GovernmentExecutive.com

The advocacy group American Forests is backing a Securities and Exchange Commission proposal to allow companies to put annual reports and shareholder proxy information online rather than mailing printed material. The organization says that with companies currently mailing 300 million such packages a year, the change would:

• Allow 800,000 trees to continue to grow each year, removing some 267,000 tons of greenhouse gas from the atmosphere annually.


• Reduce fossil fuel consumption by approximately 500,000 gallons annually by eliminating the need for 3 million truck miles to transport the mail.


• Prevent 100,000 tons of paper from going to the nation's landfills each year.


• Eliminate 380,000 tons of greenhouse gas emitted in the manufacturing process.