Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.trends,americast.usa-today.trends From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: trends Wed, Sep 16 1992 Date: Wed, 16 Sep 92 04:36:01 EDT Message-ID: 09-16 0000 DECISIONLINE: Trends & Marketing USA TODAY Update Sept. 16, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network MORE BUSINESSES ARE RECYCLING: Businesses are banding together to try to pump up demand for recycled products, a weak link slowing the USA's move toward more recycling. Twenty-five U.S. companies have been organized by the National Recycling Coalition in a campaign called the "Buy Recycled Business Alliance," the NRC announced Tuesday. (For more, see special Recycling package below.) TRUCK WHEELS ARE RUNNING WILD: Runaway truck wheels are causing up to three accidents a day on the USA's highways, a federal safety investigation concluded Tuesday. Though deaths are rare, the National Transportation Safety Board said the runaway-wheel problem still represented a serious safety risk. "For something that doesn't happen that often, there's some tragic consequences," said NTSB Chairman Carl Vogt. WHEELS LINKED TO ACCIDENTS: In a report released Tuesday, safety investigators estimated for the first time that runaway truck wheels cause 750 to 1,050 accidents across the country each year. These wheel separations account for less than 1% of the USA's 349,000 annual truck accidents. The board also found 28 people died in 24 accidents over a three-year period. STUDIES ARE LEAVING WOMEN OUT: Studies of heart attack treatments are often excluding those who have the most heart attacks - people over age 65. So says a report in Tuesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston say excluding older people means excluding women. The reports shows women live longer and have heart attacks later than men. HEALTH AFFECTS KIDS' SCHOOLING: The nation's health care crisis prevents many kids from coming to school ready to learn, says a national survey of elementary school teachers by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Ninety percent of 500 teachers surveyed say they had at least one student last year whom they felt had emotional or physical problems that hampered learning. BIG SHOPPING SPREES OVER: The Kiplinger California Letter says there is a shift away from materialism, which has nothing to do with the economy. Another school of thought claims it's easy to be anti-materialism when money is tight and the family already has two cars, a nice house, three TVs, a VCR and a microwave. PEOPLE WANT VALUE FOR BUCK: Joe Siegel, vice president of merchandising for the National Retail Merchants, reports that shopping isn't out. People are still willing to spend money. But they want value for their dollars. "People shop because they want things, not because they need them. U.S. women get tired of things. We encourage that. It's called fashion. That's called change. It's good for the economy." BONUS FOR FLIERS LOOKING GOOD: For conniving fliers with time to kill, airline frequent-flier bonuses have grown so juicy that it pays to make extra stops when they fly. Because airlines are now offering bonus trips to passengers who accumulate segments, changing planes during a trip can help earn free flights quickly. Segments are each leg of a trip - there are two in a round-trip, non-stop flight. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON RECYCLING: BIG COMPANIES BAND TOGETHER: Companies banding together in a recycling efforts include McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch, Sears and 3M. "We have a two-year goal of recruiting 5,000 companies to the campaign," says Phil Bailey of the NRC, a nonprofit group. COMPANIES WILL LEAD THE WAY: The campaign will conduct seminars to show products made from recycled material can be as good and as cheap as first-use products; supply recycled product buying guides to companies; and lead by example. Sears is pressing its 7,500 suppliers to put products in packaging made with at least 25% recycled material. MOVE COULD BE POLITICAL: Most environmental activists backed the move. "This will lend prestige to the whole effort of recycling," says environmental consultant Jim Post of Boston University. But Joel Ario, of the National Environmental Law Center, says businesses are trying to polish their images with an eye toward November: Massachusetts has a referendum looming to require companies to use recycled material. (End of package.) Trends & Marketing Editor: Michele Coleman. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM