NEW YORK,
Jan. 17, 2012
(Market Wire) -
Manilla, a free service that offers the best way for consumers to manage their bills and accounts online and via mobile applications, has added unwanted advertising mail to its list of restrictions for the 2012 Paper Diet, a campaign to help consumers and businesses reduce their use of paper. Catalog Choice, the leading service to stop unwanted mail, and the Environmental Paper Network, the leading voice in the environmentally responsible use of paper, have joined the effort. Manilla has set a goal for Americans to "lose" more than 1 million pounds and 4 million inches of paper, while saving 13,000 trees.
"We are thrilled to work with the Environmental Paper Network and Catalog Choice to support Americans as they go on the 2012 Paper Diet," said Jessica Insalaco, the chief marketing officer of Manilla.
In order to achieve their paper weight loss goals, consumers and businesses can take the 2012 Paper Diet Pledge by posting a digital badge on Facebook and by suppressing unwanted paper mail. By simply opting out of getting unwanted catalogs and other advertising mail, Americans can lose half of their paper weight. They can lose the other half by electing to go paperless with direct mail, bills and account statements.
Because account information is available online through Manilla -- which provides expedited digital mail delivery -- it has never been easier to lose paper weight. With Manilla, users have all of their important account information in one place online, giving paper dieters a free, secure digital alternative to receiving paper mail.
To make the paper weight loss as easy as possible, consumers can use a variety of resources that are committed to the Paper Diet, such as Catalog Choice, the nation's most comprehensive service that helps people suppress unwanted catalogs, direct mail and phonebooks. "CatalogChoice.org is an easy way to shed pounds of unwanted paper," said Chuck Teller, the company's executive director. "More than 1.5 million Americans use our service to opt out of unwanted mail. Everyone wins -- cut clutter at home, reduce costs for companies, and save natural resources. Dieting has never been so easy."
Using services like Manilla and Catalog Choice will not only make consumers' lives easier, but it will also help the environment, an effort that the Environmental Paper Network is proud to support.
"The Environmental Paper Network has a common vision to improve paper-use efficiency and eliminate excessive and unnecessary paper consumption. Our online Paper Calculator is the perfect scale for the paper diet," said Joshua Martin, executive director of EPN. "Eliminating 1 million pounds of virgin paper will save 13,000 trees, the energy to power 180 homes per year, the greenhouse gas emissions equal to 273 cars per year and the solid waste of 34 garbage trucks."
The dieter who loses the most paper weight will receive a Paperless Toolbox, which will include an iPad, an iPad pen, a Kindle, Paperless Post stamps and a shredder. For more information on the Paper Diet and how you can take the pledge, please visit ThePaperDiet.com.
About Manilla
Manilla is a free web-based service that helps consumers better manage all of their household accounts, including financial, utilities, subscriptions and travel rewards programs, in one secure place online. Under a single password, Manilla gives customers an automated, organized view of all of their account information, text and email reminders to pay bills, and unlimited storage of account documents that Manilla has seamlessly retrieved for the consumer. Manilla is a company incubated within and backed by the Hearst Corporation, one of the most diversified private media companies in the world, and is led by an executive team of experts and innovators from the finance, technology and consumer products industries. Manilla was recently named as one of Time Inc.'s "10 NYC Startups to Watch."
About Environmental Paper Network
The Environmental Paper Network accelerates environmental transformation in the paper industry through collaboration by a strong and diverse coalition of non-governmental organizations in order to protect forests, climate, water and communities. EPN manages the online, life-cycle based, Paper Calculator, to provide an independent, credible tool to quantify the environmental benefits of different paper choices. The Steering Committee of the EPN is Canopy, Climate for Ideas, Conservatree, Dogwood Alliance, ForestEthics, Green America, Green Press Initiative, National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Council of Maine, and Rainforest Action Network.
About Catalog Choice
Founded in 2007 to provide consumers greater control over the marketing materials that enter their mailboxes, Catalog Choice is the world's largest preference and privacy portal with more than 1.5 million consumer members and 4,200 direct marketing companies. By reducing unwanted mail and phone books, Catalog Choice's free and low-cost services reduce deforestation, greenhouse gases, solid waste and water consumption. Catalog Choice, a non-profit organization based in Berkeley, Calif., is supported by grants from the Overbrook Foundation, Kendeda Fund, Merck Family Fund and Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, as well as contributions from members.
