, and resources, you’ll find everything right here. What are you waiting for? @ecomall

5. EcoWedding: “A resource guide for ecologically aware weddings”. Everything you need to know, from a couple who planned their own green wedding. Articles, news, recommendations, and much more. @ecowedding

6. The Green Guide: Headed up by National Geographic, The Green Guide provides you with the facts you need to live a green and healthy lifestyle. @thegreenguide

7. Planet Green: Discovery’s Planet Green is a great resource, with information on Fashion and Beauty, Food and Health, Home and Garden, and Work and Connect. Excellent site. @planetgreen

8. Huffington Post: It’s a great place to be, with the best green news and opinions. Make sure you check them out at Twitter as well. @huffingtonpost

9. HowYouEco: Ready for green and want to get social while doing it? With blogs, articles, and eco-friendly resources, you’ll find something to love here. A very diverse community. Go on now, check them out! @howyoueco

10. GreenLoop: It’s eco-friendly and organic fashion. View their blog to keep up with the latest news and don’t forget to view their list of conscientious companies. @greenloop

11. TerraCycle: Eco-friendly gardening supplies, cleaners, and more! Everything is packaged in waste and environmentally friendly. Don’t forget to send in your waste because they’ll turn it into treasure. Best of all, they’ll pay you for it. It’s all about re-using. Visit their site to learn more. @terracycle

12. PreserveProducts: While we are on the idea of recycling used packaging, things that ordinary people would consider as waste, have a look at Preserve Products. Using #5 recycled plastics from their Gimme 5 program, Preserve Products makes green personal hygiene and kitchen supplies. Have a look at their extensive product list.

13. FreeCycle: Many of you probably know about this organization, dedicated to bettering the world by building communities that reduce waste and saves resources. It’s a way to get rid of items you don’t want and to get free items, too. Recycling! Go find your local chapter.

14. Only Natural Pet Store: Sure, you can live a green lifestyle, but what about your pets? All products on the site are of the highest quality and made of only natural ingredients. They work with the Veterinary Board of Advisors to evaluate products, so they’re guaranteed awesome!

15. Alltop Green: Looking for the top environmental and clean tech news? Alltop aggregates all the latest updates from top green sites all on one page. Featuring sites like TreeHugger, Sustainablog, The Daily Green, and Inhabitat, you won’t want to miss it.

16. PlayGreen: It’s the wiki about green living. You can submit your own articles and get to know the green community. Awesome stuff and so much to read. Like we always say at the Simple Green, community is vital. Have fun with it!

17. GreenMaven: A green search engine, powered by Google search. Looking for something green related? Just search it up. Oh, it’s also a directory! Don’t forget to their Firefox search plugin. @GreenMaven

18. Greenzer: Ready for more shopping? Want it to be easy to shop for green products? It’s easy! It’s the perfect place to expand your knowledge of green products and discover new products while you’re at it. @greenzer

19. EcoSeek: “The Search Engine For All Things Green”. That’s right. There are so many shopping sites and directories out there. They’re all useful, so don’t hesitate and add EcoSeek to your list. @ecoseek

20. Greenopolis: It’s a city! A city of green! Don’t forget to check out this vibrant community of like-minded green individuals. Earn points, get free stuff for going green, find resources, and participate in Q&A sessions. All that and so much more. Become a citizen today! @greenopolis

21. Ecovian: An online directory covering resources, local businesses, and services. It’s all about a sustainable lifestyle. Here’s the place to find your community. @ecovian

22.  GenGreenLife: The GrenGreen network is another great resource for local green. With a directory, green coupons, and education, you’ll find everything here. Consider becoming an ambassador and spread the word!

23. GreenLiving: Ready for more great resources for green living? Open your eyes to Green Living Magazine online. With topics all across the board, you’re sure to find something you like. @GreenLivingMag

24. Greenopia: Your directory for local eats, businesses, and services. Look at product and brand ratings, find a business near you, or find upcoming events. All in one place. Don’t forget to check out their comprehensive green guides for your city. @greenopia

25. CarbonFund: “Reduce what you can, offset what you can’t”. That sounds about right, doesn’t it? Learn how to reduce your carbon emissions. Start taking a look at your carbon footprint and learn what you can do about it. Carbon offsets at your fingertips. @carbonfundorg

26. CTN Green: You won’t want to miss the most comprehensive green magazine on the web! It’s interactive, with video, music, and interviews. Your physical doesn’t talk to you, now does it? Enjoy, because we sure are. @CTNGreen

27. LighterFootstep: Dedicated to helping you live a greener and healthier life, Lighter Footstep is here to help you save money and green all aspects of your life. Appreciate their tips, read their articles, and go green! @lighterfootstep

28. Inhabitat: It’s a weblog devoted to design, new technologies, and techniques that are pointing toward a more sustainable future. Clever name! @inhabitat

29. Ecoperks: With a carbon calculator and various tools, the main attraction behind Ecoperks is that it helps you help the planet. Get EcoPoints for being a friend to planet Earth and use them for great products or services. @ecoperks

30. Green Options Media: With a large network of blogs dedicated to giving you the best information, news, and resources about going green and sustainability, Green Options is an invaluable tool. @greenoptions