Last week the US Postal Service released its newest stamp series, Go Green. It's a series of 16 stamps designed by Eli Noyes, a 68-year old farmers' market going, veggie growing, composting San Francisco artist and designer.

While the word "green" has become a bit of a cliche in recent years and suffered a lot of abuse at the hands of clever marketing slogans cashing in on our collective desire to be more environmentally conscious, these messages are really spot on. The first thing I always look at when someone is going "green" is whether they're trying to sell me stuff. Sure, there are things we need, and the lower the environmental footprint the better, but too often the stuff that comes with the big eco sticker attached isn't really needed in the first place. In this case, out of 16 tips, the only thing it's telling me to buy is local produce. Not bad.

Each of these stamps is like a public service announcement that all combined lay out a road map for personal choices reflective of a deeper shift in behavior and consciousness. Choosing to walk or letting nature do the work may not sound on par with the complex systemic problems civilization is faced with, and yet their very essence carries with it much more than a specific item on the green checklist but a fundamental shift of how we relate to the world around us. Adjusting the thermostat or turning off the lights when not in use may seem like a drop in the bucket, but what's much more significant than the hard numbers of energy savings is the radical realization that energy is precious and worth being conserved.

Each of these stamps deserves its own showcase, and I've written about most of the themes espoused in one form or another. However, since the argument could be made that the very idea of physical mail is incompatible with sustainable practices, I'd like to use this space instead to make the case for a dear old friend of mine...

The Letter!