In 2009, when streets across America are dotted every week with red (or blue or green) recycling bins, it's hard to imagine a time when being eco-friendly was not as common as taking out the trash. Yet it was only 39 years ago today that the first Earth Day 
was celebrated.
Originally motivated by concerns about overpopulation , Earth Day now represents an opportunity for all of us to join together in appreciating the beauty of our planet and raising awareness about preserving our natural resources for the future.
Fast-forward 39 years, and we've all become pretty familiar with the most basic steps to accomplishing this goal, including conserving energy, using less water, and, of course, the mantra "reduce/reuse/recycle." But if you're looking for more, check out this Top 10 list.
In addition to reaching individuals, Earth Day has helped companies across the world re-examine the way they do business and reconsider how it impacts our planet. As such, Wells Fargo and Wachovia are proud to be environmental stewards, which is really just a fancy way to say that both companies are committed to doing business in an environmentally friendly way.
We also encourage our customers to partner with us in making a difference when it comes to protecting our natural resources. One of the easiest ways to join us in this mission is to sign up for paperless account statements and online bill pay. In doing so, not only can you simplify your banking, you help protect our environment.
PayItGreen™ , a coalition of financial services companies that includes Wachovia and Wells Fargo, has some incredible statistics about the positive environmental impact of choosing electronic payments, bills, and statements instead of paper. I mean, do you realize that Americans receive 19 billion bills each year?!? And according to their website, just a 20% reduction would save over 100 million pounds of paper a year!
But because from the very beginning we've said this blog is about you, I'll leave you with this more personal stat: By leveraging our paper-saving online services, you (YOU!) could save 7 pounds of paper, 60 gallons of waste water and 5 gallons of gas in the next year!
Now that sounds like a great way to mark Earth Day's 40th anniversary next year.
The new bank statement SUCKS!!!! The check are not in number order I have to search to find the check. The smaller print is hard to read. Again this new format SUCKS!!!!!
Me again. This new statment goes back to the way statments were 40 years ago. I would not call that progress.
Just got my new statement in the mail today. What a nightmare.The print is too small,ATMs run together with the checks.
Have you tried to reconcile with Quicken?
I had to go thru the statement and circle the ATM charges to identify them. Took way too long, and didn't balance and had to start over again. Who's idea was it to change, you can go on line and print the screen which is what this is. Bad idea if you want to reconcile.
I've just tried to balance my account using the new statement. It seems to have been designed for the bank's information retention system, not for the consumer. Why otherwise would the checks be listed by date processed? It makes no sense--I write checks in chronological order, not in the order in which they may be processed. In addition, having all transactions listed together, rather than separated by type, makes balancing my accounts much more difficult. Please think of your customers when you make changes.
I'm an accountant serving several clients using a variety of banks. The new format of the WF bank statements increase the cost of our clients in doing business with Wells Fargo. I don't know what individuals at the company were thinking, but the format is far less useful than the previous format. While some may think it's a small thing, it is a factor for me to recommend customers use other banks.
I agree with all the above comments -- would like to go back to the old statement so that I have a fighting chance of reconciling...