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Objective

Letters to the editor on Zero Waste themes are an effective way to respond to editorial coverage of Zero Waste, to raise public awareness, and to express personal opinions on the subject. Letters to the editor can also spur a paper to respond to the Zero Waste issue even if they had thought the public wasn't interested. Some surveys have shown that more people read letters to the editor than any other section of the newspaper. A timeline is not provided in the Steps indicated below, because letters to the editor are not usually used to advertise specific events.

How To Do It

Step 1: Decide on the main points you want to address in your letter.
Step 2: Contact the newspaper(s) to confirm the format in which they wish to receive letters to the editor and the preferred length in words, and determine the person with whom to follow-up after sending your letter.
Step 3: Write, edit, and submit your letter. You can use the attached letter to get you started. Many papers today prefer that letters to the editor be sent via e-mail.
Step 4: Follow up with the contact person to ensure receipt of your letter.
Step 5: Monitor the papers to see if the letter gets printed!

Tips

• Your first paragraph should be the most important; get your best points and "zingers" up front.
  
• Keep your letters brief, clear, and to the point.
  
• Make sure grammar and spelling are correct.
  
• Try to limit your letters to one page (most papers have word limits-find out what they are)
  
• Make sure facts and figures are accurate.
  
• Include your name, address, and day and evening phone numbers with your letter.
  
• Consider coordinating several letters from several different people and having them submitted one every few days to increase impact.
  
• Don't be discouraged by an unprinted letter; keep trying. Many papers can only print a small fraction of the letters they receive.

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