Please don’t print this post (green #4)

So, I really do want to be green. But the recent upsurge of “please consider the environment, do not print this email unless necessary” type of signature lines in email is making me see red.

I typically don’t print emails unless absolutely necessary (like it includes directions to a house I have never visited before), so mostly they are just wasting my reading attention telling me to do something I wouldn’t do anyway.

But really, the part that I find annoying is that there’s something sanctimonious about telling me to do or not to do anything at all with the content that they gave me, freely gave to me, that I am reading now, through the courtesy I am extending by opening their note to me at all. It’s kind of…snooty, as if to say:

Here’s an email that I wrote you. I know it is the best, absolutely the best. It is so good, you’re going to be jonesing to print it out. But, I’m more green than you are, so I’ll think for the both of us and I’m going to instruct you not to print it, even though I know you want to, because the content is amaaaazzzing.

Living green is all about leading by example. Inspiring others with what to do  rather than lecturing others on what not to do is more promising.

Here’s the first thing I’m going to do to make this a nicer and a greener world. I’m not going to put junk like this in the sig line of my email.