Put Phone Book Out to Pasture

Wondering how to celebrate Earth Day today? Here’s one idea: Remember that every book should have a happy ending, and recycle your old telephone directories. You will help save a tree, and you’ll be rewarded with a “Globehead” poster. Just take the books to the California Museum of Science and Industry in Exposition Park.

“Since most curbside programs and recycling centers won’t accept telephone books, we think it’s a good Earth Day program,” says museum staffer Evan Nossoff. It’s estimated that recycling 1 ton of phone books saves 17 trees and 3 cubic yards of landfill space.

The project ties in with the museum’s new interactive exhibit, “Our Urban Environment,” which features the Globehead family demonstrating the impact of our daily routines on the environment.

To find both the exhibit and the white recycling bin, enter Exposition Park off Figueroa Street. The Earth Day Recycling Roundup, which runs through May 16, was kicked off at the museum on April 5 by GTE California and a cluster of co-sponsors.

To date, says Nossoff, they’ve collected 7.5 tons of directories, which will be recycled into household insulation, wallboard, product packaging, napkins and toilet paper. Information: (213) 744-7400.