Charter One® has partnered with Cooler to share earth friendly tips and measure how your participation in Green$ense™ helps the environment.
Below are some frequently asked questions about the calculations made by Cooler for Charter One’s® Green$ense™ program.
- What is the environmental impact of switching to online statements?
- What is the environmental impact of paying bills online through Green$ense™?
- How much of a difference can one household make?
- How is this household impact calculated?
- What is the environmental impact of one paper statement or bill?
- What is the environmental impact of one payment by mailed check?
- What sources did you use to calculate the environmental impact of bills, statements and payments?
Q: What is the environmental impact of switching to online statements?
A: In 2006, 26 billion statements and bills - 550 million pounds of paper - were delivered to American households [U.S. Postal Service]. If these were delivered electronically, all that paper and gasoline could be saved.
Q: What is the environmental impact of paying bills online through Green$ense™?
A: The environmental impact of paper checks includes producing and transporting paper; printing and delivering boxes of checks to consumers; and taking, clearing, and settling check payments, as well as returning checks to consumers. Paying bills online eliminates all these impacts.
Q: How much of a difference can one household make?
A: By switching to electronic bills, statements, and payments, every year the average household can:
- Save 6.6 pounds of paper
- Avoid the use of 4.5 gallons of gasoline for mailing bills, statements and payments
- Reduce wastewater by 63 gallons
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 175 pounds
Q: How is this household impact calculated?
A: An average American household receives 19 bills and statements and makes 7 payments per month. The calculation is based on switching to the electronic versions of all of these.
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Source: "The Household Diary Study: Mail Use & Attitudes in FY 2006." United States Postal Service (Washington, DC: March 2007). For more information visit www.usps.com/householddiary/welcome.htm
Q: What is the environmental impact of one paper statement or bill?
A: Each paper statement or bill results in:
- 0.028 pounds of paper
- 0.009 gallons of gasoline for mailing bills, statements and payments
- 0.27 gallons of waste water
- 0.5 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions
Q: What is the environmental impact of one payment by mailed check?
A: Each paper payment results in:
- 0.003 pounds of paper
- 0.03 gallons of gasoline for mailing bills, statements and payments
- 0.03 gallons of wastewater
- 0.7 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions
Q: What sources did you use to calculate the environmental impact of bills, statements and payments?
A: For this first measurement, we used an environmental impact assessment completed for the financial industry association “Pay it Green”. Here are the primary sources:
- Estimates associated with paper reductions were made using the Environmental Defense Paper Calculator. For more information visit www.papercalculator.org.
- Greenhouse gas emissions estimates associated with transportation of paper bills and payments were made using the World Resources Institute (WRI) Mobile Combustion CO2 Emissions Calculation Tool. For more information visit www.ghgprotocol.org/calculation-tools/service-sector.
- Greenhouse gas emissions equivalency estimates were made using the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. For more information visit www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html.
- Statistics defining the number of paper bills, bill payments, and statements mailed in 2006 were provided by: "The Household Diary Study: Mail Use & Attitudes in FY 2006." United States Postal Service
Cooler is currently working with Charter One® to make a more precise impact assessment specific to Charter One’s® business operations.
