Where catalogs come alive!

On Catalog Living, one of our favorite websites, writer Molly Erdman brings a very intelligent sense of humor to the world of shelter catalogs, giving us a look into the fictional lives of characters Gary and Elaine. We’re lucky enough to have an EcoSalon exclusive Catalog Living guest post today, taking a peak at how Gary and Elaine feel about their sustainable lifestyles.

Gary, I don’t think you can call your desk stool “reclaimed wood” if you had to chop it down yourself in order to reclaim it.

Source: westelm.com

Sure Elaine, we could upcycle our newspapers by decoupaging our shelves…or we could just stop getting a newspaper.

Source: environmentfurniture.com

Gary and Elaine were starting to think the constant praise of their sustainable mango wood side table was going to its head.

Source: eco-friendlymodernliving.com

Be sure to check out Catalog Living and Erdman’s book, Decorating Takes (Wicker) Balls.

The post Catalog Living: The World of the People Living in Your Catalogs appeared first on EcoSalon.

Poring over a glossy catalog while relaxing in the tub is luxurious, but all those mailers contribute to a glut of decomposing paper in landfills and deforestation for the sake of advertising the newest line of summer sundresses. Let’s make a pact to lessen or eliminate the amount of store catalogs we get in the mail, shall we? Catalog Choice is a free, easy-to-use website that will help get us started on the right foot.

Catalog Choice has over 1,700 companies in its database, all willing to stop sending you catalogs just for the asking. Just pop over to the site and enter the name of a retail company. If it’s listed in the database, you’ll get the company’s customer service phone number, links to its website and privacy policy, and an option to opt out of receiving future catalogs. For many companies it’s an all or nothing deal, but others will keep you on a seasonal or occasional “mail to” list if you like.

If you’re like me, it’s hard to give up the catalog habit cold turkey – everything just looks so slick and pretty! Fortunately, Catalog Choice has your back. In an agreement with many big retailers, you can flip through a digital copy of catalogs from Crate & Barrel, National Geographic Gift Store, and more, right online. Registered users can even bookmark catalogs for return visits, make wish lists, and share links right from the site.

So, let’s get ready to cut back on the dead tree versions of our favorite catalogs and free our mailboxes from being stuffed to the brim. Go!

Image: Vee Dub

The post Kiss Your Heap of Unwanted Catalogs Goodbye appeared first on EcoSalon.

If killing trees is murder, we need a darn good reason to commit the act.

In truth, it is very challenging to morph into a pulp-free society –  one that celebrates without greeting cards and wrapping paper, communicates without monthly statements and markets without catalogs. And there is nothing like holding a tactile piece of newsprint in your hands to stay informed.

Here are some, but not all, reasons for and against ending our paper chase:

Good uses of a paper

1. Love Letters

Image: Mark Hillary

Romantic missives are simply warmer when penned by hand on recycled notepaper, a cocktail napkin, the back of a Southwest Airlines ticket folder, anything but e-mail. Electronic personals can feel disingenuous. When my dad died a couple of years ago, my mom brought out a stack of letters and poetry she had inspired in him. My children hold dear the letters they receive from loved ones at summer camp and store them in their treasure boxes. Need help composing an old-fashioned love letter? Check out Write Express for unblocking your deep, profound and horny (whoops, I mean desirous) sentiments.

2. The Daily News

Image: Matt Callow

As a graduate journalism student at the Medill School at Northwestern U, we were coaxed into the broadcast program by the faculty’s admonishment “print is dead.” Well, it is in a terminal state as many major dailies fold, but the industry is still kicking. Most of my cronies are New York Times die-hards, still quoting sections of the feature pages at dinner. True, the web is a vital source of news and information, but it will be a sad day when the presses stop running for good.

3. Bathroom

As far as I can tell, there is still no better alternative on the market than recycled toilet and tissue paper. Just wish they could make a green one that is soft. We’re not baboons, you know. Well, at least most of us.

