THE BEGINING:

The topic of my globe is: NO MORE JUNK MAIL! The idea is to show visually the waste that is created by the amount of junk mail that is produced. My plan is to collect junk mail from the families of the school where I teach art for one week and to use this to create a collage on my globe. The hope is that that visual impact will inspire people to find ways to reduce the amount of junk mail received by a household. The links listed are a few places to start.
DID YOU KNOW:

• The average person gets only 1.5 personal letters each week, compared to 10.8 pieces of junk mail.
  
• Each person will receive almost 560 pieces of junk mail this year.
  
• That's 4.5 million tons of junk mail produced each year!
  
• 44% of all junk mail is thrown in the trash, unopened and unread.
  
• Approximately 40% of the solid mass that makes up our landfills is paper and paperboard waste.
  
• By the year 2010, it is predicted to make up about 48%.
  
• 100 million trees are ground up each year to produce junk mail.
  
• Lists of names and addresses used in bulk mailings are in mass data-collection networks, compiled from phone books, warranty cards, and charity donations (to name a few).
  
• Your name is typically worth 3 to 20 cents each time it is sold.

Information from the Native Forest Network