Maybe I should stop buying the Globe.
"Paper sales receipts slowly fading away" August 08, 2011|By Stephanie Clifford, New York Times
NEW YORK - To the rubbish pile that the Internet is creating, alongside the maps, newspapers, and music CDs, add one more artifact of American consumer life, the paper receipt....
Many people like keeping searchable records on a computer - e-receipts come in handy during tax season, for example.
And if the computer is wiped clean?
Others see the paper versions as an anachronism, wasteful of resources.
That's another reason to quit buying and reading the Boston Globe. And when I stop buying and reading the paper, I eventually stop visiting the website.
Retailers first bandied about the idea of electronic receipts in the late 1990s, but the dot-com crash stopped most of the efforts, said Birame N. Sock, who runs an electronic-receipt company.
In 2005, Apple introduced electronic receipts at its retail stores. More mainstream retailers found the checkout system difficult to replicate and, Miles said, worried that most shoppers were not ready for such a leap. Now, though, beyond the cost savings and the environmental benefits, e-receipts present marketing opportunities....
Why is EVERYTHING in the NEWSPAPER about MARKETING an AGENDA?
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And you want to talk about agenda-pushing:
"Group aims to put plastic pollution on world’s radar; Oceans, rivers facing threats" August 15, 2011|By Bettina Wassener, International Herald Tribune
HONG KONG - People are familiar with the concept of a carbon footprint. But whoever heard of a plastic footprint? Well, soon, more and more people will have.
Starting in October, companies and institutions around the world will receive a questionnaire asking them to assess and report their use of plastic: how much they use, what processes they have for recycling, and what policies they have to reduce their plastic consumption or to increase the proportion of recycled or biodegradable plastic at their organizations.
Fairly simple questions, but ones that could help to thrust the issue of plastic waste and pollution onto the radars of corporations, investors, and the public....
The concept is not new. The initiative models itself on the Carbon Disclosure Project....
Translation: They WANT YOUR MONEY, American!!
Like the carbon project, the plastic disclosure initiative is backed by investors: asset managers who value information about any potential wastage or liabilities related to the use of energy, water or plastic, or, conversely, any improvements that will bolster a company’s bottom line or its image....
That ought to send you RED FLAGS right there!
Campaigners and scientists are increasingly sounding the alarm over the amount of plastic that is used wastefully (think of single-use drink bottles and packaging), or that ends up as trash in rivers and oceans. Many say that plastic pollution has swelled into a major threat....
I thought it was global warming.
Because plastic is inexpensive, lightweight and durable, virtually every industry loves it. But because it is light and cheap, there is a lot of it. And because it is so durable, it does not go away.
A big part of the solution therefore has to be to prevent plastic from getting into the environment. That, in essence, is what the Plastic Disclosure Project aims to do. And the time may come when plastic trash is seen as having commercial value.
They already give me a nickel for the soda bottle.
After all, plastic, which is petroleum-based, can be converted into fuel.
Wouldn't burning it release all sorts of nasty chemicals?
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