What’s been bogging down the U.S. Postal Service that could lead to a situation like this? The recession is part of the problem, with overall postal revenues dropping. The dominance of the web is another hurdle, as most households with Internet access send emails instead of letters and pay at least one bill online, meaning less postage is spent to mail a check to the billing company. In fact, most of those who pay bills online cite environmental preservation as part of their motivation to go paperless, which is great news for the planet but bad news for the post office. The combination of these two factors has caused the single biggest drop in postal volume in the agency’s 234-year history, just in this past year alone. Less volume means less revenue, which also means having to cut postal routes, offer early retirement to workers and find other means to recoup the losses.

Some critics say that the U.S. Postal Service should have privatized long ago. They say that the bureaucratic nature of the organization has created a bloated, inefficient agency that would best be served by a complete overhaul. The post office is indeed trying to keep up with the times through online services and other means, but it hasn’t been enough. How could the post office have stayed in business this long with the Internet and economy taking bites out of its revenue?

The answer, unfortunately, is junk mail. Junk mail delivery has become the foundation of the U.S. Postal Service’s business model, with 800 pieces of junk mail delivered to each household per year. Junk mail alone hasn’t been enough to shore up the entire agency – the U.S. Postal Service reported a loss of $7 billion in 2008 – but it’s been a temporary fix that’s slowed the decline of the post office and allowed the government to put off revamping the system. Now, the overhaul can’t wait any longer, which may be good news for those who dislike junk mail (that’s pretty much everyone); changing how the U.S. Postal Service does business might help it end its reliance on junk mail, which might then lead to more options for cutting junk mail altogether.

It remains to be seen just what will be done to the U.S. Postal Service, but one thing is true: This is a new era of communication, and even post offices must evolve to accommodate the changes. As Geoff Caldwell of the Wichita Independent Examiner put it, “The postal closings will bring pain to some, inconvenience for others, and ‘change’ for all, but they will not bring the end of the world.”

In the meantime, you can stop your own junk mail, help the environment and cut down on your own aggravation by signing up for the Privacy Council’s list removal service. The service removes you from all major marketing lists and keeps you on the “Do Not Call” registry so that your telemarketing calls go down. Click here to get started!

The results, which he writes about here, were disheartening: Even after signing up for both of those removal lists, he still received 50 pounds of junk mail and unwanted phone books in a year. His article details the different kinds of junk mail he got and how much of each kind he received, but in the end, he was left with pound after pound of glossy catalogs, credit card offers and other unsolicited mailings.

Durning acknowledges what the rest of us know, as well: getting rid of junk mail is a hassle if you’re trying to do it yourself. Contacting the catalog companies and mailing services, asking them to remove you from lists, can be time-consuming and frustrating. He suggests the national opt-out service to keep people from having to deal with junk mail.

Another option is Privacy Council’s list removal service, which takes you off of all major marketing lists and KEEPS you off of them for a very low cost. You can sign up for the list removal service here and start cutting back on the pain in the neck that junk mail has become!

Well, for starters, first-class mail isn’t the only rate going up. Large envelopes, parcels, postcards and other types of mail are increasing in price, too. The Business Pundit blog lists a few of these increases and links to more of them.

What about those “forever” stamps? If you bought “forever” stamps (the ones with the Liberty Bell on them), you can still use them without tacking on an additional 2-cent stamp. The point of the “forever” distinction is that, no matter how high postage gets, those stamps are still usable for a standard letter. But before you start thinking that you can buy a giant pile of forever stamps and sell them for a profit when the postage rates go up again, read this post by Phil Izzo at the Wall Street Journal blog about how postage rates can’t go up faster than the rate of inflation. So even though this is the fifth postage hike since 2000, the rates aren’t actually going up that fast, and you probably can’t make any money stockpiling forever stamps at the current rate and selling them later.

