HARRISBURG, Penn.–With Earth Day approaching on April 22, Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union is encouraging its more than 250,000 members who still receive paper statements to opt into e-statements—and save more than 12-million sheets of paper per year in the process.
“By making small changes to our lifestyle, we can all contribute to protecting the environmental health and vitality of the communities we share. Selecting to receive electronic communications rather than print alternatives, whenever possible, is a perfect example of how that can be done,” said PSECU Board Chair Jodi Lynne Blanch in a statement. “Here at PSECU, our more than 450,000 members have the opportunity to enroll in e-Statements.”
PSECU noted its paper statements average four pages, and that by opting for e-Statements, members can each save approximately 48 sheets of paper a year.
“Currently, around 195,000 of our members are receiving e-Statements from us, but we’re still mailing out nearly 255,000 each month, and that’s something we hope to see change,” said Blanch. “Consider the impact we’d have if all our members would opt into electronic statements. Together, we’d save more than 12.2 million sheets of paper each year,” Blanch explained. “Stacked up, at an average thickness of 4/1,000 of an inch per sheet, the paper we could save would soar to 4,080 feet. To put that into perspective, it’s the height of 15 Pennsylvania State Capitol buildings, one on top of the other.”
Other Expense Reductions
A decreased impact associated with the packaging and transporting of physical statements are additional ecological benefits of choosing electronic statements, the credit union said.
PSECU is urging members to enroll in e-Statements by logging into online banking, clicking on “e-Statements,” and selecting “Switch.” PSECU said the cost savings incurred through the environmental conservation efforts are reinvested to better serve its members and its local communities