Dennis, I'm glad you brought this subject up. Emerald Chapter, NARGS, e-mails its newsletters in color to nearly all members. However, some of our older members without computers must receive a paper copy, which is in black and white. I e-mail my catalog to most customers, but there are those for whom, for whatever reason, need to receive paper copies. I have discovered that there are still a lot of us in very rural areas who cannot get high-speed internet and must rely on dial-up. Cable is out. I don't have a television and cannot justify the expense. When and if Frontier provides the DSL option, I will probably sign up, although it irks me no end because since they took over from Verizon, the dial-up service has seriously deteriorated. I hear DSL has as well, if they are in rural areas. Our ISP has made formal complaint to no avail. PBS has some options but they are not viable for everyone. Smaller press runs cost more, generally speaking. By the way, I'm not speaking for PBS on this - I've based it on our experience with NARGS Emerald Chapter. And I could still be wrong... I, for one, prefer paper. I do not have unlimited capacity for storing electronic files. In looking up a subject stored on paper, I stumble across others and can refresh my memory or answer a number of questions at the same time. There is really a misunderstanding of the word "green". Coming form an accounting background, the powers that be would have us believe that "green" is good. It is not always. An electric car, for example, does reduce the use of oil and other oil-based products, but it still has a high consumption of energy. It has to be recharged. Where does that electricity come from? From coal-fired plants, from hydro power, and other sources that are do not regenerate. Wind farms are not the most efficient source and they are a serious detriment to animals and the environment. Computer manufacturing uses up resources that are difficult to recover, and the search and mining for rare earth minerals can be devastating. Paper can last 200 or more years. There is serious debate about how long a CD lasts, probably a few years at most, with proper storage. Microfiche lasts about 100 years. Then searching computer archives a hundred years from now is quite likely to be problematic. The US government has many years of Social Security records on tape that it no longer has the equipment to read in any large capacity, if at all. At least I can recycle my nursery pots and poly greenhouse covering, and my used soil mix. And I can pass on my paper journals to those who are interested, including, to my amazement, a daughter and a grandson who have discovered a serious interest in gardening. For those who are willing and able to receive electronic media, I say have at it. For others, it's problematic. One final note - and perhaps Jane McGary and Jane Merryman can answer this one. The setup for printing a paper catalog differs clearly from setup for e-mailing. Would this be a problem? Robin Hansen Hansen Nursery briefly clear and sunny and 33 F ----- Original Message ----- From: Dennis Kramb To: Pacific Bulb Society Sent: Sunday, November 28, 2010 8:05 AM Subject: [pbs] membership renewal Is there any talk of PBS offering a cheaper, greener membership level? One where the newsletters/bulletins are emailed electronically rather than printed, published, and mailed via USPS? I ask because it's that time of year to renew my membership... and it'd be really cool to have this option. Honestly speaking I don't save my newsletters/bulletins from any society (except for the Aril Society's yearbooks which are just too awesome for words). I used to try to save everything, but it became a burden, and a downright mess in my household. But if I had them electronically in PDF format, well that would be another story (one with a happy ending!). Dennis in Cincinnati _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com/ Version: 10.0.1153 / Virus Database: 424/3270 - Release Date: 11/21/10 Internal Virus Database is out of date.