Go paperless

Save trees and energy by opting for electronic statements

This article was published on 10.30.08

To save money and environmental resources, more and more banks and credit card companies are urging their customers to opt out of receiving paper statements. Clients can simply head to the Internet to view records online, and, if they choose, print ’em up.

If you’ve hesitated to go paperless, consider this: even big government has seen the error of its ways.

Last month Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law a bill that eliminates an arcane mandate requiring paper-based transactions of the California Department of Insurance. Sponsored by Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria) and the CDI, Senate Bill 1279 allows the department to keep and send many documents in an electronic format.

If companies you do business with offer paperless transactions, give it a go. If the state of California can do it, so can you.