Washington's Do-Not-Mail Registry Could Save 200,000 Trees Per Year

Trees at risk: each year, 200,000 trees just like the ones in this grove, go to the blade for junk mail.

When the U.S. Congress passed the National-Do-Not-Call-Registry into law in 2003, and improved it in 2007, it became one of the most popular government programs in our nation's history. Almost overnight, the Registry stopped millions of obnoxious calls from interrupting the average American's dinner or Saturday morning sleep-ins. It wiped out the most intrusive, unwanted, and annoying communications development since Alexander Graham Bell implored Watson to "Come here, I want to see you."

I say nearly, because the DNCR left a few loopholes that continue to annoy us all. Exemptions for non-profit organizations and political calls continue to be allowed. This is a problem, but make no mistake: The Registry has been a stunning success that's allowed many of us the chance to eat our meals in peace.

Now the Seattle City Council has the chance to right a litany of wrongs when they vote on a resolution to petition the state legislature to ban junk mail. The council will vote for the resolution to create a Do-Not-Mail-Registry on January 11.

I could reel off a massive list of environmental reasons it's a good idea. The appropriately, and somewhat humorously-named group ForestEthics sent around a blast email to local media chock full of the "environmental impacts" of the local junk mail trade. For the ultimate guilt trip, consider these factoids:

• Almost 200,000 trees are cut for Seattle's junk mail every year
• Junk mail sent to Seatteites causes global warming gases equal to almost 6,000 cars, due to logging and industrial emissions
• It costs more than $400,000 a year to dispose of Seattle's junk mail.

That cleanup total, by the way, is paid by us through taxes. So every day my wife pulls the junk mail out of the mailbox and throws it into the recycle bin in one deft move, it's costing us money.

And did I mention it's dangerous? Identity theft is a growing threat to all our finances, and one of the most fertile grounds that thieves find your financial records is by trolling junk mail, particularly the credit card offers and credit card checks routinely found in my mail. 

All that is vital to the argument, and important to note and act upon. But the fact of the matter is those reasons, while excellent, don't come close to explaining why I think this resolution and subsequent action at the state and national level is so critical. 

I hate junk mail. To me, passive marketing is among the most despicable drawbacks of our democracy. In fact, I don't like anyone giving me any advertising or offers or coupons or marketing of any kind that I didn't ask for. I don't want them calling me, handing me stuff on the streets (even those great brochures on the streets of Vegas), coming to my door, or putting stuff in my mailbox. Look, if I want information, I'll go and get it. If I'm looking for a good deal, I'll search the papers or go online. 

And, miracle of miracle, our government, that thing that so many fear, that so often falls short of making positive impacts in the lives of its citizens, can severely limit the amount of unwanted waste that is spread around this city, state, and country. 

Please, drop an email or make a call to the Seattle City Council and tell them to send a message to Olympia. We're mad as hell, and we aren't going to take it in our mailboxes anymore.