How to save 181,000 trees

And pay bills at the same time.

You probably don't think of "saving green" when paying the bills, but a study conducted by the PayItGreen Alliance, a coalition of financial service companies, shows that switching from paper to electronic bills, statements and payments could help protect the environment.

According to the study, the average American household receives 19 bills and financial statements in the mail every month and makes seven payments in paper form. Here's the impact on the environment if just 2% more households made the switch to electronic bills and payments:

• More than 15 million pounds of paper would be saved, preserving more than 181,000 tress.


• Emissions of more than 390 million pounds of greenhouse gases would be halted.


• More than 143 million gallons of waste water would be prevented from entering the environment.

To find out the impact your household could make, use the "Green Calculator" at http://www.payitgreen.org/.