ecoEnvelopes Blog

USPS Setting Green Examples for Businesses

The U.S. Postal Service is leading the charge in going green as a business and is being smart about its future by testing a number of energy-efficient technologies. NPR took a look at some of the USPS' environmental efforts this weekend.

It was interesting to learn from the article that the Postal Service has the largest fleet of alternative fuel vehicles in the nation: 43,000 in all and it's using solar cells to power some buildings. It's also using eco-friendly packaging, among other efforts they're employing to reduce carbon emissions and waste. Hey USPS, keep up the great work!

Direct Mail Going Green

There's an interesting article in the June 2 issue of the DM News about the emphasis that direct mailers are putting on going green.

Sam Pulcrano, the new VP of sus­tainability for the USPS, says that "In today's world, [going green] is becoming a business imperative. It's also, simply, the right thing to do.”

Freddie Baird, COO of the direct mail, on-demand printing company Quan­tumDigital, agrees. "[Green mailing] has started to become top of mind” he says.  “If you're in the direct marketing business and you don't have a green initiative, you're really going to be left behind.”

The article is online at the DM News and is definitely worth a read.

Announcing the newest addition to our reusable envelope line!

We just unveiled the newest addition to our line of reusable envelopes, the 6x9 patch envelope, at the 2008 National Postal Forum in Anaheim, California.

This 6x9 patch envelope has a tear-off patch on the front of the envelope, which allows the recipient to remove the outgoing postage and address information. 

Large mailers can even have printing under the patch, and be able to reveal a pre-printed reply address as a business reply or courtesy reply envelope!

For more information, please see the following links:

Large Mailers

Small Businesses and Consumers

How do your customers view the environmental impact of your direct mailing?

DMNews and Pitney Bowes recently released the results of a survey of 1000 Americans that shows that many people grossly overestimate the environmental impact of direct mailing (pdf).

According to the EPA, direct mail accounts for just 2% of all municipal waste in the US.  However, 48% of respondents guessed that waste from direct mail makes up over 1/2 of the total municipal waste, and 36% of respondents thought that direct mail makes up over 1/3.  Only 20 of the 1000 respondents chose correctly.

What does that mean?

Although direct mailers do not actually fill the landfills with their material, many people believe that they generate very large amounts of waste.  This is likely because people “dispose of mail every day, whereas the other big items are probably disposed of less frequently,”  says Michael Critelli, executive chairman of Pitney Bowes.

“When you take a shower or operate a washing machine, you can’t really put your hands on how much energy is being expended,” adds Paul Robbertz, VP of environmental health and safety at Pitney Bowes. “But, when you physically touch something and move it [into the trash], it has more of an impact.”

Luckily, the survey also showed that respondents have very positive reactions when direct mailers make efforts to be more environmentally-responsible.

Survey respondents reported they would feel more favorably towards direct mailers if they:

• Used recycled paper and cardboard products. (68% of respondents)

• Planted trees to offset paper production (67% of respondents)

• received a “green mail” label awarded by the industry or the EPA (53% of respondents)

Obviously, conservation of natural resources and reducing waste is high on customers' priority lists.

The survey also clearly shows that companies need to do a better job communicating their green initiatives to the people receiving their direct mailings.  And, as Robbertz suggests, the best way to to reach people is to put proof of environmental commitment directly in their hands.

When someone receives a direct mailing, and they end up putting everything in the trash, they assume that the company is not environmentally-friendly.  If, on the other hand, a customer receives a mailing that is obviously made of eco-friendly materials--and then doesn't have to throw everything away, they receive a very different message about the direct mailer.

UMACS Campus Sustainability Conference

Last weekend, I attended the  UMACS Campus Sustainability Conference that was held at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.  We have heard from a lot of colleges who are interested in using ecoEnvelopes for their mailings to alumni, and wanted to find out what colleges are doing to be more eco-friendly.

The conference was a lot of fun.  It was really neat to hear about all the initatives that colleges/universities in the US are doing, and the changes they've made. Plus, I was very impressed by how many colleges were there and how many had committed to becoming carbon neutral in their operations. 

University of Minnesota - Morris particularly stood out since they will be carbon neutral by 2010!

Colleges are doing everything from installing their own renewable power sources, to making the food in their cafeterias organic, to organizing recycling drives on campus, to building green buildings.  It was very encouraging to see the variety of efforts, and know that everyone will come away from the conference full of fresh ideas to use on their own campus.

As an alumni of Luther College (the host), I was thrilled to hear about all the eco-friendly initiatives they have started in recent years.  In addition to the eco garden, Luther regularly does sustainable food days in the cafeteria, has switched to Fair Trade coffee, uses hybrid or alternative vehicles for much of its fleet, and is seriously exploring the installation of a windmill to power the campus.

It doesn't take long after leaving a college to start not hearing about all the good things they're doing, especially the smaller environmental changes that still make a big difference. It's such a pity to be disconnected like that!  That's one of the reasons I believe that ecoEnvelopes are such a good fit for the college market - they do good, they save the college money, and they're a very visible way to communicate to alumni that a college is making a difference.

For anyone else who is interested in learning more about what colleges are doing to be more environmentally-friendly, I highly recommend checking out the Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability website and especially the Presidents' Climate Commitment - an agreement signed by 500+ college presidents that commits their college to working towards carbon neutrality.