I can definately say that I have not used the phone book or yellow pages for at least 5 years. Why would I? I have more and better info on-line.

To the person who didn’t have time to look up a plumber on-line…are you using a Commodore 64? Also, if I did keep the book, it would take me longer to find the book than boot my computer.

I lived in a 700+ unit apartment building in DC. Every so often the building would get a delivery of useless phone/yellow pages books, which would be in the lobby for anyone to grab. 3 weeks later 90% of them would still be there as a testament to the fools who advertise in them.

What I would really like to do is drop my garbage off at the nearest phone/yellow book executives house, since that’s what they are essentially doing to me.

Chad @ Sentient Money’s last blog post..Motivated…but nothing happens

Even if they are made from recycled paper, the process is still damaging to the environment. That material also has to come from somewhere, and can be used for better things, besides a doorstop I don’t want.

If it is delivered on CD, then the phone book companies can still say they deliver to x millions, but the process of creating is less damaging to the environment, and they can be delivered by the mail, that already comes by my house, keeping all those cars off the road. Unfortunately the delivery drivers would need to find other work, and that part I don’t like, but I’d rather my great grandchildren have a breathable atmosphere.

@Mitch - thanks for the link to the yellowdinosaur.net! It’s an interesting site for sure and filled with a lot of good ideas!

@John – I’d hope you’d come back and hit on a few of your points in your experience with YellowPagesGoesGreen.org – sounds like people are interested in the experience – along with anyone else that’s been through the process!

@Jason - I never thought of the idea of putting them on a CD and dropping them at my house. I’m down with that idea!

@Phillip – thanks for stopping by and providing some input – one thing to note that may help convince folks is real people going through the experience. We had one in “John ” up above, but there are certainly more – would you be able to post something on your site or contact an individual or 2 that are seeing the effects of your service?

Have them swing by here and report how it is going, I’d be interested myself.

@Bill – I REALLY like the fact that the Yellow Pages is printed on 100% recyclable material. That’s AWESOME news!

But at the same time, the recycling mills aren’t operating on air, they’re using natural resources there as well to run the machines to make the books; cutting back on the NUMBER of books is going to help “energy consumption” as a whole I’d think.

Also, I posed the question to KenC up above, but I didn’t get a response there, but wouldn’t it save money for the phonebook company to print less books as well? It must cost a fair penny to cook up books. And especially if you’re seeing that product go directly to the recycle bin, it is not making money or helping anyone when that happens…

Jason – excellent points and that is what we are about. If you want a book please contact the local publihers and have one delivered. People still use the book – great. But to continue to drop of (500 million books printed per year) at people’s doorsteps is an archaic distribution process.

So, If I use your site to try to opt out from directory delivery, you’re turning my name over to the government? Yikes! Thanks, but no thanks. You might want to think about modifying the statement on your website that: “Your information is proprietary and will not be used by anyone for any means other than to support this campaign.”

I’m not trying to minimize your concerns. I’m sure there are some folks who would prefer not to automatically receive one or more directories. Most publishers will honor requests from their subscribers to stop future deliveries and some may even provide the directory on CD-ROM if the customer prefers.

Oh, and for what it’s worth, I am not employed by any publisher, although I used to be.

@Jason – Just so you know, trees aren’t cut down for directory paper. It is composed of recycled paper (newsprint and used directories) as well as sawmill waste (which comes from turning round trees into rectangular lumber.)

I have, while on the road, stopped at a phone booth to look up an address. I recycle the books as soon as they are littered onto my porch, along with the weekly newspapers I don’t ask for that are littered in the same way. As for looking up businesses, it is far faster and more up to date to use one of the many on-line directories. I also would complain less if they would send the directory on a CD or DVD instead of cutting down hundreds of trees for a directory that most of the people I know recycle within minutes of getting.

If I want a directory, I should be able to call my phone company and get one. They are also available, along with magazines and the like, at my local grocery store. Please don’t put one on my doorstep. I don’t want it.

“It’s like the old New Yorker cartoon – on the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.”

What publisher or Yellow Page Company do you work for?

It appears John’s experience was a positive one with the opt out program we offer. Now you are asking him for personal information that you questioned in an earlier comment on why any one would provide this to a site that may use this information maliciously. Let’s see if John follows up and provides the publisher(s) in his area.

Now to answer your request to me for the list. Publishers have accepted the list and are using it to cross reference people who have asked to opt out from getting telephone books. Some publishers have stated they do not want the list. And others have stated they are taking the list but do not want other publishers to know.

It appears the industry knows it will have to have an opt out program. I prefer it be an opt in program in which no books are delivered unless a person calls to request one. The industry, if it has to accept a program, prefers an opt out hoping the largesse of the general population would stop them from calling.

The industry appears to have banded together in a cartel to tell consumers and legislators that an opt out program may not be delivered for years but they are working on it. Independently the publishers know this is diversion and would prefer the whole thing to go away. But, with an independent source like http://www.YellowPagesGoesGreen.org and a database of names of people that have asked to opt out the industry is put in a hard place. We have and continue to provide the list to legislators and communities that have contacted us for the constituents in their areas that have asked to opt out from getting books.

And our offer continues to be if the publishers feel the names are bogus we would provide the complete database to an Attorney General from any state to verify the information.

So now you have publishers who are accepting the list but do not want to be publicly noted (at least by us at http://www.YellowPagesGoesGreen.org) that they are indeed scrubbing their list and informing the delivery mechanisms like DDA to bypass the homes that have opted out. As an industry they publicly state no thanks but individually some are using the information to satisfy the request of the consumers and do not want their brethens to know.

I’m curious because in many communities, folks receive more than one directory. There may be a book from a publisher associated with the telephone company, a small community directory from another publisher, a wide-area directory from a third publisher. Does the website let you pick and choose which books you want/don’t want?