Eco-Sigs: Signature Files Going Green?

E-mails arrive daily inquiring about the correctness of adding pro-environment statements in signature files. Or as one e-mailer put it, “I don’t appreciate preachy greenies telling me what to do.” Many e-mailers wondering if it is proper to add such comments or possibly bad e-mail etiquette asking how I feel about company-wide signature file statements going green.

Just as with anything that has to do with business e-mail, what you add to your signature file is a statement that can resonate with readers — negatively or positively. Just as with adding political or religious statements or commentary, the risk you take is that those you e-mail may not agree with you thinking they need to be reminded about the environment. Heck, you’d have to be living under a rock to not know about “green” now-a-days!

As everyone jumps on this latest bandwagon, many purely for appearances, be careful before you join in. While you may be thinking you are being “with it” and responsible, your customers and contacts may not see the value in being lectured. From the e-mails I am receiving, onliners are not appreciative of companies sermonizing the environment with eco-sigs.

Examples:

“Please consider the environment before printing this email”
“This Company Bullfrogpowered. Please think & act ‘sustainable’ print only if required.”
“How many trees must be lost so you can print your e-mail? Print responsibly.”

While the above statements make the sender feel all warm and fuzzy as though they are actually making a difference in the world by simply adding a sentence to their signature file, unless you are an energy company or in some way related to some serious green efforts, know the only difference you may make is a less than favorable one.

As one reader e-mailed, “… to assume that I do not observe eco friendly practices in my office is just ignorant. Who isn’t at least partially green now-a-days?”

Since every inquiry asks how I feel, personally, I do not appreciate being told what to do or how to think and this applies to any topic that has nothing to do with the business at hand that is evangelized in a business e-mail signature file. Why is the other side assuming I need to be reminded about how to think and act when it comes to printing e-mails? As a matter of fact, I don’t even remember the last time I printed an e-mail!

So what do you think about eco-sigs in business e-mails? Have you been on the receiving end of eco-sigs? Does your company feel the need to remind their customers and contacts to think before printing? Do you use an eco-sig and what has been the reaction? Share, please…

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