4. Photographs

Image: Luanne Bradley

True, we could manage to print out fewer of them, but photos are archival art most of us can afford. Anyone still buying costly original art during the recession must be in the military business. But a photo wall  – now that’s doable for the thrifty eco set. While most of us store our pictures in our document folders, we tend to print the ones that have the most meaning or tell the story of our past. I cannot live without them, except of course for the ones that make me look old and fat.

5. Fiction

There’s nothing stranger than reading moving fiction, like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, on a small screen. I admit ebooks from vendors like Books on Board are a helpful adjunct to bulky books when traveling and avid readers can download dozens to peruse all summer long. But the concept of “pleasure reading” denotes taking the time to immerse one’s self in another place and time. It is difficult to become an armchair traveler when the arms are connected to a task chair. Again, it’s the tactile pleasure of making friends with your novel and lovingly embracing it, turning and folding its pages and coming back to it for more pleasure when you desire it.

Bad uses of Paper

1.  Disposable Paper Goods

Everything from paper plates and cups to paper napkins, towels and trays should be banned. If you must use disposables, we now have biodegradable serving dishes made from corn starch and other materials like bagasse (above), which is residual sugarcane fiber leftover from juice extraction. The plates are soak proof, have no plastic or wax lining applied and can be used for both hot and cold items. You can get them at World Centric and other sites. In terms of napkins, switch to cloth. You can wash and dry them in cold water to save energy and keep using them for years. One of my kids does art on gently used paper napkins, but in most cases, they are simply tossed out, and that makes me sad.

2. Catalogs

Don’t just recycle the paper for these. Phase out printing and sending them. Neiman Marcus should be ashamed of its extravagant self. Those glossy catalogs (a.k.a. The Book) the luxury retailer persists in sending through the mail are like images of dead trees. They are ridiculous, as are all catalogs still coming through the mail, on new or recycled paper. True, the companies that have switched to recycled paper are making a better choice. Support your favorite catalog companies in their transition efforts by making purchases from their websites. The web is ideal for marketing products – time to embrace it!

3. Greeting Cards

Image: Shoebox

I’m not opposed to recycled event invitations on handmade paper because of the social tradition of marking an milestone (weddings, births, B’nei Mitzvas), although more consumers are switching to electronic invites. But when it comes to the Hallmark marketing schemes (Halloween cards on sale in September), we are wasting vast amounts of paper on cards for absurd occasions. Happy Boss day? Save us! The real pressure is Valentine’s Day. Say it with a love letter that will last. Not a card someone else wrote for you, someone weird sitting in a card-writing factory. Make your own birthday notes as works of art that can be framed. And on the holidays, if you must send a greeting, send a photo that friends will keep. Apologies to Shoebox Greetings, but I’m not sure we need shoe boxes, either.

4. Monthly Bills and Statements

Apart from cyber-challenged senior citizens, most of us can receive and pay our monthly bills online. Anyway, seniors use less paper since most of their bills have been reduced over time. The banks make it easy to do online banking so why not get this dreaded chore done quickly, the paper-free way? Even if you are a big record and file keeper, you can store your stuff on a disc. I’m so tired of the paper piles. Aren’t you? Also, there are sites like Lending Tree to guide you if you’re interested in doing online banking.

5. Homework

Image: Apdk

In my house, we call it busywork. It’s bad for our over-stressed, childhood-robbed children, and it’s bad for the planet, too. The majority of k-12 schools assign work on loose paper copied from textbooks, rather than giving children their own textbooks during the year. Waste, waste, waste. The work is done on paper (think math sheets, essays, reports, displays on poster sheets and foam core, creative projects to accompany academic learning) and you’ve got schools across the globe cranking out the paper, rather than using textbooks and computers. And don’t forget report cards, also done on paper!

Image: llimllib

The post Read All About It! 5 Good Uses of Paper; 5 Sheety Ones appeared first on EcoSalon.