Make the green you spend on those monthly bills count in 2010. While no eco-friendly or socio-conscious options may exist for cable or a gym near you (unless you’re in Portland), you can find greener plans for other services you need — at very competitive prices! Here are 3 to consider switching to in the new year:

Cell Phone: Credo Mobile. Heard of Working Assets? Credo’s the same company, with a less crunchy-sounding name, and as you may know from my post about green phones, I’ve used the service for years. Why? Credo’s a unique company that actually supports progressive causes!

If you’re tired of sending money to big bad corporations that oppose net neutrality, you’ll be happy to know that Credo sends donations to progressive organizations — including many environmentally-oriented ones like Greenpeace, Grist, and Union of Concerned Scientists — at no additional cost to you! An annual email lets you vote on which organizations you think deserve the money. Plus, Credo alerts you to socially and environmentally pressing issues and lets you make free advocacy calls so your voice is heard.

And of course, bills are printed up on 100% recycled paper with soy based inks — though I’d imagine most eco-thinking Credo members go the e-bill route. I even love Credo’s prompt and spectacular customer service. One caveat: Credo uses Sprint’s network, which works great in my ‘hood, but may not in yours — so do check before making the switch.

AAA alternative: Better World Club. Most environmentalists are reluctant drivers — People who’d rather walk, bike, or take public transportation, but are still stuck driving at times due to inadequate infrastructure to support their green traveling ways. An AAA membership adds insult to injury — by putting the money you give them toward lobbying against clean air and for more freeways!

But unbeknownst to many American drivers, AAA is not a monopoly! Better World Club’s a newer, greener national roadside assistance club that does its best to green its services — starting by not lobbying for anti-eco laws. In fact, 1% of Better World Club’s revenues go toward environmental cleanup and advocacy. Plus, you can get discounts on eco-travel services and hybrid car rentals in addition to the usual AAA-like perks you may use, like free maps. Best of all, Better World Club offers bicycle roadside assistance!

I became a Better World Club member back in 2005 — then quit when I went car-free for a few years — then re-enrolled when I got my car back last year. Ready to make the switch — but just renewed your membership? Procrastinate not — Most auto clubs offer a refund for the portion of your annual fee you’ve not yet used up! Better World Club will even waive its $12 enrollment fee or match your AAA membership rate — if you paid an enrollment fee for your current AAA membership or somehow finagled an extra low membership offer from AAA.

De-Junk Mail: Catalog Choice. If your snail mail box is looking like your GMail spam box, get rid of the unasked-for junk mail delivery “services” you’ve been receiving with a little help from Catalog Choice — a free mailbox clearing service!

Created by enviro-orgs sick of seeing perfectly nice trees massacred into unwanted catalogs and fliers, Catalog Choice lets you easily stop junkmail pieces from continuing to plague your eco-conscience — without your ever having to wait on hold for a customer representative to get your name off every single mailing list.

My favorite feature about Catalog Choice is that once you create an account, the site keeps track of your choices — and gives you details on what happened with your request to be de-listed. For example, next to L.L. Bean in my profile, a note says I opted out Jan 2008 (I never shop at L.L. Bean and never asked for the catalog to begin with!) and a “confirmed” message shows the company confirmed they’d take me off the list.

Sure enough, I’ve stopped getting those catalogs. But since most mailing lists take a few months to get you off its rolls, knowing when you opted out lets you decide whether to re-report an errant company that hasn’t honored your request, or to let slide that one last catalog that comes a month after your request.
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If you haven’t set New Year’s resolutions yet, make it service-switching — and you’ll achieve your goals in the first week of January! Switching to these new services will only take a few minutes — maybe a little longer for Credo if you’re the type that has great difficulty deciding between phones — but will reward you and the environment throughout the year.

Earlier:
>> Stop junk mail: A Complete guide to getting just the mail you want
>> 4 Eco-New Year’s challenges: From The Compact to The Happiness Project

Logos via Credo Mobile, Better World Club, and Catalog Choice

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