SAN FRANCISCO AND NEWARK BECOME FIRST CITIES TO SEND PAPERLESS MAIL VIA ZUMBOX
Mayors Gavin Newsom and Cory Booker Lead Nation in Embracing
New Communications Channel
Westlake Village, CA - September 22, 2009 - Zumbox today announced the launch of its national rollout starting with the Cities of San Francisco, CA, and Newark, NJ. Mayor Gavin Newsom sent an exclusive welcome letter, and Mayor Booker distributed the city’s Moving Newark Forward newsletter via Zumbox to their respective cities. Residents can view this mail by going to Zumbox.com and entering their home or business street address.
Zumbox has created a web-based platform that powers the world’s first paperless postal system. For every U.S. street address, there is a corresponding Zumbox – a digital mailbox – which enables postal mail to be sent as digital files and received online with no paper and no scanning. This new category – paperless mail – represents the first practical alternative to traditional postal systems. When using Zumbox, municipal governments will save on printing, paper, and postage costs, reduce their environmental impact, and connect with residents through an entirely new and interactive communications channel.
"A paperless postal system represents a new opportunity for the City and County of San Francisco to reduce the City’s overall waste stream and will help in our efforts to reach zero waste by 2020," said Mayor Newsom. "As a communications technology, paperless mail also supports our commitment to open government by offering a more direct and efficient online connection between the City and our residents."
"Zumbox is consistent with the bold vision we have for the City of Newark," said Mayor Booker. "And while we acknowledge the challenges of introducing this online technology to our community, it most certainly supports our goal of becoming the greenest city in the Garden State. Zumbox will help the City to save tax dollars, support our local businesses, and improve the way our city communicates."
The Zumbox platform represents a one-of-a-kind communications channel for municipal governments. For the first time, mayors can send secure, electronic correspondence (paperless mail) to their residents using delivery criteria such as neighborhoods, ZIP codes, entire cities, or a specific list of street addresses. This can include letters, utility bills, public notices, newsletters, permits, videos, and much more. Zumbox is making its service available to municipal and state governments free of charge. There is no cost for consumers to receive paperless mail via Zumbox.
"We’re excited to welcome Mayors Newsom and Booker as the first big-city mayors to communicate with their residents using Zumbox paperless mail," said Donn Rappaport, CEO of Zumbox. "Now more than ever before, local governments need to be connected with their citizens. Zumbox enables that connection in a way that is cost-effective, environmentally responsible, and uniquely immediate, engaging and interactive. In an effort to support local economies," Rappaport added, "Zumbox is offering a free trial for qualified non-profit organizations and local businesses that wish to use the Zumbox service to send paperless mail to their supporters, customers, or local neighborhoods."
The first stage of Zumbox’s national rollout aims to reach approximately one million households in the U.S. Additional cities and partners will be announced in the coming weeks and months.
