Embracing Permaculture In 4 Simple Steps

At Sandia Area our values are rooted in Permaculture. Permaculture is the belief in caring for the environment, our members, and our communities, through collaborative efforts (like that of Sandia Area and our members), minimizing our waste, and positively affecting the environment. Want to make a difference? Learn more about Sandia Area’s Permaculture efforts.

Helping the Environment from Home

Reusable Water Bottles

Reusable water bottles are great way to carry around your drink of choice, while helping to reduce waste that plastic and glass bottled drinks create. Only a staggering 36% of water bottles are recycled, which means vast amounts of plastic are not recycled, and end up in landfills, water sources, and outdoor spaces. When packing lunches for work, school, or outings, packing multiple bottled waters takes up space and is inconvenient. It’s much easier to take a reusable water bottle, especially since many institutions (such as work spaces, outdoor parks, and airports) have installed water fountains that are specifically designed to easily refill your water bottle.

Recycling Your Junk Mail

If you’re like most of us you receive a lot of junk mail you don’t necessarily want; this is an easy opportunity for you to recycle. Instead of throwing unwanted mail in the trash, toss it in the recycling bin. Each year 2.6 million trees are harvested so U.S. companies can produce and ship their junk mail. And although people that get junk mail may not be able to prevent it, you can do your part by recycling it in order to reuse it and preserve our natural resources. At Sandia Area we’re actively doing our part by encouraging employees to recycle unneeded documents, and reducing paper waste by printing only essential documentation.

Recycling In Branch

Get Electronic Statements

We give all our members the option of receiving electronic statements instead of traditional paper statements. As an added bonus you’ll receive your statement quicker via e-mail than if you have the paper statement sent through the mail. In addition, by signing up for e-statements you’re not only helping reduce waste, but we make a donation to the Arbor Day Foundation on your behalf. We plant one tree for each new member who signs-up to receive e-statements.

E-mailing Your Receipts

Physical receipts just keep piling up. Rather than having your receipts printed, get them e-mailed. Not only will you have one less paper receipt to keep track of, but you’ll also be able to look over your receipt at your convenience. Once a receipt has been sent to your e-mail you have long-term access to it, too. You’re also actively making a choice that helps reduce the amount of paper we use for receipts. Each year in the United States 10 million trees are harvested in order to supply enough paper for the innocuous daily receipts we all get. With help from members like you we can reduce the amount of waste caused by paper receipts.

Together, Sandia Area and members like you are making a worthwhile, lasting difference to the environment. It’s important for our future health and well-being to maintain an environmentally-friendly lifestyle. Actively reducing waste in your everyday routine can be as simple as recycling junk mail or using a reusable water bottle. Once you’re consistently practicing environmentally friendly habits it becomes easier to start incorporating those practices into other facets of your life.

Next time you’re in a branch be sure to ask your credit union representative to enroll you in electronic statements, and let them know that you would like your transaction receipt emailed to you. You can also register for e-statements online. Not only are you helping us use less paper and produce less waste, but you’ll be positively impacting the environment, one paper and one tree at a time. If we all do a little, we can accomplish a lot.