San Francisco, the famous city by the bay, is hoping to soon be sending out significantly less physical government mail every day. The city—along with Newark and New York—is participating in a trial program with Zumbox, a company that’s hoping to move much of America from traditional mail to paperless online mail.

Through Zumbox’s new “paperless postal service” San Francisco residents can opt to access their municipal mail online without having to receive it through their everyday e-mail address. Instead, SF dwellers visit the Zumbox website and use their name and physical address (work or home) to access an online mailbox. The move could result in significant savings for the city if the service becomes popular, as Zumbox has made sending the mail free for municipal and state governments (receiving mail as a consumer is always free).

Although the financial benefits of the switch are an undeniable motivator in trying the new technology, all three cities involved have cited the environmental ramifications of traditional mail as a key reason for the change. In San Francisco, a shift to paperless mail could be crucial in the city’s goal of reaching zero waste by 2020. It’s not hard to imagine the positive effect that could follow in the trial cities through reduced paper and fuel use, especially if many residents are willing to alter their postal habits. Click here to read more

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In China, plastic bag litter is know as white pollution. The country used about 3 billion plastic bags each year, which required 37 million barrels of crude oil to produce. In January 2008, China’s parliament prohibited shops from handing them out, with the threaten of a fine for those who didn’t comply. The result? 40 million fewer bags used or a reduction of 66 percent.

And this isn’t the only tactic that has worked. In 2002, Ireland put a 15p surcharge on plastic bags, which resulted in an impressive 90 percent reduction. This week, Northern Ireland’s environmental minister proposed a 15p tax on plastic bags to follow suit, and this month some stores will start a three-month trial charging 5p per plastic bag.

Now when will the U.S. jump on board?  Click here to read more

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