The economics of Junk Mail

Trash, rubbish, garbage, crap- whatever you throw away, do so. Bury it deep in a landfill or send it off to sea. It's not your problem, you did the right thing taking out your trash. The country isn't in a garbage crisis: At least not yet.

The Trash Crisis of the millennium is not an acute problem; it can't be solved by simply changing behaviour. For crisis prevention a systematic initiative needs to be addressed. The average North American produces 1.3 tons of garbage each year (about 7 pounds per day).  Once our trash is collected the discarded waste is out of mind. Remember, there is plenty of room in the landfills for decades of trash to collect.

Of course I am being facetious, the crap we through away is not exactly environmental healthy. Nor is it cheep. Waste is a cost; and wastefulness is just a ridiculously stupid economical strategy. Waste is bad for business, customers, and the environment.

More than half of the mail carried by the US postal Service and Canada Post is junk mail. In 2011; 85 billion pieced of junk mail were sent via the US Postal Service. 4 million tons of junk mail were distributed and disposed of without thought. As taxpayers; we all subsidize federal post systems that carry  junk mail.

 A typical flyer cost 2-10 cents to print; at a small run of 2000 flyers the person sending the flyers in only losing about $400 from pocket. Though to get the true cost of the flyer transportation and disposal cost need be considered. From a consumer perspective, NOTHING annoys me more that a flyer placed on my windshield or in my mail box. I don't want irrelevant junk mail. As a customer, junk mail annoys me- and in receiving junk mail I am less likely to support the company who was trying to get my attention with a silly piece of paper.  Of the 4 million tons of junk mail floating around the US it is estimated that only 1 million ton will be recycled.

The brilliance of social networking and marketing is that it allows customers and business to interact on a personal and mutually beneficial platform. Business now have the ability to directly interact with their target market. There is no need for junk mail and flyers. Junk mail is just a waste of  primary, secondary, tertiary and capital resources.

Drink Greener: Home Brewed Sweet Tea

When I am on the run, I will grab a bottled water, juice, or kambucha with out thought. The convince of single serving drinks in undeniable. Over the past year, with the help of my Soda Stream, I have cut down on my plastic bottle waste. However; I'm not perfect- I takes organization, preparation, and commitment to cut back on ones reckless consumption. 

Bottled water/beverages are packaged in polyethylene terephthalate plastic (PET). PET emits toxins such as nickel, ethyl benzene, ethylene oxide, and benzene into our air and water through production. The toxins above are common human allergens. Their presence in our  air and water are believed to be trigger high rates of Asthma, emphysema, and eczema. Our bodies can't process the heavy metallic  and ethyl properties. 

On a green note, only 14% of plastic single use beverage bottles are recycled in the US. PET, plastic is reliant on petroleum. It's estimated the US and Canada combined consume over 55 billion plastic bottles a year. The amount of energy required to manufacture the plastic bottles is equivalent to 18 million barrels of oil (enough to fuel and run a million suburbans for a year). Out at sea, in the pacific ocean, there is an island of trash equal in size to the contented of Africa, (The great Pacific Garbage Reef). The Pacific Garbage Reef is disgusting. 

In honor of Earth Week, I am pledging to commit to eliminating and reducing the amount of plastic beverage bottles I consume. I can make my own sodas with Soda Stream, and brew my own sweet tea. 

Home Brewed Charleston Inspired Sweet Tea

Ingredients:

8 cups water

6 large tea bags

3/4 cup agave syrup

3 lemons slices

Mint

Prep:

Fill a large stock pot with the water, and bring to a boil. 

Add the agave; and mix well. 

Turn off the stove, and add the tea bags. Allow the tea to steep for half an hour. 

Add the lemon slices, and transfer the tea to a large pitcher. 

Serve over ice, and sprig of mint.

-enjoy