What is the new idea of beating around the bush instead of being clear or concise when we attempt to direct people and ask them to do the right thing?
Imagine that instead of 'WALK" at the stop sign for pedestrians,one reads the following:
Please move your feet forward one after the other and shift your weight from the back feet to the front feet. By the time, one has finished reading the sentence, the "WALK" sign has unfortunately changed from "WALK" to "STOP", and one has to remain there a little longer.
This orginal napkin sign was recently posted in the restaurant areas of a fortune-500 company ( I can't say the name because I work there). What has been the norm was that employees would pick 10 or more napkins, use only or two, and throw the entire lot into the garbage after they are done eating.
To make employees aware of such a waste of clean napkins and the increase in the garbage volume, the restaurant decided to put signs out near the napkins, hoping that employees would heed the sign and take at most one or two napkins.
I find the orginal sign too wordy and not to the point, and therefore, I suggest this shorter version: Please save the earth. Take only one napkin.