's new calculator is very simple compared to the ones found at , and , which calculate the C02 emissions generated by everything from home energy to air travel to types of food consumed.

PayitGreen, a not-for-profit educational coalition with members like Bank of America, is the first to calculate the emissions and waste generated by just two things: How many paper bills are received each month, and how many paper payments made.

As the owner of several computers, credit cards and debit cards, I now write about five checks a year, mostly to the IRS. I still get a few paper bills, though, so there's room for improvement. According to the calculator, going completely electronic would save 1.9 pounds of paper, 18 gallons of wastewater discharging into lakes, streams and rivers; and 2.4 gallons of gas, totaling 74 pounds of greenhouse gases. That's equal to 73 miles not driven in my car, 1 tree planted and 10 square feet of forest saved.

That didn't sound like much until PayitGreen reminded me that if only 2 percent more American households followed my lead, it would prevent over 196,040 tons of greenhouse gases from being produced.

Maybe it's time to retire the checkbook. Every little bit helps.