Seattle became one of the first cities to charge phone book publishers 14 cents per book delivered, with a $150 fine for delivering to opted-out households.
Where this was said
At 14:28 · chapter starts 13:20
With publishers competing furiously for Yellow Pages territory, the environmental toll became impossible to ignore [1] — Josh Clark "By 1991, half a billion phone books were being delivered every year, consuming 650,000 tons of paper and filling 2 million cubic yards of l…" 13:50 . By 1991, roughly half a billion phone books were landing on American porches every year — 650,000 tons of paper, enough to fill 2 million cubic yards of landfill space. Josh recalls a comedian's joke about 'printing a small portion of the internet and throwing it on your porch once a year,' which neatly summarized the absurdity. Seattle emerged as an early leader in fighting back, levying a 14-cents-per-book charge on publishers and a $150 fine for delivering to households that had opted out. Switching to recycled paper helped quiet some of the outrage, but the backlash was a sign of a deeper problem: the phone book's utility was about to be challenged by forces far more disruptive than environmentalism.
By 1991, half a billion phone books were being delivered every year, consuming 650,000 tons of paper and filling 2 million cubic yards of landfill space. And yet, people just stacked them on the porch without a second thought.
By 1991, approximately half a billion phone books were being delivered annually, consuming 650,000 tons of paper and filling 2 million cubic yards of landfill space.
Annual phone book production consumed 650,000 tons of paper by 1991, raising serious environmental concerns.
Seattle charged phone book publishers 14 cents per book delivered and imposed a $150 fine for dropping books at opted-out homes. It was one of the first serious government pushbacks against the annual paper avalanche.
Three forces dismantled the phone book in quick succession: 411 free information lines in the '80s, the internet, and a 2004 Congressional law banning cell numbers from directories. Each one chipped away until only landline users were left.
A total of 8 states have filed lawsuits against social media platforms, including an ongoing case in Tennessee, using product liability and public nuisance theories to seek accountability.
France built 56 nuclear plants in the 1970s and now has the cheapest energy in Europe, making it independent of Russian or Middle Eastern energy geopolitics.
Estonia has a single tax form, a law preventing the government from asking citizens for the same information twice, and a flat rate of tax — enabling competitive taxation.
Portugal's Lisbon, once a city with a major heroin problem, legalised drugs and redirected enforcement spending into rehabilitation and housing, dramatically reducing crime.
The first Boland Amendment banning CIA and Defense Department funds for the Contras passed the House unanimously — yet the Reagan administration ignored it.
Over just two years, Saudi Arabia alone donated $32 million to the Contra rebels, giving loosely affiliated factions millions they had no way to spend on arms.
The National Endowment for the Preservation of Liberty raised $6.3 million for the Contras but only $3.3 million reached them — a shockingly low 52% program expense rate.
Richard Secord and Albert Hakim marked up their arms shipments to the Contras by as much as 300%, making enormous personal profits from the covert operation.
Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, tapped to run the entire covert Contra support operation, had no prior experience in covert operations whatsoever — he was learning as he went.
We use essential and analytics cookies to run Vuci. To understand how the site is used: Privacy Policy.
Install Vuci on your phone
Add it to your home screen for a faster, app-like experience.
Install Vuci on your phone
Tap the Share button, then “Add to Home Screen”.
A new version is available
Reload to get the latest Vuci.