How about if you just want to mail stuff? Many people have long complained about the cost and hassle of postage, and when you combine the cost with the impact that all that mailed paper has on the environment, it’s no surprise that many consumers are turning to cheaper, more environmentally-gentle methods of correspondence. Online bill pay systems eliminate the need to mail bills to the power company, phone company, etc. each month. E-cards and e-vites are a cheap, eco-friendly way to invite friends and family to special events or to send well-wishes. And of course, email has become the go-to communication method for many people because of its ease, speed and inexpensive nature. We may not be a paperless society yet, but  it’s clear that many aspects of our lives are indeed more paperless than ever.

So why have snailmail at all? A large percentage of the mail sent today is junk mail anyway, and that accounts for roughly 100 million trees cut down each year. Why not eliminate snail mail altogether? The staff at wowOwow.com posed this question, receiving some interesting responses. Some readers pointed out that 44 cents to send a letter cross-country is still a good value, and another pointed out that the etiquette of sending handwritten thank-you notes can never be supplanted by email. Perhaps the best answer, though, was this comment by the user Green Tears: “After sifting through bills, junk mail, catalogs and magazines, whose face doesn’t light up at the sight of a piece of handwritten personal correspondence?” No matter how electronic and paperless we get, the value of a piece of personal mail still matters, perhaps more so now than ever.

While postage and personal letters are here to stay, we can still do something to stop junk mail from clogging up our mailboxes and our landfills. Sign up for the Privacy Council’s list removal service to get your name taken off the major direct marketing lists. When the junk mail stops coming, the only mail you’ll get will be the kind that actually matters to you. Sign up for the service by clicking here!

One thing each of us can do to help the Earth is cut down on our junk mail. Did you know that 100 million trees are cut down to produce junk mail each year? That’s like cutting down every tree in the Rocky Mountain National Forest every four months. What’s worse, millions of tons of this junk mail ends up in landfills; almost half of junk mail sent is unopened, and most of it is not recycled. Aside from the trees lost and the waste generated, there’s also the energy used to produce and distribute junk mail in the first place: more than 3 million cars’ worth! Almost everything about junk mail is bad for the planet, and Earth Day is the perfect time to cut junk mail from our lives and do our part to help the Earth.

So how do you kick the junk mail habit? Sign up for the Privacy Council’s List Removal Service today and make your own contribution to the reduction of junk mail. When you sign up for the Privacy Council’s service, your name is removed from the major junk mailing lists, making your junk mail drop off and giving the Earth and your mailbox a break. Click here to get started, for Earth Day and every day!

Of course, some people look for alternative uses for their junk mail and other unwanted materials. We’ve featured articles about junk mail-inspired artwork before, but now, consider this: Recycle Runway, clothing made from recycled goods.

From their website: “Elegant garments created from recycled materials are exhibited in high-traffic airports to grab travelers’ attention and inspire personal action. Community-based presentations and workshops launch young peoples’ imaginations while providing information on how to conserve resources on a grassroots level.”

Their mission is great, but the real fun is looking at the clothes and trying to figure out what each outfit is made of. The dress made from junk mail and catalogs is amazing; see if you can spot it in their gallery.

While the best course of action in dealing with your junk mail is doing what you can to make it stop, such as by signing up for The Privacy Council’s List Removal Service, it’s refreshing to hear about people who find creative uses for the annoying refuse that most people discard. If an unwanted catalog can become a pretty skirt, or a stack of credit card offers can be a work of art, there’s a somewhat positive outcome to the plague of junk mail. Recycle Runway is doing an amazing job of raising awareness and making beauty out of trash.

I don’t think anyone, not even junk mail artists, would argue that junk mail should cease entirely. Do your part and sign up for The Privacy Council’s List Removal Service today.

According to Wise Herb’s Random Jottings, Johnny Appleseed was born John Chapman in 1774. He was known for traveling around the Midwest and introducing apple trees to the area, all while spreading a message of conservation, generosity and keeping life simple.

