Trying to minimize your environmental footprint in 2012? One of the best ways to reduce your footprint is to reduce stuff—especially unsolicited stuff that's delivered to your door.

One example is phone books. Some people receive many copies from many different companies. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality recommends that if you don't need a new phone book you can opt out by contacting book publishers or registering.

DEQ estimates that in 2003 there were 6.45 million sets of white/yellow pages published and distributed in Oregon, and there were only 1.33 million households in the state. And that was nine years ago. Nationally, only about 20 percent of phone books are recycled. The rest end up in landfills or are burned.