Going Green? They Wish!

I know that I've blogged about this before. Our local newspaper, The News and Observer, publishes a free supplement called The Durham News. Up until this week, they delivered it to every single house in our neighborhood (and I'm sure many other neighborhoods in Durham) each and every Saturday. The problem is, most people (apparently), are not interested in reading this (which I'm sure is the newspaper's hope; that someone will read it and decide to subscribe to the paper itself). In fact, the majority of the people that live in my neighborhood simply ignore the supplement, leaving it wherever the carrier threw it (sometimes in driveways but more often than not on the sidewalk, in lawns, or in the street). After a good rain (and we've had our share of rain) and being run over many times by the lazy residents, these supplements evolve into moldering, soggy messes. Quite the eyesore. So, it's become our mission (me, Mr. B and Lucy) to pick up these papers while out on our walks and toss them high up onto driveways where it is more likely the resident might actually pick them up. Sometimes, if one has been in a driveway for a long period of time, I'll pick it up and throw it onto their front porch. Yes, there are a few houses that, despite these efforts, NEVER pick them up and they'll probably be there in 100 years.

Anyway, several months ago, I wrote a letter to the editor complaining about this; not just the eyesore but the general waste (this after reading they were laying off people at the newspaper). At that point in time, we were getting the supplement twice; as part of our normal subscription (tucked inside the Saturday paper) and then also an extra supplement thrown by itself onto our driveway. I did receive an email back from the paper apologizing for the duplication and, since then, they have not delivered the extra supplement. However, my broader point to them had been they shouldn't be delivering these supplements, period, given the tough economic times.

This week, they started to deliver the supplement on Wednesdays as well. So, now we've got two days per week of these damn things to contend with. And, as usual, our neighbors, for the most part, ignore them and leave them laying where they fell.

Now, here is the ironic part of the whole thing. In today's supplement, they introduced a new columnist, who, apparently, is going to write about things Durham can do to "Go Green". Additionally, in the Home and Garden section of the regular paper, there was a focus on "Green" activities, and, I kid you not, one of articles talked about how to "eliminate the paper trail". Seriously!

So, I decided to try sending yet another letter to the editor. This is what I sent:

Going Green? You Wish!

I find it extremely ironic that you've introduced the new "Green Durham" column AND your Home and Garden section today focused on going Green in the same week that you began to deliver The Durham News supplement on both Wednesdays and Saturdays. As if one day of unwanted newspapers cluttering up driveways, sidewalks and streets (your carriers have zero aim) isn't enough, now there are two days a week to contend with!

How many carbon footprints is your organization leaving on the Earth while delivering these UNWANTED newspapers?

If you don't believe that they are unwanted, take a gander through any neighborhood where you deliver them and check out how many of them are moldering away outside in wet, sloppy, mounds.

Thanks for contributing to the general unsightliness of our city's neighborhoods.

And you think you are going Green? Give me a break!

We'll see if it does any good. I'm sure it won't, but, you never know (and at least I felt better after sending it).

Tomorrow, it's back to throwing papers at people's front doors

:-)

Mrs. B