by Chris McCullough

Amidst today’s economic turmoil, something positive I’ve seen from most banks throughout the country and around the world is the consideration of environmental impact in our daily business practices.

Adopting “green” practices, both internally and externally, is the smartest option for financial institutions in today’s world. Changing the mindset of not only our employees, but also our customers, to consider the environmental impact of their actions has been a long, rewarding process.

Customers are more environmentally conscious than ever before. They know that numerous trips to the bank wastes fuel and adds greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Receiving a steady stream of paper statements can become burdensome. Writing checks and mailing bills is time-consuming. There is a more productive option.

Online banking and bill pay are excellent choices for any customer, personal or business. Consider the savings, both in time and money, when it comes to clicking through a few bills as opposed to writing and mailing checks. Online banking and bill pay are quick, easy and can help you avoid costly late fees as our busy lives don’t always remember due dates.

One of the smartest options available is going paperless with your statements. The cost involved and number of trees destroyed to print and mail statements is astonishing. Electronic statements arrive in a more timely manner, provide an organized archive of past statements, eliminate storage problems at home and eliminate the need to shred old documents. By going paperless, online banking helps prevent ID theft that can occur when mailed statements are stolen or misplaced.

We can all do our part to help the environment, from the individual who is conscious about recycling to the banks that offer eco-friendly financial services.

Chris McCullough is Rabobank, N.A. Vice President and Branch Manager in Murrieta. Rabobank, N.A. has 119 retail branches in California, including Murrieta. Rabobank received the highest numerical score among retail banks in California in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Retail Banking Satisfaction Study^SM. Study based on 51,620 total responses measuring 19 providers in California and measures opinions of consumers with their primary banking provider. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in January 2011. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.