Eco-Libris : Moving Towards Sustainable Reading!

The UConn co-op joins Eco-Libris bookstores program

noreply@blogger.com (Raz Godelnik) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:35:00 +0000

Eco-Libris is coming to the University of Connecticut! I am happy to announce that UConn Co-op, the official bookstore for the University of Connecticut and one of the largest university bookstores in the U.S., is joining the Eco-Libris bookstores program.

Students and other customers at the UConn Co-op will have the opportunity to pay $1 to plant a tree to balance out every book they purchase in the store. They will also receive an Eco-Libris sticker (made of recycled paper) at the counter for each book they balance out, saying 'One tree planted for this book'.

Here's a little bit about the UConn Co-op:

The UConn Co-op is a member-owned independent bookstore serving the University of Connecticut and the surrounding communities. They have a strong commitment to the environment and have hosted a Sustainable Living Book Fair and Conference for the past three years. They also have a robust Sustainable Living section both in the store and online.

The UConn Co-op work closely with students who are studying to make their life-work making the world a better place. They also host many literary events, have a lively children’s department, and of course, many scholarly and academic titles.

If you're wondering what Co-op means, here the explanation from the store's website: The UConn Co-op is a not-for-profit, cooperative business, separate from the University. We are owned by our members, the students, faculty, staff and alumni of the University of Connecticut. The Co-op is governed by a Board of Directors elected by the members. And while our mission is to serve our University customers, we welcome anyone to shop at any of the Co-op stores. Details on membership in the co-op can be found here - http://www.bookstore.uconn.edu/members.htm.

You can learn more about the UConn Co-op on their website - http://www.bookstore.uconn.edu (don't miss their webcam).

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

Wal-Mart joins WWF's initiative to eliminate illegal logging

noreply@blogger.com (Raz Godelnik) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:19:00 +0000

Forests need strong allies to win their survival battles. This week it seems they have a new powerful friend that might help. His name is Wal-Mart.

Environmental Leader reports that the world's largest retailer has become a member of the Global Forest & Trade Network (GTFN), a WWF initiative to eliminate illegal logging and improve the management of valuable and threatened forests. By becoming a member, Wal-Mart pledges to help save endangered forests by using more wood from sustainable and certified sources.

WWF published a press release about the new member of GTFN this Monday, reporting that by joining the GFTN, Wal-Mart has committed to phasing out illegal and unwanted wood sources from its supply chain and increasing its proportion of wood products originating from credibly certified sources – for Wal-Mart stores and Sam’s Clubs in the United States.

“With nearly half of the world’s forests already gone, action is urgently needed,” Suzanne Apple, WWF’s VP for Business & Industry says in the news release. “Wal-Mart’s commitment to support responsible forestry answers that call to action. WWF welcomes the company to a global community committed to healthy business and healthy forests.”

I couldn't agree more with her. Although Wal-Mart have a lot of work to do on their end to become more environmental and social friendly, this step is definitely the right one in this direction.

In any case, if you're a forest, you want Wal-Mart on your side. With more than 176 million customers weekly in 14 markets, Wal-Mart have the power to make a difference in an extent that only few other retailers have.

So what's going to happen? according to the WWF news release, within one year, Wal-Mart will complete an assessment of where its wood furniture is coming from and whether the wood is legal and well-managed. Once the assessment is completed, Wal-Mart has committed to eliminating wood from illegal and unknown sources within five years. The company will also eliminate wood from forests that are of critical importance due to their environmental, socio-economic, biodiversity or landscape values and that aren’t well-managed.

Again, Kudos to Wal-Mart on this step and I hope to see many other retailers and companies follow suit and join this initiative.

Yours,

Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

Green Options: Ecopreneurist Disgusted By Trash, Ecopreneur Takes Action

noreply@blogger.com (Raz Godelnik) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 03:20:00 +0000

As part of Eco-Libris' ongoing content partnership with Green Options Media, we feature a post that was originally published by MC Milker on July 10 on Ecopreneuirst. Today's post is about two of my favorite green issues: green business and reusable bags.

