Mother Earth News pioneers paperless mail renewals

Mother Earth News will be the first magazine to deliver paperless renewal notices to its subscribers via Zumbox, a Web-based platform that delivers paperless mail using U.S. street addresses, according to a story in Audience Development.

Subscribers to the sustainable lifestyle title will be given the option to receive their renewal notices as well as renew their subscriptions directly from their “Zumbox,” which is accessible via Zumbox.com. Unlike e-mail, there is a corresponding Zumbox—a digital mailbox—for every U.S. street address, which enables postal mail to be sent as digital files and received online with no paper or scanning. It also differs from e-mail because, according to the company, it is spam-free and publishers can use information they already have on file as opposed to having to collect e-mail addresses.

“In addition to clearly reducing environmental impact, Zumbox represents a powerful way for us to communicate with our subscribers,” Bryan Welch, publisher and editorial director, Mother Earth News, said in a statement. “Our audience has already started to embrace this paperless postal system, which could become another content distribution channel for us as well.”

Cost savings so far are negligible, since renewals are still being mailed conventionally, said production and circulation manager Bob Cucciniello. So far 120 subscribers have elected to receive the Zumbox renewal notices.

“Even if it doesn’t turn out to be a popular option for subscribers, it still represents another way that Mother Earth News is allowing its subscribers to become more green,” he said. “It allows them to take a more active role in the partnership for a better environment.”