by Wendy Roltgen

Created on: September 14, 2009

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, every year the United States uses 90 million tons of paper. That's a lot of paper. Thanks to the internet and technology, there are numerous ways to cut down on your use of paper and trees.

7 Tips on Saving Paper and Trees

1. Pay bills online. One of the best tips for saving paper and trees is to pay your bills online. Not only does it save you the cost of postage, it also eliminates the need for a printed invoice and envelope being sent to you. Cut your paper use even more by doing all of your banking online and eliminate the need for a mailed monthly statement.

2. Send e-cards. Save paper, trees and postage by sending e-cards instead of traditional cards. You can still create a heartfelt sentiment that is unique and personal by utilizing standard software to create your own personal greetings or by selecting any one of the dozens of free e-cards available from a variety of web sites.

3. Read your newspaper online. Subscribe to the online edition of your favorite newspaper instead of having the paper delivered to your home each day. You'll not only be saving paper and trees but also the gasoline required to deliver the paper to your home.

4. Stop junk mail. Sign up to have your name removed from direct mail lists. According to 41pounds.org, the average adult receives 41 pounds of junk mail each year. You can save paper and trees and other valuable resources by having your name removed from mailing lists for catalogs and credit cards for a fee on the 41 Pounds web site and or sign up for free on web sites such as Catalog Choice

5. Use the library. Instead of subscribing to magazines or buying books, check your favorite reading material out from your local library. Not only will you save money, you'll also be saving paper and trees. If you really want to own your own copy of a book, consider buying the book used.

6. Create a paperless office. Try to eliminate unnecessary printing in the work place by encouraging staff members to go paperless. Instead of keeping paper files, consider creating electronic files instead.

7. Recycle paper. It's impossible to cut paper out of your life so do your part to reuse and recycle paper when possible. Save single sided flyers and use them as scratch paper. Use envelopes from direct mail to store coupons and shopping lists. Purchase paper with as much recycled content as possible when buying paper.

These are just a few of the tips on saving paper and trees. Just keep in mind the reduce, reuse and recycle mantra and you'll be doing your part to help save paper and trees.

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