Junk Your Junk Mail Today! « It’s Getting Hot In Here

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!

About Josh

Josh Arnold can think of no greater gift than to be alive in a time of unprecedented crisis and opportunity. Josh is often found in a state of Blessed Unrest – compelled to do all in his power to create conditions conducive to life for his fellow human and non-human cohabitants. Josh sees his work in the context of a Great Turning – a movement that uses the creation of an environmentally sustainable, socially just, and spiritually fulfilling world as the guiding principal of all its actions. After graduating from Wheaton College with a degree in “Global Sustainability”, Josh started the nonprofit organization Global Awareness Local Action (G.A.L.A.) to help make sustainable living fun and practical. Josh is unwaveringly committed to helping the Lakes Region, NH area become a vibrant example of sustainable community. But G.A.L.A. is not all that Josh spends his time on. In the summers, Josh travels around the United States with Clean Vibes – a music festival “greening” company. In addition, Josh is a sales representative for Recycled Office Products, Inc. and helps offices reduce their eco-footprint by offering a wide selection of post-consumer products. And finally, if you happen to visit Wolfeboro, NH and get a whiff of fried food, there is a good chance you just missed Josh – his car runs on Waste Vegetable Oil.

2 Responses to “Junk Your Junk Mail Today!”

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1 lealupkin Sep 30th, 2007 at 11:18 pm

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.
2 mattreitman Oct 1st, 2007 at 5:20 pm

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.”