by Richard Prudhomme

Created on: September 26, 2009   Last Updated: October 05, 2009

Pay on-line, save a tree!

When a company says save a tree, pay on-line, what they really mean is save our bottom line and pay on-line. Offices aren't exactly paper free since the introduction of computers. I still need to print out my bills for income tax reasons, so the paper the company saves is not passed on to me. Paper is made from a renewable resource, computers aren't. There are no large scale successful recycling programs available for computers in North America, most end up stocked piled in third-world countries.

My occasional jaunt to the post office to buy stamps or mail a letter, or even to the bank has very little effect on the environment, I still need to drive to the grocery store, the mall, and don't forget about taxi service for the kids. The fact that my fruit and vegetables are trucked to me from half-way across the country has a much larger impact on the environment, than my envelopes used to mail my bills.

In the long run paper is a lot more eco-friendly than any computer, we are on our third or fourth computer by now. Sure the cardboard box it came in is recyclable, but the plastic and Styrofoam packing is still lingering somewhere out there, it didn't just disappear when I put it out for garbage pick up, just like my old computers. Most offices and schools have paper recycling programs, not all paper sent is recycled, but at least most of it doesn't end up in a landfill.

A new use has been found for shredded paper, it is spread out in gardens to help control weeds, replacing the more toxic methods of chemical herbicides once widely used. Another benefit is the shredded paper helps retain soil moisture, and once the season is over, it can be mixed into the soil and used as mulch.

Computers are a great invention, and are here to stay. Internet was designed as a means to share information, and never intended as a medium to transfer confidential information. This does cause a big headache to companies, who eventually discover large security holes in their programs, leaving user fully exposed to identity theft. There are also the hackers who enjoy to take over, unknowingly from the user, control of their computers information or access their hard-drives for illicit purposes.

So for me not using on-line payments, opting to stay with my traditional check is in the mail technique, is not that big of an environmental concern, there are some much larger issues out there than need to be dealt with in a more timely matter.

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