Phone Book Rant

Seven phone books in six months. (Make that TEN-I just opened my front door and found three more on the step--what a waste!)??? We have lived in this house six months and so far have received seven (now ten) phone books--greater Houston area, Yellowbook, YPOne, the Real Yellow Pages, etc. Every time I turn around, I see another phone book wrapped in plastic out in the drive way. The reality is that I rarely ever use a phone book anymore. I look online for everything. I think we should have an option, when we have our phones installed, that we can request NOT to receive phone books. 

Think about how much is wasted on phone books...paper and ink to print them, plastic to wrap them, gas to deliver them. Granted, somebody has a paid job dropping them off and I wouldn't want to take anyone's job away, but perhaps that job could instead be a position for a person to update an online phone book...one that is always current and easily searchable, lets me comment on and rate local businesses, gives me a list of the most highly rated local businesses for different categories, etc. Instead of web sites that are just electronic versions of paper books, let's reverse that. Make the electronic versions the best and most recent and nix the paper versions altogether unless a person specifically requests one when they get their phones. If anyone knows of such a service, please share!!

I have found one good use for the big Houston phone books, however. They are great for pressing flowers.