70% of Brits Want an Opt-In System for Phonebook Delivery

IMAGINE trying to wade through Hyde Park if it was covered completely in phone books, 2 deep. That’s what London’s landscape would look like if you dumped the 75 million phonebooks that are delivered annually to each household and business in the UK.  So 192.com backed by environmental charity Global Action Plan and spurred on by research that 70% of Brits would support an opt-in system for phonebooks, has launched the ‘Say No To Phonebooks’ campaign. The campaign calls on the government to establish a centralised opt-in system for phonebooks and includes an e-petition to encourage the public to show their support.  The annual production of phonebooks squanders around 62,000 tons of paper; enough electricity to power 59,000 homes for a year; 680,000 barrels of oil (the annual consumption of 67,000 people); and 2 billion litres of water, enough to fill 800 Olympic swimming pools. For the total process from production to recycling, 62,000 tons of phonebooks equates to 79,360 metric tonnes of wasted carbon emissions!  In addition, the cost to councils in terms of the management of phonebook waste is estimated at £7,500,000 a year based on representative figures provided by the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.  Councillor Greg Smith, Cabinet Member for Crime & Street Scene, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham says:- “It costs taxpayers more than £22,700 a year to pay for the clear up of the waste created by phonebooks in our borough. If we could reduce the number delivered in the first place it could represent significant cost savings for hard-pressed council taxpayers. It's also the fastest way to clear up the mess caused by these unwanted phonebooks left on doorsteps. We are encouraging all our residents to recycle, so it is only fair that we make sure they are not sent huge books that they simply do not want.”

Global Action Plan CEO, Trewin Restorick, comments:- “Global Action Plan fully endorses the ‘Say No To Phonebooks’ campaign. Scientific evidence clearly demonstrates that we are causing significant damage to our environment which will ultimately impact upon our quality of lives. We must start to change the way we do things. We need to wake up to the fact that new technologies mean we can create less waste by doing more things on-line. There is no need for everybody in the UK to receive a phonebook (let alone three!) and people should be given the choice of whether they receive books or not.”

With 70% of homes in the UK now having access to the Internet, 192.com’s research also revealed that 82% of people had used an online directory in the last year. Online directories are typically updated daily (not yearly), they provide richer information such as maps and they are much more friendly to the environment.  Dominic Blackburn, Product Director, 192.com says:- “Research shows how out of touch the phonebook delivery system is with environmental considerations and people’s concerns. The government long ago legislated against the delivery of unwanted junk mail but has chosen to turn a blind eye to the weightiest junk mail of all. Reducing waste is one of the simplest things we can do to protect the environment.” 

192.com is also working with Intuitive Media, an award-winning safe social learning network provider, to get school children across the UK involved in the campaign. They will be running a competition to find the best alternative use for phonebooks through SuperClubsPLUS.com and GoldStarCafe.net and running their own e-petition specifically for school children.  Consumers and businesses can make a stand against the unnecessary waste of resources used in the production of phonebooks by signing the e-petition on the Downing St website. Campaign supporters can also follow activity on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Find out more at:- saynotophonebooks.org. 

CLIMATE TALKS ‘MOVING BACKWARDS AND IN TO GRAVE DANGER’

PROGRESS on a global climate deal went into reverse during the Bangkok talks which closed Friday 9 October 2009, jeopardising years of hard-won progress and threatening to tip the world into catastrophic global warming.  With less than 2 months to go before the critical Copenhagen conference opens in December 2009, the US and other rich countries are seeking to destroy the Kyoto Protocol - the existing climate deal which governments took years to ratify, and which commits them to cutting their greenhouse emissions.  Despite the extreme urgency, the US, EU and others are proposing a new climate agreement which would put new obligations on developing countries as well as developed ones – and take years to come into force.

"Instead of moving towards a Copenhagen deal which would make the existing climate agreement more effective, we are moving backwards and into grave danger.  This could be potentially catastrophic for the poor and the planet. With climate change out of control, poverty will worsen dramatically."  warns Nelson Muffuh, Christian Aid’s Senior Climate Advocacy Coordinator.

Christian Aid and its partner organisations at the Bangkok talks are calling on campaigners in the UK and other rich countries to redouble their efforts to persuade rich country leaders that a FAB (Fair, Ambitious and Binding) climate deal in Copenhagen is a matter of extreme urgency – not politics.

"We fear that the developed world is out to kill Kyoto, but this is not the time for world leaders to act on short-sighted self-interest – they have a climate emergency on their hands and time is running out for them to create a solution." adds Mr Muffuh.

Letter to the Editor:- "Marie Curie Cancer Care Great Daffodil Appeal Request for Volunteers"

"THE Marie Curie Cancer Care is looking for volunteers to help with their Daffodil Appeal in March 2010 and would like to appeal to your readers for their support. Although not until next year, work is already underway to make next years appeal the best yet.

We urgently need volunteers in the Southport and Formby area to take on the role of Daffodil Box Organiser between now and January 2010. Using their own local knowledge, we need people to help us to recruit new sites to display our daffodil boxes (for example shops and local workplaces) throughout the Great Daffodil Appeal in March 2010.

The role is flexible in terms of commitment – volunteers can offer as much or as little time as they wish. In return for their commitment, volunteers will have plenty of support from the Lancashire Fundraising team to ensure they have everything they need for the role.

The help of local communities is vital to make our campaign a success. Volunteers will truly make a difference to the work of our Marie Curie Nurses in your local area, each and every daffodil ‘sold’ helps Marie Curie Nurses care for terminally ill people in their own homes. On average, money raised from six boxes of daffodils will pay for a whole night of nursing care from a Marie Curie Nurse."  Yours faithfully - Lyn Fenton, Community Fundraising Manager, Marie Curie Cancer Care.