Ever since Al Gore invented the internet, there's a day each year when I find myself getting a little annoyed. It's the day that three or seven or twelve thick, heavy, plastic wrapped yellow pages directories show up at my doorstep.
Now that we can easily search for any business, good or service by typing a few key words into a search engine, the yellow pages seem to have diminishing use. I mean, I can think of a few ways to actually make use of the book -- booster seat? step stool? -- but for the most part, this is an item whose time has passed.
To make matters worse, something that isn't useful is often wasteful, and in this case we are talking about a LOT of paper getting wasted. In the US alone, 540 MILLION directories are printed each year -- that's 1.79 books for every man, woman and child. And each book weighs 3.62 pounds, so if even half of them get thrown away, we're talking about 488,700 TONS of paper ending up in landfill unnecessarily.
Enter Yellow Pages Goes Green, the genius solution to this problem. As the story goes, a college student from Liberty, MO got fed up and founded a movement. They’re educating American consumers with the goal of soliciting voluntary action by the directory makers to make home delivery “request-it-if-you-want-it”, rather than “we’re-delivering-it-whether-you-like-it-or-not”. In the meantime, use their handy online tool to take your name off the list.
Help make the yellow pages one of those old-timey fixtures of the past that you’ll tell your incredulous grand kids about. Visit Yellow Pages Goes Green today!
Comments
So it's sad to say that I have like 4 of these massive phone books in my apartment. And I NEVER use them, because I have access tot his handy thing called the "internet". So glad I can now go Green with this crap :)
SEPTEMBER 2 2008 AT 4:20 PM
FYI, most publishers won't accept lists from third-party providers (something we've pointed out to the site you mentioned on a number of occasions), so the best way to opt-out is to go directly to the publisher's site or check their book for a number. But don't assume your usage is indicative of the rest of the world. Last year US consumers used the print Yellow Pages over 13.4 billion times. Most consumers want to find things fast, save money and time. That's why the books continue to help small businesses connect with buyers, not browsers. For more information go to www.ypassociation.org. Full disclosure, I work for the industry.
SEPTEMBER 3 2008 AT 8:54 AM
What the folks over at YellowPagesGoesGreen are doing is excellent and if you're tired of receiving white and yellow phone books that you don't need and you didn't ask for - sign up ASAP! More than likely that will not get you off the list as soon as you'd like. At least not yet!
Best bet is to call each of the directory publishers direct. I wrote a post about it here:
http://yousnoozeyoulose.com/2008/08/1...
SEPTEMBER 3 2008 AT 11:20 AM
Great post! I will pass this link around. I have felt this for ages that phone books are such a waste. Can't go wrong with Google :-)
SEPTEMBER 5 2008 AT 11:17 PM
My name is Philip Cantwell and I founded the organization www.YellowPagesGoesGreen.org. Thank you for mentioning our organization on this blog.
We are NOT affiliated with the Yellow Page Publishers. We are a 3rd party organization that contacts the publishers on behalf of people that sign up at www.YellowPagesGoesGreen.org to stop the delivery of books. Some of the publishers accept the request and some do not. We have had thousands of signs up and continue to get hundreds per day.
Consumers can “opt out” of receiving telephone books at www.YellowPagesGoesGreen.org. We will contact the publishers and inform them to stop delivering books. This is a free service for consumers. www.YellowPagesGoesGreen.org is working with state and local governments on ordinances concerning the delivery of unsolicited telephone books. www.YellowPagesGoesGreen.org is not against the telephone books but against the delivery of 4 to 5 pounds of paper on people’s door step 5 to 6 times per year and being told it is our responsibility to recycle something we did not ask for. If we need a book we will call. Otherwise I “opt out” from receiving it.
SEPTEMBER 9 2008 AT 9:33 AM