We’ve talked a lot (and done a lot) of late to address our dependence on single-use plastics around the Co-op. But I’m not aware of any recent efforts to reduce the number of paper copies of the Shuttle we print (which average 11,000 to 12,000 since the expansion into Ambler). We mail more more than half of those, and they usually take a few days to arrive. 

Meanwhile, your excitement over seeing a fresh issue in the store rack or honor box may lead you to grab a copy and page though it before your mailed copy arrives. Nothing wrong with that, but then what becomes of your mailed copy? Not a lot, I’d expect.

Occasionally, a Good Citizen will reach out and tell us they want to unsubscribe from the paper Shuttle, and we walk them through the process. But there aren’t many of those, and we’re wondering if more would take that step if we made it easier.

So we will. Sometime this month, you’ll get an email from us with a link that will allow you to unsubscribe from your mailed copy. Click on it and you’re done. No going to the Member Center and trying to remember yet another %$@#! login.

The wins are clear: less energy to produce a disposable item, and some savings in our per issue postage bill, which currently runs around $3,000. Considering the care many of you put into reusing and recycling, I think this move is understandable. 

For those who don’t get to the stores much, don’t fret; you’ll stay on our rolls. We’re just trying to reduce duplication and save some dough. There’s also the option of reading the online Shuttle, which I’m sure many of you do already.

You won’t get a fabulous prize for unsubscribing — only the gratitude of me and my fellow staffers.

Thanks in advance. We hope and plan to continue doing what we do for many more issues. 

Catch you in the pages next month.