UPDATE:  WORKING FOR CHANGE 
is doing a letter campaign!  Go send a letter to 
AOL about their ridiculous metal-tin marketing 
campaign.


 I've always has a lot of disdain for AOL, simply because
 from its inception it seemed like a hosting ground for
 clueless behavior, but this most recent blunder of theirs
 just makes me livid with anger at the self-interested stupidity 
 of their direct-mail department.
 
 I am, of course, referring to the latest in their wasteful advertising
 campaigns, the one that really takes the cake:  sending out thousands upon
 thousands of large black plastic DVD cases with AOL CD-roms inside, as
 part of their "500 hours free!!" promotional campaign.
 
 these DVD cases are constructed of HDPE #5 or polypropylene. in large
 industries, this type of plastic is recycled in bulk; but will not be
 picked up by curbside recycling. as a result, thousands upon thousands of
 these DVD cases will all end up in a friggin' landfill somewhere.
 
 it's just beyond stupid.
 
 I encourage you all to go to aol's feedback page
 and give AOL's promotional department a piece of your mind.
 also, please feel free to forward this posting to anyone you 
 know who cares about environmental issues. 
 
 if you are in need of vituperative adjectives and epithets,
 here's the mail I sent them:
 
 dear aol:
 
 as a human being living on a planet of increasing waste and diminishing
 resources, I am appalled beyond belief at the recent "bulk mail" you sent
 out consisting of I don't know how many thousands of large H.D.P.E #5
 black plastic dvd cases containing your promotional CD-rom.
 
 my god what an idiotic move.
 
 I can't believe you would do something so disgustingly self-interested
 at the expense of our environment. 
 
 it was bad enough when you started sending out disposable CDs (or AOL
 frisbees, as we called them) by the thousands; but every single one of
 these cases, since curbside recycling won't pick up polypropylene, will
 end up in a local landfill, and there they will all sit, for the next
 million years, as a testament to your selfishness and stupidity.  let us
 hope that archaeologists of the future (should the human race survive such
 neanderthal throw-backs as yourself) will uncover these relics and
 classify AOL's contribution to the historical record as "100 tons of
 garbage."
 
 I expect you to apologize publicly to our planet, you wasteful, selfish,
 jerks.
 
 yrs most sincerely,

 cynsa bonorris
 San Francisco, CA