Online phone books to save paper

More than 16,000 people “opt-in” for online directories and mobile applications as an alternative to printed phone books, WhitePages Inc. announced on its Web site this month.

WhitePages, an online and mobile directory, introduced the BanThePhoneBook campaign to encourage green alternatives to printed phone books. The opt-in delivery program would allow the distribution of phone books only by request.

The campaign emphasizes the heavy burden on taxpayers in addition to the five-million trees cut each year to create white-pages phone books.

WhitePages estimates $17 million is spent each year to recycle phone books. 

Law in most states requires local phone companies to deliver paper phone books to each land line subscriber every year. Florida, Georgia, Ohio and Missouri have already adopted the opt-in program, according to a WhitePages press release. 

“There is no need to waste taxpayers’ money and paper,” John Lusk, vice president of marketing at WhitePages, said. “People don’t want the phone books. They don’t use the books. They throw them away.”

However, Lusk said the two biggest obstacles for the BanThePhoneBook campaign are educating American consumers about the environmental impacts of paper phone books and bringing awareness to lawmakers.

“Changing laws does not happen very quickly,” Lusk said. 

He is, however, hopeful the campaign will keep its speed, as some legislators from California and Minnesota have already contacted WhitePages to get more information about the campaign.

Graduate student Julie Faas said she did not realize laws forced phone companies to deliver phone books to each land line subscriber.

“I get two phone books each year that I do not use,” Faas said.

Paper reduction could also help Bloomington be greener, as the city has disposed of 1,292 tons of paper combined with phone books since January this year, said Shelby Walker, director of sanitation for Bloomington. 

Similar to the BanThePhoneBook initiative, Yellow Pages offers an opt-out program, a service that removes subscribers who do not want to receive phone books, to support the movement against unsolicited phone book delivery.

The popularity of interactive mobile directories through iPhone, Blackberry, Android and SMS also seems to be leaving print phone books behind this century, with features such as caller identification and reverse phone lookup, click-to-call, GPS-aware directory services and directions.

The campaign, which has more than 3,000 Facebook fans, is expected to continue for 24 months.