by Elizabeth Elliott McGeveran

We're already losing 61,776 square miles of forests every year, which is an area slightly larger than the state of Florida.

If you feel inundated by junk mail, you aren't alone. The average American receives 34 pounds of junk mail every year. But with a few easy steps, each of us can radically reduce the amount of unwanted mail we get - and the resulting waste of time, money and trees. Here are some of suggestions from The WoodWise Consumer:

· Write to the Mail Preference Service (Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 9008; Farmingdale, NY 11735) and ask that your name be put on the list of people who don't want unsolicited mail.

· Contact businesses that you like to hear from and ask them not to give your name to other mailers. Always write "do not rent or exchange my name" on order forms, subscription renewals, and donations - and remember to tell the representative if you order by telephone.

· When a cashier asks for your phone number and zip code tell them you don't give out personal information - they'll still be happy to take your money.

· Send junk mail back to the company, with the address label, requesting that they stop mailing to you and put your name on their "nixie" list. That way, when they buy a mailing list from somebody else, they'll delete your name.

· Instead of getting monthly bills stuffed with more advertisements and offers, set up automatic payments from your bank account.

· Don't fill out product warranty cards. Your warranty is still valid without them, but you won't be added to more mailing lists. Cards to enter contests are another method companies use to compile mailing lists, so avoid them too. Your chances of winning are miniscule!

Elizabeth Elliott McGeveran has reduced her own junk mail by 75 percent. She's the managing director of Co-op America, a nonprofit consumer education organization. You can find out more about Co-op America at http://www.coopamerica.org.