Reusable bag entrepreneur Andy Keller has a lot to say about being well, an entrepreneur. Andy was a software guy back in 2005 when he happen to visit a landfill during a home improvement project and was shocked to discover just how many plastic bags were swirling in the wind…

…on fences, on trash heaps, with birds picking on them….

He told me that this was the moment that got him started on his entrepreneurial adventure. “Note to self,” he said, “I need to start using reusable bags.”

Of, course, back in 2005, the reusable bag trend was just starting. And, people were then, as they are now, carefully purchasing them and carelessly leaving them in the car instead of carrying them into the store with them.

So, Andy set out to create a reusable bag that was easy to carry and harder to leave in the car. ChicoBag, his growing company, manufactures light, washable and easy to carry bags in a variety of fun colors. The bags roll up into a handy carrying pouch and come with a belt or purse clip for added convenience.

So far, business is booming, but slowly… by design. When asked about advice he would give to other ecopreneurs Andy stressed slow growth was key. He also encouraged would be entrepreneurs to be passionate about their business….not to look at it purely as a business venture, but rather as a lifestyle.

Part of that passion for him is helping to rid the world of plastic bags so a key part of his business plan is the recycling program he has set up.

ChicoBag doesn’t want ANY reusable bag to be left in a dark closet or sent to a landfill.

Send us all of your tired masses of reusable bags, functional or not. We will distribute them to fixed and low income families ready to start a reusable bag habit or recycle them into new useful products.

Like many an entrepreneur, distressed by a situation, Andy set out to fix it. Well Done. Andy has a little side business going on here...producing these little Bag Monster videos. I'm going to follow up on this example of viral marketing and how it has worked for him.

Read More Posts About Ecopreneurs:

Naturally Successful: Inspiring Videos for Green Entrepreneurs

Ecopreneurs: We Must Be the Change

California Based Ecopreneur Aims to Bring Electric Cars to the Masses

Green Book Reviews - Ready, Set, Green by Graham Hill & Meaghan O'Neill (+ Free Book Giveaway)

noreply@blogger.com (Eylon Israely) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:28:00 +0000

In it's own way, 'Ready, Set, Green: Eight Weeks to Modern Eco-Living' can become an important book. It is a well written introduction to green living, that covers the basics, answers the most common questions and busts some myths while at it. It also gives very specific action items to tick off over a well structured period of eight weeks.

Written by Graham Hill and Meaghan O'Neill of TreeHugger.com, one of the most popular on-line green Meccas, it gets credibility and potential audience among the site's wired following. Add to that the fact that about a year ago TreeHugger was acquired by Discovery Communications, owners of the Discovery Channel, and here's a chance for bona fide green mass media exposure.

That is why I was surprised to realize that I really need to look relatively hard in order to find mentions of the book on TreeHugger.com (small link in the navigation bar to the book's Amazon page, of all places) or Discovery's Planet Green website (it is featured only at the Discovery shop), and that's only two months since the publication date.

Approaching the book, I was reminded of the introduction to 'The Omnivore's Dilemma'. There, Michael Pollen was illustrating how convoluted our food culture has become, so that the answer to the most trivial of questions, “What should we have for dinner?” becomes a complex endeavor, with the answer changing from fad diet to the other:

Somehow this most elemental of activities—figuring out what

to eat—has come to require a remarkable amount of expert help. How

did we ever get to a point where we need investigative journalists to tell

us where our food comes from and nutritionists to determine the dinner

menu?” (The Omnivore's Dilemma, Page 1)

The current influx of green living how-to books is coming to answer an even more basic question, that of “How should we live?” Hill & O'Neill are not afraid to give an answer and chunk it down to a bite-sized “Eight Week to Modern Eco-Living” program, echoing the famous Eight Weeks to Optimum Health diet by alternative medicine's poster doctor, Andrew Weil.

Marketing and packaging aside, do they deliver? I think they do. Each of the eight weeks in this lifestyle diet is dedicated to another aspect of life, represented in one chapter each:

Week one: How to think like a TreeHugger – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Week Two: Food & Drink

Week Three: Cleaning and Interior Décor

Week Four: Transportation

Week Five: Greening Your Home – Energy Consumption, Water, and Building

Week Six: Clothing and Personal Care

Week Seven: At the Office

Week Eight: R&R (Travel, Sport, Entertainment), Volunteering, and Activism.

