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17 May 02 - junk mail; e-government; plant salvage; job; computers ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- Excerpted from an article by Kris Sherman in the 5/5/02 Tacoma (WA) News Tribune (forwarded by Rob Van Orsow): TACOMA MAILS KITS TO STOP JUNK MAIL City of Tacoma (WA) Environmental Services recently sent "junk mail reduction kits" in April to 81,000 Tacoma garbage pickup customers in single-family homes and apartments. "Tons" of customers called to thank the city, said Chris Gleason of the city's community relations department. At least one business owner complained. Although many local governments produce similar "how to reduce junk mail" kits, fact sheets or postcards, very few of them have taken this bold step of direct-mailing them to a large number of residents. Tacoma's mailing proclaims, "This could be the last piece of junk mail you'll ever receive!" Most other governments publicize their junk mail reduction kits and then send them out only to those who request them. Tacoma's kit includes pre-addressed postcards to four of the nation's largest direct-mail marketing agencies, asking them to delete the sender's name from their mailing lists. Also included are phone numbers for mailing-list companies. "I like this because it goes beyond what the city normally does, and it goes beyond in an area that I think is great," said Tacoma resident Zeno Martin. But when he mailed in the postcards and called the companies, asking them to cease their mailings, they mailed him more letters asking if he really meant it. "They say, 'Are you sure you want to delete yourself permanently from the list?' The city made it really easy, and then the companies made it harder," said Martin. "It's more mail - and another stamp." Lynn Olson, owner of Chirp & Co. of Tacoma, which sells bird seed and garden items, says direct-mail "is all I use" for advertising. "It's the most effective and inexpensive way to get to new people." The city's junk mail kit "inhibits my ability to get to new customers and to generate greater business," Olson said. "I really don't understand how the city can take a stand against commerce in that way. As a governmental jurisdiction, they have no business being involved in this." Tacoma city officials roughly figure the $10,000 cost of the mailing will be recouped if only 4 percent of its garbage customers put a halt to their junk mail stream. -------------------- From Glenn Meyer, Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance, St. Paul, MN, responding to the 5/13/02 posting seeking successful examples of electronic government, or "e-government": Ironically, in an article I can no longer find in paper or electronica on my desk, I read about the City of Lexana, Kansas, and their aggressive efforts to improve communication and reduce waste by utilizing technology. This is extensively discussed on their web site: http://www.ci.lenexa.ks.us/cityhall/clerk/paperlesspacketproject.html Their efforts have led to a lot of inspiration and imitation, as evidenced by the number of hits one can get on the Google search engine using the keywords "paperless+city+council". E-mail: glenn ( DOT ) meyer ( AT ) moea ( DOT ) state ( DOT ) mn ( DOT ) us -------------------- Excerpted from a message from Carl Weimer, RE Sources, Bellingham, WA, and the RE Sources website: RE Sources, a non-profit organization, offers environmental education programs, operates the RE Store used building materials stores in Bellingham, WA, and Seattle, and offers salvage and deconstruction services through the RE Stores. We just started a new "RE-Plant" program, where we try to save landscape materials from demolition sites. This program is just evolving, but there is a lot of interest in taking it to the next level. This page on our website shows some of the plants that are available at a Seattle job site, to people who want to come dig them out: http://www.re-sources.org/restore/landscape_01.htm E-mail: carlw [AT] re-sources [DOT] org ------------------- Link to a job listing for executive director for the Center for a New American Dream: http://www.newdream.org/main/execdirector.html The Center for a New American Dream, a non-profit organization based in Takoma Park, Maryland, works to protect the environment, enhance quality of life and promote social justice, by helping Americans change the way they consume. This executive director position offers a competitive base salary, full benefits and a four-day work week. ------------------- Excerpted from a 5/13/02 article by Stacey Higginbotham in the Austin (TX) Business Journal (forwarded by Charlotte Becker): MUTUAL FUND COMPANY PUTS PRESSURE ON COMPUTER MAKERS TO DEAL WITH WASTE As the world's personal computer king, Dell Computer Corp. builds millions of machines that produce tons of hazardous waste once they're dead and buried in landfills. As a result of a pending shareholder resolution calling for Dell to take action on computer waste, as well as the company's general concern for the environment, Dell plans to announce a computer take-back program aimed at consumers. A computer has an average life of three years. Computer monitors contain lead and mercury and can contain plastics coated with harmful chemicals. When computers are thrown into landfills, those chemicals can be released into the ground, leach into the groundwater and poison water supplies. The quandary of where computer waste ends up is what prompted mutual fund company Calvert Group Ltd. to propose a Dell shareholder resolution on e-waste. The resolution, to be considered July 8 at Dell's annual shareholders meeting in Austin, Texas, calls for the world's five top computer makers to design and market computers that minimize environmental effects during the machines' manufacture and use, and when they become obsolete. It also calls on the top computer manufacturers to conduct a feasibility study on the liability of hazardous waste. The Calvert Group manages more than $8 billion in 17 "socially responsible" mutual funds. Based on the number of shares Dell had outstanding April 15, Calvert holds a 17.7 percent stake in the company. In April, Calvert managed to get 8 percent of shareholders at Hewlett-Packard to vote in favor of its e-waste resolution. The firm also targeted Compaq, which recently merged with Hewlett-Packard. Calvert also has taken aim at IBM, Gateway and Apple. For a resolution to pass, more than 50 percent of shareholders must approve it. However, a shareholder approval rate of just 3 percent is enough to keep the issue on the agenda for the next year's annual meeting. Dell already offers computer take-back programs in Europe, where laws force the computer makers to recycle old machines. It also accepts computers from U.S. corporate customers and recycles or refurbishes them, company spokesman Bryant Hilton says. U.S. consumers can participate in a Dell program allowing them to donate old computers, trade them in at "blue book" value or sell them through Dell's online auction, Hilton says. Now, Dell is about to sign a deal with an undisclosed company to let consumers ship their old Dell computers there for a "competitive" fee, he says. Hewlett-Packard and several other computer companies already offer take-back programs, also for a fee. - end -