Kudo’s to Valley YP
Missed an opportunity to commend Valley YP for their efforts noted in a late November release which contained the following (I have added bold highlighting to key comments):
The new eco-friendly Napa Valley Yellow Pages directory is currently being distributed to over 50,000 area businesses and households. Valley Yellow Pages’ eco-friendly approach developed a more environmentally friendly product. All Valley Yellow Pages directories have always been 100% recyclable, but now the new Napa directory is printed using 35% recycled materials, recyclable soybean-based ink as well as recyclable glue! “Not only are we committed to providing our customers with a convenient and user-friendly tool for finding local information, but we are also dedicated to protecting the environment,” states Sieg Fischer, President and CEO of Valley Yellow Pages. “By constantly refining the composition of our directories, we are contributing to the commitment of recycling and saving the environment.”The Napa Valley Yellow Pages directory features a comprehensive Recycling Guide, found under “R” in the yellow pages. This guide provides information on business and residential recycling programs as well as information on recyclable products. Curbside Collection and Drop-off Locations are also listed in the guide, making it easy for consumers to recycle. Valley Yellow Pages has partnered with the City and County of Napa to become increasingly more ecologically conscious. The Recycling Guide is funded by the City and County of Napa, NRWS/NCRWS, Upper Valley Waste Management Agency, Napa-Vallejo Waste Management Authority, California Integrated Waste Management Board and the California Department of Conservation.
Consumers can also visit www.MyYP.com for an online directory of local businesses. This site features the same community-based content as the printed book, but also includes the ability to click through to an advertiser’s website. Through MyYP.com, residents now have access to Valley Yellow Pages information at their fingertips anywhere, anytime.
Congrats to Valley for spreading the word on what they are doing to be eco-friendly…
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on January 13, 2008 on 7:55 pm
Interesting blog! It’s good to hear about Yell’s, AT & T”s and Valley’s efforts in this area – Valley YP in paticular seems to be leading the charge.
I’m curious – can you research and post your findings on yp publisher’s position on “opting out”? There seems to be a growing feeling that there should be an opt-out option for those who no longer wish to receive the annual directories…
on January 13, 2008 on 9:25 pm
I know that many publishers are evaluating how to deal with an opt-out policy. There are a number of issues that need to be considered:
– Verifying that the request is actually from the owner/resident of that location and not a “spam” type effort from someone else
– How long would a request be good for as people do move and it is not a given that a new resident would also not want the book
– Once received, how do control distribution so that certain locations are not delivered to in a mass, blanket distribution effort.
I think we will see more information coming from the publishers soon.
on May 9, 2008 on 4:16 pm
“I think we will see more information coming from the publishers soon.”
How about the distributors?
I work for a company that has as its primary business model the distribution of telephone directories. It is of little effort, given that we receive *accurate* addressing data, to generate “Do Not Deliver” (DND) lists that contain information about who is not to receive a telephone directory, a list that the delivery contractor would use in the delivery of the route.
However there are some concerns which arise, particularly in the areas of delivery-personnel compliance and multi-unit addressing:
1. Most telephone directories are delivered by Independent Contractors who assume all expense and liability in the accurate distribution of the product (akin to newspaper deliverers). They are paid a piece rate ranging from $.15 – $.50/book (some companies pay by stop, some by route, but the rate range of $.15-.50 per book remains the same). When one of these I.C’s accidentally deliver to a person on the DND list, it is this contractor who assumes liability under the contract(s) they sign, not the distribution company nor the phone company.
Therefore, any penalties that would be assessed under any “Opt Out” legislation would impact the “little guy” and not the “big conglomerate”. It would not surprise me to learn that there are some losers out there who gleefully anticipate the opportunity to sue ATT/Verizon for the deep, dark tragedy of finding a phone directory on their doorstep, but any successfully prosecuted suit would merely take a father of 4 to court for the “crime” of trying to get some extra Christmas money for his kids.
2. When it comes to multi-unit addresses (Apartments, condos, etc), a badly-given address could result in the entire complex not receiving their directories. For example, if somebody says they do not want their directory delivered to 1335 Stevens Ave, and 1335 Stevens Ave is a 50-unit apartment complex, the person calling could potentially halt delivery to 49 units that want/need their books. Of course, correctly worded responses in the script could reduce the number of these occurrences, but you still will have the problem happen on occasion.
As a side question, the vast majority of phone books delivered are done so because Local Exchange Carriers are required by their states Public Service Commissions (or like agencies) to provide a directory of all people connected within a local calling network. Which law supersedes – the one requiring the book to be delivered or the one requiring the book not to be delivered?
on August 14, 2008 on 9:52 pm
The search engines, Internet, and a technologically advanced younger generation will be the death of the printed Yellow Pages. The cost for ads and the knowledge that they are static and cannot be changed for one year will be a huge hindrance. Yahoo and Google are primed to capture the advertising dollars. Do not downplay the “going green” movement. This is something the Yellow Page industry downplays and stresses that they are green because they recycle. But how many of the 500 million printed books are thrown in the trash? Too many. Local governments have started to pass laws to stop the delivery of telephone books to people that do not want them. An “opt out” application has been developed at http://www.YellowPagesGoesGreen.org. The industry has to change are they will be dead.
on August 15, 2008 on 1:45 pm
Alex:
Yellow Pages are dead? Far from it.
Your comments display the obtuse tunnel vision that many paper atheists are trying to snowball people with. But it also gives me a great chance to further review the facts that you don’t want to hear or admit to. Once again, here are the facts:
The Yellow Page industry isn’t downplaying the “green” movement (assuming we all know exactly what this is or means). In fact they have actual been ahead of every other traditional ad media in being eco-friendly:
• The industry does have book recycling programs in concert with local governments for the recycling of the books. I haven’t seen the beverage industry or newspaper industries step forward like that. Instead, I pay for it through my taxes and a curbside recycling program.
• The industry knocks down no virgin trees for their paper – it uses paper that has nearly 40% recycled content and residual chips from lumber mills. Have you looked at some of your favorite magazines lately? They can’t make that claim.
• The inks and glues used in the books are non-toxic, so even those books that do make it to a landfill are not leeching into the ground to cause issues. Again, have you looked at other print media to see if they can make that claim?
• The EPA, not me, not the industry, but your government watch dog organization has indicated that print phone books take up a whopping 0.3% of landfills. Sorry to disappoint you with that fact. Did you notice that direct mail and newspapers actual take 10 TIMES MORE LANDFILL SPACE than Yellow Pages??
The print product is often more efficient because it tells me as a shopper, some things I can’t get from the Internet – if that business is paying for a half page ad they must be viable. A cute website developed for a couple of hundred dollars tells me knowing about the real capability of that business other than they are creative.
Your comment on legislation is also naïve. To this point while there has been a lot of noise, nothing has passed, anywhere. Why? Because you also ignore that fact that due to its wide distribution yellow pages are the only source the local government can rely on to provide critical information to EVERYONE. Hence, many local governments have partnered with those publishers to include things like hurricane guides, and yes, even recycling information in those books.
I also dispute your claim that younger generations will not use the print products. You may not have used them in the past but as those life events occur, everything from buying your first home, to having kids, to getting married – young people come to see the value that a print product can provide. You should read the http://www.askmeaboutyp.com blog for more.
What you are not seeing through your jaded lens is that the industry is changing. It has become the largest seller of local search/internet advertising to local business. This will be the industry that will work with small businesses to help them find the right mix for their advertising dollars – some of which will be online, some in other media such as direct marketing, but also some in print Yellow Pages. Whatever works best for their business, but not excluding the opportunity to reach consumers in any media they may choose to use.