It’s a new year. It’s time for a new way of doing things. This year I have decided (in my uphill battle to finally get organized) to switch completely to paying all of my bills online. Oh what fun!

But seriously….It’s really fun to think about how one simple action, such as committing to paperless billing, can have such a positive impact on our environment. Besides the obvious time-saving benefits of going green with your green, here are a few fun facts I discovered:

– One study reports that a single household ditching paper statements can save up to 24 square feet of forest a year.

– Another study by Javelin Strategy & Research found that if every American household went paper-free,  it could save an estimated 18.5 million trees, reduce solid waste in U.S. landfills by more than 800,000 tons and curb the release of greenhouse gases by 2.1 million tons each year.

– Going green saves you money! According to my own personal calculations, if you have five bills (water, electricity, cell phone, cable, credit cards or whatever) that you pay each month for one year (12 months, for those of you counting) and use one postage stamp per bill (with the going rate of 44 cents each), then you will save exactly $26.40 each year by switching to online payments. Think of how much you will save if you have, say, 15 bills to pay – why, that’s a delicious steak dinner at Ruth’s Chris! I kid, I kid.

But if you’re really still in need of a little inspiration, try calculating how your switch to online bill pay will have a personal impact on the environment. Now imagine the possibilities if everyone followed suit!

Just remember, oh faithful green ones, that when it comes to paper, just say no!