We’re “greener”!
It does seem like everyone’s looking for ways to be “greener” lately, and Old Hickory Credit Union is no exception. Just recently we introduced a new checking account called Green Checking, an account that encourages our members to go paperless. Our logo is a tree after all. Maybe we should try to save a few.
When you think about it, the amount of paper we use here at Old Hickory is staggering. We send out about 17,000 paper statements each month, complete with two pages of statement paper, a newsletter and an envelope. And, we know that most people’s statements lay around on the kitchen table for weeks without being looked at or get filed away in boxes that take up space. So, we decided to make electronic e-statements a requirement for our Green Checking. We’ve eliminated more than 1,000 statements so far!
We saved a lot of the other type of green by eliminating those paper statements, too. So, in typical credit union fashion, we decided to pass that savings along to our Green Checking members in the form of ATM fee refunds. Now, our members are even saving gas because they’re not driving farther to find an ATM that’s free.
Now that we’re feeling green, we’re starting to look for other ways we can reduce paper waste here. In our telephone Service Center, we don’t print and mail receipts unless the member needs one, and we often use outdated letter head to print reports on instead of throwing it away. We swapped from bottled water to filtered water to eliminate those plastic bottles that get thrown away, too.
Write and tell us what you’re doing to be more environmentally friendly. We would love to hear from you.
Malinda Warchus, Assistant VP - Marketing, Old Hickory Credit Union
Posted: May 18th, 2007 under How "Green" Are You?.
Comments: 3
Comments
Comment from Jeff Haynie
Time: May 18, 2007, 2:02 pm
How encouraging to hear the Old Hickory Creidt Union has launched their Green Checking program. Regarldess of one’s views on Global Warming, it just makes good sense not to be wasteful.
I was blessed to have parents to teach me right and wrong, to say ‘yes mam/no mam - yes sir/no sir’, and not to be wasteful. My wife and I moved to Colorado in 1992 and immediately observed how everyone was more environmentally conscious that what we were used to seeing. When we moved into our first home in 1993, I built a compost box and have had one ever since. What really makes me feel like I have set a good example is when I see my 11-year old daughter and 7-year old son go out back to toss a banana peel or egg shells into the compost box without having to be asked.
Comment from Jeff Haynie
Time: May 18, 2007, 2:07 pm
We recycle plastics, glass, aluminim and tin cans, newspapers, and cardboard. Our children automatically know where to discard their recycleables. It’s very encouraging to see others recycling when we go to the recycling center at either Krogers location near our home. Our son Noah likes to recycle the glass most of all. I’m sure it has something to do with the sound that is made when one bottle crashes against another.
Comment from The Credit Union Warrior
Time: May 25, 2007, 4:06 pm
Great account idea! The adoption rates of electronic statements have seen their ups and downs. Accounts such as yours give this fantastic service a new audience and, subsequently, new ambassadors (electronic statements really are cool!). As not-for-profit financial institutions, all cost-savings are returned to members - talk about a win-win! Go Old Hickory members! Go credit unions!
Great work!
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