Move Over, Phone Books, It's the Age of the Cell Phone Directory!

The public debate about the abolition of routine phone book dumping is heating up. I had no idea people are so angry about it. They are, in fact, so angry that some states are beginning to consider new legislature to prevent the unnecessary tree-killing and recycling efforts. Many are comparing the annual 'present' on their doorstep to a pile left by a stray dog.

In response to the public outcry, the State of Oregon is considering a new bill. If the bill becomes a law, it would prohibit mass distribution of paper phone directories, unless explicitly requested. The request can be made either by regular mail or online. I am really beginning to see eye to eye with the overwhelming public opinion.

We probably no longer have the luxury of frivolously printing these voluminous tomes, which 99.9% of the time end up in the trash the moment they are received. And the senior citizens who don't have computers have the option of requesting a phone directory by mail. Mailing a little note once a year is a small price to pay; maybe slightly inconvenient, but well worth the effort. The need to continuously seek out new, green ways of doing things is very real, undeniable and unavoidable. It looks like one by one, the states are beginning to catch up with the ways of the 21st Century, the Age of Online cell phone lookup.

Undoubtedly, for most of us this is good news. I can't recall the last time I used a paper phone directory, especially since most people I know - soon to be joined by most people everywhere - only use cell phones. You know you won't find those cell phone numbers in a book. For people like us, the best bet is using a cell phone directory. It is so convenient and effective; it also gives you results faster than you can say "Where is that phone book?". Even people with landlines can still be found through an online phone directory, absolutely free.

A cell phone directory can be a real life-saver. What if you need to contact someone in an emergency and you don't know their cell phone number, and they no longer have a home phone? What if a cell phone lookup can save a life, help find a missing person or trace the whereabouts of a fugitive? It happens countless times, every day. It is the way of the new era; progress is irreversible, we might as well walk in step with it.