Many of us grew up hearing stories about Johnny Appleseed and watching the Disney cartoon about him (I think the song from that cartoon is still stuck in my head, in fact). The character with the pot on his head seemed far-fetched, but in truth, Johnny Appleseed did walk around the countryside, barefoot in the summer, doing his pioneer work as a missionary and as one of the first real “tree huggers.” He had no home of his own but spent most of his time in Ohio, making other people’s lives better. He planted tree nurseries and left them in the care of neighbors who helped to sell the trees for trade or credit. Johnny didn’t press for payment if someone was unable to pay for a tree. He also did what he could to help those in need, such as injured animals. According to I Organize You, Johnny Appleseed gave away clothes, horses, trees and even land, acting as a “roving philanthropist” who challenged others to be kind and generous to people, animals and the earth.

In the spirit of Johnny Appleseed Day, The Privacy Council invites you to save trees by reducing your junk mail! Each year, 100 million trees are cut down to produce the junk mail that’s received here in the U.S. Signing up for The Privacy Council’s list removal service means you’re doing your part to save trees and reduce the pileup of trash in landfills. You’ll get less junk mail, more trees will be saved, and Johnny Appleseed himself would approve. Sign up today by clicking here!

Chimpanzees are native to Africa, where the ever-increasing human population there is taking a toll on the chimpanzee habitat. Aside from deforestation conducted by farmers, commercial logging is a major threat to chimps. Much of the problem arises when local governments sell forest concessions to timber companies from more “civilized” countries. The companies come into areas such as the Ivory Coast and Zaire and often clear cut the forest land, leaving uninhabitable desert behind. Additionally, the roads that the timber companies cut into the landscape lead illegal “bushmeat” hunters and other poachers to the remote locations where chimps and other animals make their homes. Chimpanzees have a slow reproduction rate and can’t keep up with the loss of their numbers, leading to their presence on the endangered species list.

What does this have to do with the Privacy Council and ending junk mail? Think about where junk mail comes from. 100 million trees are cut down every year to make the unwanted paper that shows up in our mailboxes; that’s the equivalent of the entire Rocky Mountain National Forest every four months. The trees used to make junk mail come from all over the world, and where the timber is harvested, habitats are threatened. Reducing our junk mail doesn’t just remove an annoyance from our lives or keep paper out of landfills… It also preserves the ecosystems that animal species, including endangered species like chimps, rely on worldwide.

Sign up for Privacy Council’s removal service today by clicking here, and do your part to reduce worldwide deforestation. Chimpanzees don’t make good pets, as the events of this week illustrate, but if their habitat continues to dwindle, they won’t have anywhere left to live at all.

Steven Padgett, a mailman in Apex, NC, received probation in federal court last week for refusing to deliver junk mail to the people on his route. For at least seven years, he took the junk mail home, stored it in his garage, and buried it in his backyard, rather than drag it along on his mail deliveries. The 58-year-old mailman has diabetes and heart problems. According to his attorney, he was overwhelmed by the “torrents of direct advertising mail” he was forced to deal with, so in his efforts to be the best possible mailman he could be, he opted not to deliver the junk mail.

Not a single person on ”Mailman Steve’s” route of hundreds of residents complained about the lack of junk mail they were receiving over the past several years. In fact, when the neighborhood was notified of his crime, only one person responded, and that was to defend and thank Padgett for his work. The local newspaper, the Raleigh News and Observer, also received a flood of support for Padgett. Some people even requested that he be made the mailman in THEIR neighborhoods. By all accounts, he was widely regarded as a great mailman and a nice guy, friendly to new residents and careful with packages.

The Direct Marketing Association, of course, was not pleased by Padgett’s moves to spare the homes on his route from junk mail. The DMA boasts 3,400 members and sees direct mail as a way to get coupons and deals to the customers. The DMA’s public affairs director, Sandy Cutts, noted that eight out of ten people look at their junk mail, and many take advantage of the advertised deals. Cutts also asked that it not be called “junk” mail. The Postal Service doesn’t call it “junk” mail, either; the term is “standard mail,” and it makes up about half of the overall mail sent (and about a third of the Postal Service’s revenue).   

