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The Future of Phone Books

For many Bay Area residents, 'tis the season for egg nog, evenings by the fireplace, and…phone books! The new Yellow and White pages will land on hundreds of thousands of doorsteps this month. But if two California lawmakers get their way, this holiday tradition may soon change. Amy Standen reports.

http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/quest/2009/12/2009-12-21-quest.mp3

The white pages, required by law in most states, have been estimated to consume 5 million trees a year to produce. They create challenges for recycling centers and with 90 percent of Americans using cell phones, they're largely irrelevant. The white pages will be nearly eliminated, thanks to a bill facing the state legislature in 2010. But what will happen to the few Californians who still rely on an outmoded resource?

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