Each chapter has the look & feel of a mini school textbook on the topic, only much more enjoyable to read. True to the “more hip than hippy” TreeHugger.com style, the writing is clear, with added tables, lists, illustrations and Q&A expert sections, that are actually on topic help divide the information into digestible bits.

The action items are at the end of each chapter and are divided to two types.

“Save the Planet in Thirty Minutes or Less” action items are what Ed Begley Jr. likes to call 'the low hanging fruits'. These are fairly easy and immediate ways to make a different, like starting to use a reusable coffee cup that week, or switching to at least one Earth-friendly house cleaning product.

The second type of action items are “So you Want to Do More” and are relatively deeper or more difficult commitments. Choosing apparel made of hemp or bamboo doesn't sound so difficult and life-changing, but becoming a Client Project ambassador certainly is.

All in all these actions can add up. Every reader that follows this eight week program, and adopts only the 30 minute fix-its, would be making a significant positive change in their life, and will be doing a thousand times more than most people to help reverse climate change.

But like changing your diet according to a set regime, the outline is useful only as far as there are strong personal motivations and commitments to take the plunge. I believe that these kind of lifestyle eco-diets are going to be successful in making a difference on a large scale only if there is enough support for the individual who pledged to go for it. I am talking about the likes of support groups a-la “weight watchers” and specialized 8-week eco-coaches to those who can afford it. Heck, why not a relaxation tape with subliminal messages reminding you not to leave the travel mug at home while at it? One thing is certain, we need all the help we can get.

Title: Ready, Set, Green: Eight Weeks to Modern Eco-Living

Authors: Graham Hill and Meaghan O'Neill

Publisher: Villard (a Random House imprint)

Published: May, 2008

Pages: 240

GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader can receive a free copy of the book directly from yours truly. This review copy has been with me the last few weeks in bus stops, the beach and the kitchen table, so expect reasonable wear and tear and an Eco-Libris sticker. Yep, we'll plant a tree to balance out the paper used in making this copy.

How to win? Simply – write a comment below, suggesting ingenious ways of convincing a reluctant domestic partner to join and support you in the eight weeks commitment. Good luck :)

[submissions accepted until Saturday, 12PM PST. The winner will be announced the following day]

Eylon @ Eco-Libris

Plant a Tree for every Book you Read!

Subscription option is available on Eco-Libris website

noreply@blogger.com (Raz Godelnik) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 03:21:00 +0000

We would like to remind you with an option that we added to Eco-Libris' website - subscription.

If you have a big library at home and you want to green it up one bookshelf or bookcase at a time, balancing out 5 or 10 books every month on regular basis, can be a good fit for you.

The process is very easy and similar to one-time purchase: On the subscription page you choose how many books you want to balance out each month. Then just click on the 'Buy' bottom and complete the payment process on the PayPal page. That's it.

Then, every month we'll balance out for you the amount of books you chose by planting trees in developing countries with our planting partners. You will receive a confirmation email from PayPal following the monthly payment, and of course you will also receive our stickers on monthly basis.

If and when you'll decide that you want to suspend your subscription, you will be able to do it easily and quickly on PayPal website.

We are very happy to offer this option to all the eco-conscious readers out there who want to balance out many books, but want to do it step after step and not all in once. If you have any questions about the subscription option, please feel free to email me at: raz [at] ecolibris [dot] net.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

Thoughts on the future of independent bookstores following the closing of Cody's Books

noreply@blogger.com (Raz Godelnik) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:17:00 +0000

About 3 weeks ago, Cody's books, the Berkeley bookstore was closed. Cody's was not only an independent bookstore, but also became over its 52 years of operation a Berkeley institution and as author Cory Doctrow wrote on Boing Boing " a beacon to readers and writers throughout the nation and across the world. "

I got to know Cody's Books only lately when they joined our bookstores program, and I quickly fell in love with this unique bookstore. I was very sad of course when I got the news from the store, and I couldn't stop wondering - if Cody's goes down, what does it indicate on the future of independent bookstores? and what can we done to prevent the next independent bookstore to shut its doors or even maybe to bring Cody's back to life?

