Over 660,000 tons of phone books enter the waste stream annually. Only 20% get recycled. Nearly 70% of adults in the U.S. "rarely or never" use the phone book.

If you are tired of getting tons of junk mail in your mailbox and would like to save trees, reduce the waste that goes into our landfills and care about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, there is a way you can make a difference.

Catalog Choice is the largest independent mail preference registry in the United States. When you sign up, it's FREE and you get to opt-out of receiving all forms of advertising mail and unwanted phone book deliveries. The great thing about Catalog Choice is that with a database of more than 5,500 titles (and increasing daily) that you choose what you want to opt-out of receiving. Under the Fair Information Practice (FTC), your information will also be kept private and be protected.

       On Saturday, September 21, 2013, The 29^th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day took place from 9am-Noon. This life affirming, sustainable event has proved to play an important role in helping remove trash and debris, which can be harmful to humans and even fatal to marine wildlife, from California's coastal waterways. 

        For the event, in a span of three short hours, residents scoured California waterways at over 850 sites in 53 of California's 58 counties gathering hundreds of tons of trash in the state's largest volunteer event.

        "I think it speaks volumes about our community that 900 volunteers came out to one of the five coastal sites to protect our environment and sea life," said City of Ventura Volunteer Coordinator, Rosie Ornelas.  "Ventura volunteers made up 32% of all the volunteers County-wide.  From groups of scouts and school groups,  to corporate groups and families with small children, we are so fortunate to live in a community that truly cares!"

        In Ventura County, the preliminary results indicate that 2,846 volunteers picked up 8,462 pounds of trash along 39.6 miles of coastline, of which 1,339 pounds were recyclable. 

        "The Coastal Commission reported," continued Ornelas, "that some of the more unusual items that were picked up off the shore included a 1904 typewriter, a 'no dumping' sign, a piece of a boat, a table lamp, a 3-piece sectional sofa, suitcases, sneakers, and a sleeping bag, among other items."  Locally, one young man found a bottle with a one-dollar bill in it.  READ MORE.