I admit it: I'm a raging catalog junkie.

I'm addicted. I need a daily fix. I know cutting back might save a few trees, but it won't be easy.

Just about every day, a fat, glossy catalog shows up in my mailbox. My staples are Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, J. Crew, West Elm, REI, and Williams Sonoma. But I frequently foray into the log cabin lifestyles in L.L. Bean, the modern chic of Design Within Reach, the quirky cool of MOMA, the uber-practical closet staples of Lands End, and many, many others.

My catalog addiction is chronic and dates back to high school and my very first J. Crew catalog. Over the years, my addiction has grown along with my tastes. Last time I moved, I called more than a dozen companies to give them my new address to ensure that those glossy issues would keep right on coming.

So what if I almost never order anything. Truth is, I just like the glossy pictures cashmere sweaters, mirrored throw pillows, amphibious footwear, fleece vests, bike parts, you name it. For me, the point really isn't to buy something.

Leafing through a catalog is now built into my day. Because my mail arrives around six p.m. and because I work at home, I wait for the moment that I hear Kat, my mail lady, drop a catalog or two onto my floor.

Mail delivery means that it's time to power down my computer, toss out credit card offers and sale flyers, settle down for a few minutes to leaf through the catalog-du-jour and transition into the evening.

Unfortunately, my little habit means that trees are dying at my hands. I saw that clearly after reading this excellent New York Times article about going on an energy diet in which the author unsubscribes to 10 (!) catalogs. He estimates that this gesture saves 43 percent of tree and saves 154 pounds of carbon.

I'm inspired to do the same. Now, before the Christmas catalog season really kicks in. Unsubscribing to 10 catalogs will be easy; I'll probably continue to get a dozen or so on a regular basis.

I might miss unwinding with a catalog at the end of the work day. But I hear martinis are good too.