Today’s snailmail, once again, includes a thick envelope from the Sierra Club urging me to renew my membership. It’s hard for me to understand how an organization that is supposed to be all about the environment keeps sending out the same tired packet of paper: four page letter about all the good things they do, special offer (hurry, limited supply) for a backpack, poorly reproduced flyer on John Muir, a “petition” to sign with membership renewal (printed on heavy cardstock), another flyer telling me I must respond immediately to get this special renewal offer (same one I’ve been getting for years), and a very large, totally useless map of the USA.
I have been a strong supporter, and sometimes member, of the Sierra Club for many years. It’s a great organization and it’s members have done a lot for conservation and trail maintenance. But these repeated, wasteful mailings really irk me.
Yes, I recycle the whole thing. I doubt that most people who receive it do. And even if the vast majority of recipients recycle all that paper, it’s a giant waste of resources to print it, ship it, have it delivered, haul away the recycling and process the pulp all over again.
I have asked Sierra Club to stop sending me snailmail, told them I’m fine getting email from them, but I still get the fat packet. I think maybe I’ll start mailing all the papers back to them in the postage-paid envelope they provide.