I was around for the original Earth Day and the environmental movement of the 1970’s. So, while not being an expert, or OCD about it, I do participate…somewhat. I drink tap water, walk stairs, and recycle glass and metals. However, paper and cardboard come from a renewable resource, so I don’t mess with “recycling” paper (unless it’s for some random craft project).

In this post-modern-modern era, mail doesn’t consist of love letters, thank you notes, invitations or even bills. What comes is junk mail. So, even though I don’t recycle paper, junk mail just sucks my energy. It’s said that each of us receives about 41 lbs. of junk mail each year (although I think the phone books I receive are at least that heavy) or about 16 pieces each week. With that said, I found a free app that rids your mailbox of most junk mail and takes you off their distribution list. It’s called PaperKarma. They don’t share your information and it’s simple to use. You simply take a picture including both your address and the sender’s. Presto! You’re done! One caution: It’s a relatively new app so it works best with junk mail addressed to you (versus mail addressed to “Our Neighbors At”) and local mail doesn’t “opt out” requests.