Getting too many catalogs?

On the radio the other day, I learned of a new website that helps you reduce the amount of catalogs you receive in the mail. CatalogChoice.org is free and is endorsed by the National Wildlife Federation and the Natural Resources Defense Council.


Their Mission

"The mission of Catalog Choice is to reduce the number of repeat and unsolicited catalog mailings, and to promote the adoption of sustainable industry best practices. We aim to accomplish this by freely providing the Catalog Choice services to both consumers and businesses. Consumers can indicate which catalogs they no longer wish to receive, and businesses can receive a list of consumers no longer wanting to receive their catalogs."

Here are a few facts that are listed on the website:

Did you know?

- 8 million tons/year of trees are used making catalogs
- Forests have effectively disappeared in 25 countries
- And another 29 have lost more than 90% of their forest
- Deforestation contributes 20%-25% of all carbon pollution
- Production & disposal of direct mail consumes more energy than three million cars

Good for people, merchants, & the environment

-A person can benefit by reducing mailbox clutter, and the amount of time spent sifting through unwanted mail
- Participation benefits merchants, lowering their cost of distribution and helping them better target their market
- Participation as a member of the Catalog Choice community will collectively make a huge positive impact on our environment, as together we reduce the energy consumed, the carbon emissions, and the lost forests resulting from the current annual production and discarding of more than 19 billion paper catalogs.
- Finally, these benefits are cost free to you.

Signing up is easy. And did I mention FREE? You are sent a confirmation email before you can start. To me, the best way is whenever you get a catalog in the mail you really don't want or need, simply log in and find it in the catalog list and opt out. As simple as that. When I signed up, here's the message I recieved:

Thanks to you, the Catalog Choice community is presently 196,432 persons strong, having opted out of 2,121,659 catalogs. Together, we are going to improve our lives, and conserve our planet's natural resources!

So, sign up today and tell all your friends!

11/22/07 Kansas City USA

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have a lot to be thankful for this year. I spent seven wonderful months in Europe, doing all sorts of things. I spent three weeks studying with my friends Amparo and Santi at their school in Almansa Spain. I walked the Camino de Santiago, again, then returned to Pamplona to hike over the Pyrennes along the wonderful Camino Argonese. I was able to attend my cousin Cynthia's wedding in Toulouse to a great guy, Jean-Yves. I volunteered to work at the Nalanda Monastery for two weeks, and ended up staying for three months. I spent a peaceful week at Plum Village, a Zen monastery near Bordeaux. I got a chance to visit my cousin Jeff and his family in London. My friends Daniel and Ariane took the whole week off to show me around Switzerland. I spent a few days with my friend Marta at her family restaurant in Verona, Italy. And finally saw the Rome we grew up with in the history books.

Mostly I am thankful for all the friends I made along the way that, and the time I got to spend with everyone. No matter the scenery, no matter the churches and museums, the most important part for me is the connection to other people. For me, that is priceless.

And I'm pretty lucky because, even after all this time away enjoying myself in Europe, I get to come back and spend the holidays at home with my family and friends who are genuinely happy to see me again. Thank you all. Happy Thanksgiving!

Daniel and Ariane from Switzerland had their first snow and sent me pictures of the view from the chalet (I'd only been there three weeks prior).

Now, doesn't that look great!

A postscript about the trip. I want to thank the folks over at WorldNomads.com, a health insurance company for travelers (outside the USA). Besides health insurance, the policy also covers things like theft. I was able to get a full purchase price on the camera that was stolen in France and I got the check in less than two weeks after I sent in the paperwork. Great, great customer service. And pretty inexpensive too.

PS: I should have the last two weeks of my trip through Switzerland and Italy online very, very soon. So keep checking back.

11/3/07 Kansas City USA

Woke up to a beautiful morning. Made the train to the airport with a few minutes to spare, after I stopped by the store to get a few donuts for breakfast.

At the boarding gate for my flight, I think I discovered one reason I hate this type of travel (as opposed to the human-powered variety). It's that herd mentality you see. The airlines try to make boarding go smoothly and orderly but most people still crowd the gate as if they didn't already have a seat number. I waited till my seat was called, and still had to pass through a crowd of people to get through to board.

Waiting to board the plane for home

Sat next to a doctor from southern Italy who was headed for a medical conference in Orlando. With all the movies available, the eight hour flight went pretty quickly.

In all my travels, I've crossed paths with many immigration/customs officers and for the most part they are the most unpleasant people I've ever met. It's as if they won't take you unless you are surly and frown a lot. So, you can imagine my surprise with I went through immigration in Philadelphia and the officer was so friendly. He even welcomed me back to the USA with a big smile. Wonders never cease.

Made it to Kansas City about 9pm and took the airport shuttle to the Plaza in midtown. Had a little mix-up with the family about getting a ride the final stretch home, so ended up walking the whole way, finally getting home about midnight. I didn't mind because of all the sitting I had done today and the fact that the weather was perfect for a walk.

Home, sweet home.

11/2/07 Rome Italy

Was I dreaming or was that blue sky outside my window! Yippie!

Spent most of the day riding on top of the tour bus, jumping off when I wanted more pictures. I guess my biggest surprise was the long lines to get into St Peters. It must have stretched around St Peters Square twice. I would have liked to go inside but I wasn't going to wait hours in line.

The Colosseum

St Peter's Square

The Tourist Hordes at Trevi Fountain

By 3pm, I was exhausted. I decided to call it quits. Got my train ticket to the airport and paid my hotel bill. All I had to do tonight was pack and get everything ready for a 6am wake up. I didn't feel that great so skipped dinner. Actually feels like a flu coming on, you know, that body ache feeling.

11/1/07 Rome Italy

Woke up to rain. The weather could be better but then it could be worse too. I decided to save my 'all day' bus tour of Rome till tomorrow just in case the weather improves. So, with map in hand, I started walking to the historic part of the city.

Once I got away from the area around the train station, the streets were pretty deserted. I think today is a holiday, All Saints Day. But as I got closer to 'ancient' Rome, the crowds started to swell. That in itself was hard to walk through, but put an umbrella in all those hands and you have chaos. [laugh]

Despite the rain I saw a lot including the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and the Navona Plaza, as well as too many churches, sculptures and fountains. I had a good time despite a nasty fall on the slippery cobblestones that tore my pants.

Trevi Fountain

Everyone with an umbrella

The Pantheon

Checked my email at one of the internet cafes a little farther away from the train station. A curious new law in Italy requires any internet user to have a passport or other identification. Then stopped by one of the pizzerias for a pizza margarita (no alcohol, only cheese) before heading back to the hotel.