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  In our telephone Service Center, we don’t print and mail receipts unless the member needs one, and we often use outdated letter head to print reports on instead of throwing it away.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

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