Well, the 'Why' question is very obvious. Cody's was closed because it didn't generate enough income to stay in business. The owner, Hiroshi Kagawa of the Japanese firm IBC Publishing, said in a statement, according to the SFGate: "unfortunately, my current business is not strong enough or rich enough to support Cody's."

Although Cody's cut in expenses (smaller inventory, downsized staff), sales ad the general manager Mindy Galoob explains in the SFGate article "were not anywhere near what was needed." You don't have to be an economist to understand that when sales cannot cover costs, not to speak on generating profit, going out of business is unavoidable.

So what can be done? is that it? will market conditions win over independent bookstores and close them one by one? I think that the answer can be 'NO', but that's up to the local communities of book lovers. Yes, I think that it's time for local communities to raise up and support their local independent bookstores.

And I think it should be more that just a call for book lovers to come and buy books on local independent bookstores. There should be more than that. There should be a commitment. How come for example we have Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) to support local farmers and we don't have Community Supported Bookstores (CSB) to support local booksellers?

Just think if similar to the support in local farmers, local readers will commit to buy 12 books (one every month) from their local bookstore and will pay in advance for that, or even every month, but the commitment will be there, and so the stable cash flow that the bookstore know it can count on. Bookstores can even give incentive to pay in advance by giving one extra book for free. In any case, it can be easily become a win-win deal where book readers enjoy new books in good prices and bookstores will have more sales.

This kind of program can also be offered online for busy book readers who buy only in Amazon because they don't have time to visit the store, and to fans all over the world as well.

But independent bookstores also need to make an effort here. If they want communities to act like communities, they should do whatever they can to give them a feeling of community.

And it means to look for more creative ideas how to make the bookstore a place where book lovers can meet, both offline and online, exchange ideas and recommendations, interact, talk with authors, etc. It's especially true when it comes to a good online platform that can make all the difference, like the one we presented here two weeks ago of BookRabbit.

Back to Cody's. I think that even if we can't bring back Cody's to life (but I still hope it can happen), it's time to make sure we learn our lesson here and do our best independent bookstores will stay alive and continue to be a significant part of their communities' cultural life. Now it's definitely the time for action, before it gets too late for other independent bookstores as well.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

Do the Green Thing on July: turn off those sucking machines

noreply@blogger.com (Raz Godelnik) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 03:54:00 +0000

Welcome to The Machine. Every month we update you on the monthly green recommendation of our friends at 'Do The Green Thing'. This month they ask you to turn off those sucking machines.

What does it mean and what machines exactly we're talking about? The Green Thing team explain:

"This month we’re wrestling back the power. You see, we’ve slowly let machines take over – and not even big, scary machines like The Terminator or the Daleks. No, the ones that sit in the corner of our rooms looking all fun and innocent and labour-saving whilst secretly guzzling electricity like there’s no tomorrow.

Because unless you turn them off once you’re finished, they carry on sucking on the teat of your household power supply like needy greedy babies.So this month, let’s regain control of our electricity bills by terminating our X-boxes, tellies and hair straighteners when we’re done with them.And once you’ve spent one day shutting down every Sucking Machine you’re not using and snuffing out every light you don’t need, come back and click DONE IT so we can count up all the CO2 you’ve saved. Machines Suck. Don’t let them."

And if you want to see how you can suck them back, check this video clip, called 'The Riddle of the Noodle':

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

Le Mailing Vert - the French green version of direct marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Raz Godelnik) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:33:00 +0000

We wrote few times in the past about direct marketing and its environmental impacts (check here and here). This is definitely an issue where an innovative approach combining creativity, green basics and visionary thinking is required to make things better and greener. And we're happy to update you that someone is actually doing it!

Springwise reports that Paris-based direct marketing agency TBWA\Excel launched its Mailing Vert service (Le Mailing Vert) in partnership with envelope maker Manuparis, Vincent Printers, Groupe Moselle Vieillemard printers and direct marketing/sales logistics firm Diffusion Plus.

