Oct 14 2010
A news story had a good report about Verizon FINALLY ceasing their profligate phonebook pollution:
The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today granted Verizon New York Inc. permission to provide residential white page directories only to customers upon request. The Commission’s decision to ensure that residential white page directories are only sent to those customers who want them will reduce paper waste and improve the overall environment.
“There is understandable momentum in all aspects of our society to create a more ‘green’ environment,” said Commission Chairman Garry Brown. “Customers have many options regarding finding telephone numbers, and future technologies may make this task even easier. Our decision today helps reduce paper waste, while ensuring customers who want residential white page directories can still get them. This is a win for the environment and for consumer choice.”
Well, ain’t that sweet.
It didn’t say anything about the most recent waste that Verizon made: namely, delivering the yearly phonebook on one of the rainiest days in New York State history.
We got FOUR inches of rain that day, and some dunderhead at Verizon hung the phonebooks on the mailboxes! HELLO!!!!!!!!!!! The phonebooks got soaked– they expanded to 20 times their normal size and were all promptly thrown away!
WHY did Verizon do such a stupid thing? Everyone’s phone books in Upstate New York were totally trashed.
Anyway.
I don’t use the phonebook as much as I used to. I use my handy dandy ipod touch to check the numbers. Some amazing person created an iPod app with the White Pages and the Yellow Pages. So now all I have to do is flip on my iPod Touch, hit the icon, and the phonebook is there! All dry, no landfill trash, nothing.
Sheesh. FOUR inches of rain ALL DAY LONG and some goofball in galoshes places the phonebooks on the outside of the mailboxes. Unbelievable!