Padgett got away with his efforts until a utility worker near his home noticed the mail bins stacking up and alerted the authorities. Padgett was charged with delaying and destroying U.S. mail, a federal offense. His crime could have earned him five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, but instead, the judge sentenced him to three years of probation, a fine of $3,000 and 500 hours of community service. As the judge put it, “You’ll get credit for a life well lived.” Padgett is no longer employed with the Postal Service, of course.

So is Padgett a hero or a villain? It depends on whom you ask. We at Privacy Council support the reduction of junk mail, but stockpiling it after the postage has been paid is obviously not the best method for dealing with it! We can’t condone interfering with the process of the mail. We can, however, remove you from the DMA’s mailing lists so that less junk mail is sent in the first place. This reduces the flood of annoying advertising and assures that less waste ends up in landfills….including those in our own backyards.

Sources for this article: The LA Times

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Here are the things that really jump out at me from this spam message:

1. Of course, it was unsolicited, which is what makes it spam. But it’s so far from anything I might have wanted to know about that it’s not even remotely linked to my buying preferences and interests. I can’t imagine a moment in which I might want to read about colon cleaners in my email, and yet, here it is.

2. “Lose weight with your mate” – What does this have to do with anything? Does my mate have to be a part of this cleansing process? What if I’m mate-free? This phrase is probably there for the rhyming catchiness and for the fact that everyone likes to do things with their mates (although hawking a colon-cleaning product as a bonding benefit for couples might not work the way they expect).

3. “Flush out up to 25 pounds” – I get the charming “flush” reference, but 25 pounds?? I suspect that my entire intestinal weight is less than that, let alone what’s in my system. So now I have a healthy fear of this product, since I’m pretty sure most of my internal organs would have to be removed in order to reach that touted 25-pound weight loss. Truth in advertising? I certainly hope not.

4. “Remove deadly toxic buildup” – There are deadly toxins building up in my body?? Maybe so, but I doubt a laxative will fix that. The use of “deadly,” however, is a classic scare tactic to motivate buyers. Too bad the spammers probably lost most readers before they even reached that line, thanks to number 5…

5. The text above is the entire contents of the spam message. It has no graphics, no fonts, no testimonials, and no more information about the product. It’s so small and plain that it breaks almost every rule of visual marketing. As a means of sucking people in, this falls very short. After all, even if I hadn’t been in the market for a colon cleaner, a snazzy message with bright colors and happy customers might have intrigued me. In theory, anyway.

6. FREE – They mention “free” twice, in big letters. Really, they claim, it’s free! Except for that tiny asterisk that notes the added, undisclosed cost of shipping and handling. They also say you can “try it” free, not just get it free; in most cases, “try it free” means “you get a short trial period until we start charging your credit card for the astronomical recurring costs of this product,” at which point you end up frustrated and trying to cancel the charges before they add up. In just about every case, “FREE” isn’t free at all, but spammers love to use it.

7. The date – What you can’t see in the text alone is that the email was date-stamped on 1/18/2037. Since that’s in the future, the email will stay on the top of the inbox as long as the user doesn’t delete it, keeping the lovely colon-cleansing ad front and center for as long as possible. Lots of spammers mess with the dates on emails in order to manipulate where they end up in the inbox. Some take the opposite tactic and put a much older date on the email, making the new message appear at the bottom of the list so that the user has to hunt for it in order to delete it.

8. The small bit of good news: The spam does include an unsubscribe link and an address for the company, and while either or both of those might be bogus, it’s a nice touch that almost makes it appear that the marketing company would rather not send you colon cleaning ads if you don’t want them.

So for this spam ad’s unsolicited nature, random content, dishonest advertising, manipulation of the calendar and unappealing design, it officially becomes part of the Marketing Hall of Shame! Congratulations! Sort of.