Paper may feel more solid and real in your hands, but do you know what goes into paper? Trees. A lot of them. Trees that could be used to soak up some of the extra carbon dioxide in the air or keep the soil from eroding. Millions of trees go into making newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and bills. You can help save these trees by subscribing online and reading the things you usually read on paper on your computer or portable device. This article will tell you how to do it. It's fast and easy and you'll be glad you did.

Newspapers

Newspapers are the worst culprits for tree use, since most come out at least once a day. Luckily most newspapers have realized that in our increasingly digital society, people actually prefer to be able to subscribe to an e-copy of the paper that they can read on their laptops or tablet. Go to your newspaper's website and click the subscribe tab. It should direct you to a form where you can fill in your credit card information and get access to the newspaper's full content through its website. Only rarely will a newspaper actually send out an e-copy via email.

Magazines

Magazines are great to have lying around in your home or condo - on the coffee table, in the bathroom, on the deck - but their special paper and glossy ink makes them especially environmentally unfriendly. Magazines have been slower to transition to e-versions than newspapers, but many big name magazines like Time and Newsweek are now available in online subscription, usually though your e-reader (such as the Sony Reader or Kindle), though you can also read them on your computer as well.

Newsletters

Newsletters were the first to switch over to e-versions, because e-newsletters are much cheaper to produce than physical ones. Smith Loveless can save on paper, ink, printing, and postage. Only rarely will you find a newsletter that is still on paper, but if you do, phone or email the editor to suggest that it transition to email or at least have an e-copy made available. If it's your company or organization newsletter, you may want to spearhead a campaign to make the newsletter green.

Bills

Think of how many bills you get in a month - rent, cable, electricity, water, property taxes, credit cards, bank statements, invoices - all that paper adds up. But thankfully most companies have realized this and now offer an e-billing option where you can sign in to view your bill online or have it delivered by email. To sign up, go to the company website and click on the e-billing link for instructions.