Excel is an agency of TBWA group that specializes in fundraising and commitment to social service associations, foundations and corporate citizens. I believe the idea behind the Mailing Vert service is to provide Excel's customers, many of whom are non-profits, with a greener offer that will enable them to have direct marketing campaigns, promoting their causes with as little environmental impact as possible.

According to Springwise, partners in Mailing Vert adhere to a charter including four principles:

1. To protect the environment, such as by purifying all waste water and using vegetable-based inks, solvents and cleaning agents.

2. To preserve raw materials and protect natural resources through the use of paper that's either recycled or derived from sustainably managed forests.

3. To track waste and minimize energy consumption, such as by optimizing transportation networks.

4. To measure and offset the ecological impact of each phase of the direct-mailing process.

All in all this is great news and I hope many advertising agencies will follow the example that Excel sets here. I know that in a perfect world we might be able to avoid direct marketing at all, but as it doesn't look that it's going to be vanished anytime soon, I guess we need to look for realistic solutions that will make sure that these campaigns will be made responsibly and will reduce their impact as much as possible. Excel definitely gives an example how it can be done.

And they're also doing it in a fun way (not less important!), as you can see from the video clip below.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

Green Options: 90% of Israeli Homes Solar Hot Water Equipped

noreply@blogger.com (Raz Godelnik) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:15:00 +0000

As part of Eco-Libris' ongoing content partnership with Green Options Media, we feature a post that was originally published by Joshua S Hill on July 7 on CleanTechnica. Today's post is about the good example Israel is giving with its vast usage of solar water heaters!

Last week I reported on a story that saw a new bill passed in Hawaii making it mandatory for every new home to have their hot water powered by solar panels. Signed in to law by Governor Linda Lingle, the bill will require all single-family homes built starting 2010 to have a solar panel powering the hot water system.

However Hawaii isn’t the trend setters we may have first thought them to be.

Over at MetaEfficient.com, they have an article pointing to the fact that 90% of Israeli homes already have solar water heaters. It began in the early 1950’s when the Israeli government encountered a fuel supply shortage, and restricted the times when water could be heated. In response, the people decided that they would start heating their own water using solar panels.

By 1983, 60% of the populated were using solar panels, and a law was eventually passed making what was already a common practice a law, regulating that all new houses be installed with a solar water heater.

Following in Israel’s step though, is Spain, who towards the end of 2004 saw their Industry Minister Jose Montilla, announce that starting the following year anyone who intended to build a new home would have to include solar panels in their plans.

Already Spain is the fourth largest manufacturer of solar power technology, exporting 80% of this to Germany. A country with more sunshine available than any other European country (try and work out how they figured that one), the Spanish government is committed to ensuring 12% of their primary energy is from renewable energy sources like solar by 2010.

For those wanting to see this in action, but don’t have the money to travel to Spain or Israel or even Hawaii, there are some simple tools to use from your own computer. A jump on to Google Earth will reveal a multitude of blurry out of focus shining squares on the tops of Jerusalem’s houses. And a visit to Flickr and searching for Jerusalem or Spain plus solar power, will reveal a veritable mass of photos showing solar panels atop houses.

In this way, from the smaller states and countries, let’s hope that in time, larger countries will follow.

credit: maryatexitzero at Flickr under a Creative Commons license

Monday's Green Books - The Urban Homestead

noreply@blogger.com (Eylon Israely) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:07:00 +0000

Urban Homesteading is about having your dream house in the country right here and now, in the middle of the city. Any city. Indulge in `guerrilla gardening' and enjoy a prodigious crop of tater tires. No waiting, no procrastinating, no excuses, no pain. Because, really, there is no reason not to.

Granted, terms like “Urban Homesteading”, “Tater Tires” and “Guerrilla Gardening” are just some example of the great copy sprouting from the green movement these days. Attractive, subversive, playful and just plain irresistible to some. Yep, I'm an easy convert, and so can you be.

The dream of many to get out of the city, settle down on acreage and start living off the land is not new. It reminds me of Gustave Flaubert's “Bouvard and Pécuchet” (1881). In this classic unfinished novel by Flaubert, published a year after his death, two middle-aged copy clerks meet on a bench in Paris, fall in love, and end up inheriting property and moving together to the country.

