Small behavioral changes can have a significant impact, particularly when it comes to the environment.

If you have already switched over to paperless billing, take a bow. You are making a bigger difference than you can imagine. A 2008 study commissioned by the PayItGreen Alliance found that by choosing electronic bills, statements and payments, the average American household could save 6.6 pounds of paper, 0.08 trees, 24 square feet of forest, 63 gallons of water, and 4.5 gallons of fuel per year. That may be the most compelling reason for you to move to paperless billing, but below are 10 other reasons to help you understand the importance of making a change.

  1. Your household’s paper footprint decreases.
  2. The PayItGreen calculator estimates that a household that receives five paper bills and five paper statements and makes five paper payments a month would save 34 gallons of wastewater and 1.1 gallons of gasoline, and prevent 61 pounds of greenhouse gases a year by switching to electronic bills, statements and payments.Wow, that’s a lot of savings!
  3. Paying your bills online is convenient.
  4. You’ll enjoy less clutter in your mailbox and on your countertop.
  5. Paying bills online helps you gain better control over timing, therefore preventing late fees and possible overdraft fees.
  6. Mail handling and at least two days of delivery time are no longer an issue due to the extended personal grace period of online payments.
  7. Using fewer checks and less postage creates savings for you.
  8. Paperless bank statements and online banking allow you to identify low balance and fraud more quickly.
  9. Going paperless eliminates the chain of hands that process your bills and bank statements, better protecting your identity.
  10. Small changes can make a huge impact on our world.

If just 20% of U.S. households committed to online bill pay and enrolled in paperless billing and banking, the collective environmental impact is staggering:

  • 1.8 million trees preserved per year
  • 2 million tons of greenhouse gas eliminated per year
  • 102.4 million fewer gallons of gasoline consumed per year
  • 151 million fewer pounds of paper consumed per year

So log in to your bank and creditor websites today to select paperless billing and statements and start reducing your footprint.