I took 22 subscription cards out of three magazines this week…you know, those things that fall out while you’re reading in bed and inconveniently on to the floor where you can’t quite reach them but you just know that if you leave them there you’ll step on them when you get up at 3am to go pee, do that Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford thing, crack your head open and either die of it or end up having to go to the emergency room in whatever your S.O. could find in the closet before the ambulance arrives (’cause everyone loves a 3am trip to the ER).
Everyone talks about reducing junk mail but what about reducing the impact of publications you want to get? How many pounds of paper would we save each year if every magazine published in the U.S. cut their subscription blow-ins and sew-ins by even a third?
I don’t have the answers to this but I think I may have found my next project. Nothing like hard data to make a point.
Well, my Consumer Reports had one sew-in and three blow-ins. For simplicity, let’s say this occupies the size of one 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of 40# paper. (It’s thicker than what I use in my inkjet.)
Since these cards occur not only in subscriptions, but also news stand copies, it’s unnecessary to separate those out. That’s probably a million issues time twelve.
So: 1,000,000 issues * 12 issues / year
divided by (500 sheets per ream / 40 pounds per ream)
divided by 2000 pounds per ton
= 480 tons/year.
Couldn’t agree more…I only receive The New Yorker and honey, they are blow in crazy….although it is better now that a few years ago!
As for Cyndi! I love it. It has inspired me to start walking again. Is it the be all end all, no it is a dance record pure and simple. The songs are fun for the most part and at this point in time (due to the upcoming FALL) I need some grooves to move to!
Be careful getting out of bed!
STB
Am I going to sound incredibly stupid for asking what are sew-ins and blow-ins?
Leave it to Jim to reduce everything to math. 🙂