Everyone loves getting a letter during the holidays from someone they know. But you might want to consider the environmental costs before sending out holiday cards in the physical mailbox.
In 2011 the U.S. Postal Service mail carriers and truck drivers drove 1.25 billion miles and put 125,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, according to sources cited in the infographic. While the amount of postal mail sent appears to be slowly decreasing over the past few years, in 2011 people still went through lots of paper â€" approximately 168 billion pieces of mail were sent in the U.S. last year. According to the USPS, between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve last year 16.5 billion cards, letters and packages were delivered.
While sometimes sending things via paper mail is unavoidable, making a move to digital ecards cuts down on paper waste and the need for stamps.
Planning on sending ecards this holiday season? There are numerous websites where you can find free and low cost ecards. Still sending items via postal mail? USPS has posted deadlines for mailing letters and other items if you want them to arrive in time for Christmas. This infographic, provided by digital file company Doxo, Inc., shows just how much paper we consume in the U.S.
Do you send holiday cards via email or postal mail? Tell us in the comments.
Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, MiguelMalo
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