Stop junk mail with a red dot

Only today we dumped out several flyers – putting them directly into the recycling box. That seems a good thing to do, until you consider how much energy goes into the production and distribution of the brightly coloured, glossy mail, and the energy it takes to recycle. Quite a few Canadians feel this way, in fact, according to the Red Dot website, nearly 70% of us are not interested in mail of this type, and a quarter of us toss it without even a second glance.

All it takes is a letter and a red dot. Beth Ringdahl, a Vancouver-based businesswoman and President of EcoEco, has launched a new campaign on her own dime to help people who want to cut down on junk mail and urge advertisers to re-allocate their advertising investments and current marketing strategies and transition into socially responsible and community-based initiatives. 

Choose to reduce paper waste by saying NO to Junk Mail through Canada Post’s eco-friendly Consumer Choice option. Canada Post also provides GeoPost targeting services to help their clients receive a higher return on their marketing investment - reducing print quantities in the process. They will honour your request to say no to unaddressed advertising materials - a little-known policy that has been in place for more than 10 years. It is so little known, in fact, that only 2% of Canadians have adopted it. In a 2007 press release, Canada Post stated that they ‘respect the wishes of consumers who indicate through a self-produced note on their mailbox or mail receptacle, that they do not wish to receive unaddressed material.’

The corporation uses red dots to officially flag households that want to opt out of Junk Mail. The Red Dot Campaign reminds you of your choice to say ‘NO’ to unwanted advertising, and our collective voice urges advertisers to be mindful of their use of paper in print advertising.

Opting out of junk mail from Canada Post is an easy, two-stage process, according to the Red Dot website. First, residents need to write a letter to Canada Post indicating they no longer wish to receive unaddressed mail at their home. A downloadable version of the letter is available on the Red Dot website, which your mail carrier will deliver to Canada Post. Canada Post will then place a red dot on your mailbox or mail slot, according to Ringdahl, to remind the letter carrier that you have opted out. In the meantime, there is a printable NO JUNK MAIL sign you can download off the Red Dot website.

The red dot and sign for your mailbox are an indication that you are not prepared to keep accepting mail that you don’t read when those advertising dollars can be allocated to much more meaningful projects – maybe your neighbours will notice it, too. According to Ringdahl, we are $19 billion worth of advertising each year. Much of this print advertising is wasteful and irrelevant, with a huge environmental footprint.

Check out information on the www.ForestEthics.com  and www.MarketsInitiative.org websites to find out more about forest conservation and the impacts of paper production.

Sign up, help to spread the word and make this Red Dot Campaign a success!