Here is a cool idea for free: Create a printer client for desktop machines connected to a printer that allows friends to print to your printer remotely via some kind of web service authentication. Why? Because it is fun to receive hardcopies of letters. This is completely not environmentally friendly, but the experience is more analogue and concrete.
This way, every online computer with a printer can be used as a personal mailbox. You could even sell printers that look like mailboxes for this purpose!