Posted in Going Green

Over the last few years there have been programs set up to limit the frequency of how often we are contacted by certain outside forces, such as phone solicitation. Yesterday, was no exception in my home. The phone rang every 10 minutes...LITERALLY! Unfortunately, today is election day in SW FL so all the candidates have been calling here to get their last ditch effort. In addition we have a tax law that is up for a vote as well, so there have been additional phone calls regarding that.

I hadn't thought about it before, but why is it that candidates do not have to abide by the "Do Not Call" list? Our family signed that list because we did not want unsolicited phone calls (which we still receive). We had friends over for dinner who witnessed the harassment. When the hubby reluctantly picked up the phone, in hopes of ending the calls, he said, it's Huckabee's campaign. He hung up. The phone rang back immediately. This continued until the message was done. There was no getting away from the calls. I was having to pull myself back from the brink of insanity, as I was frustrated with the idea of the "Do Not Call" List. Those who must abide by that list are telemarketers. Aren't these harrassing phone solicitations done by telemarketers? They may not be asking me to "buy" something in the traditional sense, but they are certainly asking me to buy in to what a candidate is selling to win a campaign.

Fortunately, I came back to my senses. I gave God a prayer of thanks that this does not happen the majority of the year. Next, I went over to look at the stack of mail an elderton had brought it. The stack easily two inches thick. As I waded through the stack, as I regularly do, I made two piles; junk and to be filed. The junk pile is always large. Everyday, actually. I order one thing from a company and I am stuck receiving their catalogs in abundance, for eternity. My name linked to their mailing database as if we were tightly interwoven with their operations. Why?

Land's End and L.L. Bean are two of the worst. I stopped purchasing from them solely because I cannot stop their catalogs from coming! They send out quarterly catalogs. In addition they send out a variety of sales catalogs. All of these catalogs contain a vast overlapping of product. It really makes me angry. Domestications is another company I'd like to shut down because of their abusive mailing. But these type of companies are not the only ones doing this. Curriculum companies are relentless as well. When I think about all the money a company could save on color copying and postage, I am amazed. How is sending so many catalogs out earth friendly? These little home shopping beauties go directly into our rubbish. I specifically do not purchase from these companies any longer, because of their mailing practices. Wouldn't it be nice if Bob Jones University sent out a nifty postcard reading "We are ivaciously over wrought with joy to let you know that we are promptly having the most sutpendous sale ever! Check out our online catalog at ...." Throwing away one postcard (we wouldn't toss it if there were a nifty photo on the front) every few weeks, sure beats throwing away a 30 page color catalog! Really, I feel guilty when I throw all those color catalogs away, DAILY. Why should I feel guilty? I didn't ask to be added to the mailing list? There are so many, I couldn't possibly contact every company (repeatedly) to stop the mailings. Oh, I tried with a few companies, only to be given a gracious thank you and a new catalog two weeks later.

So that got me thinking. Is it possible to stop all of these needless mailings that end up in our landfills? Fortunately, there is help in this area now. Surf on over to Catalog Choice. Signing up (free) for their service will help you reduce the amount of unwanted, unsolicited mailings you recieve in your mailbox. How fantabulously coolio is that? An answer to a much needed prayer. Reduce your waste (and I would venture to say that many families could reduce their waste by as much as a quarter) and help keep the earth clean all with a few clicks at your keyboard.

These are my thoughts.

Leslie Valeska

~contributing writer~