Welcome to part twelve of our blog series on Going Green, dedicated to helping attorneys practice law in a more environmentally friendly way.  We are happy to celebrate Earth Day here at Lawline.com.  It is important to remember though that every day is Earth Day.  We must always take initiative in implementing green policies that attorneys and employees will follow.  Today we will talk about ways for attorneys and businesses to go green involving their mail.

Most of us get hundreds of unwanted catalogs, flyers, and other types of advertisements in the mail every year. This is especially true for businesses and law firms.   Instead of merely throwing them in the trash, there are many ways to reduce this type of unsolicited material.

Firstly, if you continuously get advertisements from an organization you have no interest in, give them a call or shoot them an e-mail and let them know to take you off their mailing list.  If it is a company that you are familiar with and sometimes potentially order from, or use, ask them if they have an online form of newsletter or catalog that you can be e-mailed to your directly.  Not only will this reduce paper waste, but it will also be easier for you to access at your convenience.  It is also important to take caution when signing up for programs or purchasing something.  Many companies will ask you if you’re interested in receiving offers in the mail, if they give you the option, select receiving by e-mail instead of snail mail.

Businesses can also do all of their billing and banking on the internet in replacement of receiving paper bills and mailing out checks.  This creates less clutter and makes everything a lot easier.  Most companies allow you to pay your bills online (credit cards, phone companies, etc) and generally they keep record of your statements (for access) for a particular amount of years.

When it is necessary that you use snail-mail instead of e-mail, try to use recycled materials.  When receiving and sending packages, you can reuse the same packaging material.  It is usually simple to just put labels over previously used addresses.  This will also save you money on purchasing these materials.

Lastly, if you move and change your address, ensure that your address is updated and that the mail comes to the correct place. This way, you don’t have to get sent the same thing twice and there will be less trash circulating around.  When people receive mail that is not theirs, they usually just throw it in the garbage.    

Initiating a campaign to reduce mail waste will help the environment in unprecedented ways.  Attorneys and law firms should take the lead in setting such standards because collectively we can efficiently make change happen.

Past Installments in this Series
Part One – An Introduction to Going Green
Part Two – Cut Electricity Costs, Just Flip the Switch
Part Three – Forget Paper, Go Digital
Part Four – Travel Together, Travel Less
Part Five – We Recycle
Part Six – Natural Lighting
Part Seven – Know Your Gadgets
Part Eight – Setting Goals
Part Nine – Reusable Bottles and Mugs
Part Ten - Setting Employee Incentives
Part Eleven - Green Products for You