Con Edison plants trees too!

In New York City, where trees are something to be desired, this utility company has partnered with Bette Midler's-- yes, that Bette Midler--- New York Restoration Project (NYRP) and planted 5000 trees. For every customer who signs up for ebills, the company donates a buck to NYRP. Read the whole story here:

http://in.sys-con.com/node/1157258

I thought this was pretty cool

http://www.payitgreen.org/flash/powerOfYou.html

Just another friendly reminder of why we should all turn off our paper statements and switch to ebills.

All those little things really do add up......Deep Thoughts by Jillian Frye ;)

T-Mobile backs off

Anyone out there with T-Mobile knows that there’s been a lot of hoopla going on with the $1.50 fee for paper bills. They backed off, since so many people were upset and there was some mention of class action law suits. I think it’s funny that people are so attached to something they don’t even like– people keep saying how much they like having their paper bill so they can put it in a drawer to rot for all eternity, and they like it that way. I guess some people will never change, but I think it’s silly to be unhappy with the old system and refuse to let it go.

Jump On the E-bill Train

I think it's weird how people don't understand the concept of ebills and paperless billing. It's simple, you get the same information but it doesn't clutter up your life or leave a paper trail for crooked mailbox thieves to steal. You can pay electronically, that I think most people get, but you don't have to ever EVER get a paper statement. AND if you do, you should complain. One day in the not so distant future, companies will CHARGE you if you REQUEST a paper statement. Just like the airline industry did with paperless ticketing, only hopefully they won't start charging you for every little thing like one checked bag or a snack in flight.

Half Assing It

On my continued pursuit of getting approved for a credit card, I have acquired a Target store card. I applied for the VISA card, but they decided that it was a better to just go ahead and send me a store card, you know, because I’m such a risky consumer (heavy heavy sarcasm here).

So anyway, I get my first ebill notification, and I add them to my list of payees on my new bank site but I realize that they won’t send my ebill to my bank. This really grinds my gears. I still have to go log on to the Target site, find out how much I owe, and then enter in the amount to pay from my bank site. It’s almost perfect. It’s sooo close to being an easy, idiot-proof process, but instead they require a leap from the Target Site to my bank site.

“Big deal, so what?” – that’s your response to my seemingly unfounded rant, fyi.

Did I ever tell you about my Subway story? About how my 6-inch sub sandwich turned into 128 bucks and a week of hassle? Human error happens, and having to manually enter in $ amounts leads to inevitable mistakes.

As a marketing kid, I know the importance of directing traffic to your website, I do, but there are better ways. Personally, when I’m paying the credit card bill and I see exactly how much money I throw away on impulse buys there, the LAST thing I’m going to do is rack up more charges. Give me an email coupon (because I’m such a valued customer) that directs me to the site instead.

Point in case: make my bill paying as easy and painless as possible, let me do it all in one place that is neutral and free of marketing ploys. Give the banks the ebill, and make me want to visit your website some other way. Let me associate the bank with spending money and the Target website with getting things that I want (think Vegas casinos using plastic chips instead of actual currency).

Bad News for the Postal Service

There are some pretty serious rumors flying around about the USPS considering moving to a 5 day work week. I feel a bit bad that I'm constantly ragging on the postal service lately, but they just aren't able to keep up now that most documents can be sent anywhere in the world at the click of a button for free.

What does this mean for America? If you are still among the laggards (that's marketing speak, you know) on the ebill train, then you had better plan accordingly when you send your paper checks. If they do cut out Saturdays, then there will be just that much more mail to process during the week. So it might actually take longer than expected, it may take 2 extra days for your letters to arrive... or maybe it won't. Personally, I don't care to find out.

Captain Planet is my hero

My generation grew up watching Captain Planet, a show that made it very clear that polluting oil companies are the bad guys, and that YOU the viewer can help save the world by picking up trash and planting trees.  

Maybe that's the reason why so many kids my age feel responsible for this planet, and actually go out of their way to cut down on waste.  Also, that's probably the most racially and culturally diverse group of superheroes I ever saw, so it probably taught us some ethnic tolerance, but maybe that's a stretch.

I just wanted to say that it really has become a big cultural movement, and I think it's more than a passing fad to be environmentally conscious.  Even at rowdy irresponsible drinking parties in college, people recycle the empties despite their inebriated state.

I for one am going to try to do my part, just like the powerful and blue Captain Planet.  A few energy saving lightbulbs, conserving paper consumption, and recycling can make a big difference... at least, that's what TV told me.