Don't save your pennies

I know Coinstar provides a fantastic service, having availed myself of it several times. But I bet you don't think of it as an environmentally friendly one, do you?

The billions of coins sitting idle in American households right now represent a squandered resource, according to Coinstar's recent "Change For Our Earth" marketing campaign. The U.S. Mint prints coins from non-renewable resources to replace the coins that hide in our mason jars and couch cushions.

Putting those billions of coins back into circulation would substantially decrease mining, refining, and shipping. Coinstar even launched a calculator at "ChangeForOurEarth.com" to determine how much you can help the Earth by cashing in.

We know greenwashing when we see it, but this is ingenious. Coinstar hasn't changed anything about what it does ... just the message.

Still, I hope this will get people to turn their old money into usable money, and put change back into the system. Apparently it could have some fairly significant impacts.

Coinstar estimates that $10 billion in coins sit idle in American homes. If 15% of those coins were re-entered into circulation (preferably via Coinstar's automated counters, which will pinch a few pennies for themselves), this would save 82 million showers' worth of water and 12,000 cars' worth of CO₂ emissions.

Donating your earnings to Coinstar partner World Wildlife Fund will make you feel all the greener.

So go turn that change back into money. For the earth, for yourself, and for Coinstar.