Note: If anyone suggested that a campaign with the words “carbon” and “consumer” would somehow benefit the climate, I would have told them maybe when pigs fly. But low and behold! New American Dream has put together yet another fabulous campaign to help people reduce their carbon-footprint. But today is the last day to make the “Junk your Junk Mail” pledge!
The Carbon Conscious Consumer, coined “C3”, is a national campaign/contest that focuses on one easy, habit-forming step people can take each month to reduce their carbon consumption. The steps are:
Step 1 – July: EAT Locally
Step 2 – August: DOWNSHIFT Your Driving
Step 3 – September: JUNK Your Junk Mail
Step 4 – October: BREAK the Bottled Water Habit
Step 5 – November: CLEAN Green
Step 6 – December: BRING Your Own Bag
20,000 Americans pledged to eat locally and downshift their driving during July and August. New American Dream expects even more will pledge to Junk their junk mail this month. When asked what junk mail as to do with climate change New American Dream’s Executive Director Lisa Wise responded, “Junk mail in the United States is not only an overwhelming inconvenience to individuals, but it’s also an incredibly carbon intensive business model that harms our environment everyday. Opting out of junk mail is an easy action with real benefits. The amount of energy required to deliver the millions of pieces of junk mail all across the country is horrendous and eliminating junk mail would have a substantial, positive impact on our planet. It would be the carbon equivalent of removing nearly 3 million cars from the roads. That makes a difference in the fight against climate change.”
So, what are you waiting for? Opt out now! Who knew that junking your junk mail could be so easy. I’ll admit that it also felt quite satisfactory – like you are sticking it to the man!
Stay sustainablisitc IGHIH crew!
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I JUST found this online 3 days ago and talked about it in my Sociology class. I think it’s a great campaign tactic and method: clear and straightforward. Right on, C3.
but it’s the system that’s the problem.
as bill mckibben said at the re-energize new hampshire rally (rough quote): “there are three steps to global warming solutions, step 1: political campaigning, step 2: political campaigning, step 3: political campaigning…and then you can worry about the light bulbs in your house.”