The novel then follows Bouvard and Pécuchet trying to make it in the countryside by learning various essential disciplines, while colossally, funnily and consistently, failing in all their endeavors. Many believe that the main theme of the book is of knowledge. It is in many ways a criticism of learning by copying, book knowledge in general, and the reluctance to learn from the local farmers and their old fashioned ways.

But it seems like today nearly everyone is a Bouvard or a Pécuchet when it comes to self sustainability, especially in urban settings.

Whereas in Flaubert's days most of the population were living on farms, most contemporary Americans have never even seen one. Book knowledge has been replaced by blogs, wikis, and on-line forum advice, and Xerox made copy-clerks obsolete long ago.,

Fast forward 127 years to a bungalow in Echo Park, Los Angeles, and to Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen's urban homestead. In their little house and property they garden, compost, pickle, bake, can, brew, create their own cleaning products, and everything else that is in the book's table of contents. All of this while having a life that includes a job, blogging, and writing a book. It seems that rather than a chronicle of failures, urban homesteading can be a journey of discovery.

The book is a well written fun guide that explains the hows and whys of urban sustainability without being too preachy about it. You get a sense of the authors' philosophy, but you certainly don't feel that you need to wholly subscribe to it, in order to adopt and adapt any or part of their methods and techniques.

Having just moved to a new place I am going to treat this as a handbook, so no free book giveaway this week folks. My homework: start a compost pile (duh), create a raised bed over part of the existing backyard lawn for planting some local edibles (I am thinking greens). I already started using garden clippings as mulch, and definitely going to brush up on my pickling techniques and ask my mom and aunts for some tips. The cleaning cabinet is going to downgrade to baking soda and vinegar, once the household is sold on it. And it may not be an easy sell. And then, like they suggest, I am going to take it slow. No need for a sudden metamorphosis. I am not going to start pooping in a bucket just yet.

NOTE: Process, the book's publishers, are planting a tree with Eco-Libris for every single book bought from their website. So check out their amazingly eclectic collection of wonderful books, and take advantage of their offer by buying directly from them right here.

Title: The Urban Homestead - Your guide to self-sufficient living in the heart of the city

Authors: Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen

Publisher: Process (self-reliance series, vol. 3)

Published: June 2008

Pages: 308

And the winner is:

noreply@blogger.com (Raz Godelnik) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 03:32:00 +0000

Thank you to all of our readers who took part in our giveaway of the review copy of "Seven Wonders for a Cool Planet". There were a lot of excellent suggestions for an eighth wonder and I really enjoyed the discussion.

And the winner is the reader Jennifer (JenO) that offered cloth as the eighth wonder, representing the use of reusable items instead of disposable alternatives - "There is so much waste in so many ways! I think cloth can make a big difference, if ppl would just use it! Cloth diapers, cloth napkins, cloth towels instead of paper towels, we even use the cloth wipes I made for the baby for tissues around the house." And if I may add, if this cloth is made of hemp or organic cotton that would be even greener.

Congrats to Jennifer and thank you again to all of the participants!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

Happy Birthday: Eco-Libris is one year old!

noreply@blogger.com (Raz Godelnik) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 03:34:00 +0000

I hope you all enjoyed a joyful 4th of July. We also had our own birthday celebration this week. Yes, Eco-Libris just turned one year old!

Wow. I can't believe a year passed since it all started..This was a very exciting year for all of us at Eco-Libris. We started one year ago with the vision of making reading more sustainable. We came with a lot of enthusiasm and big love for books and the environment. We wanted to establish a green company that will become an agent of change in the book industry.

One year later I am proud to report that we have balanced out so far 50,005 books, which results in 65,586 new trees that are being planted with our planting partners in developing countries!

And what a busy year it was! Here's a reminder of some of main things that we had on the first year:

We worked with publishers such as Kedzie Press and BookHouse that wanted to green up titles they published by planting trees for each and every printed copy of them. We also established other collaborations with publishers like Process and Barefoot Books.

We initiated our bookstores program that gives book buyers the opportunity to plant a tree for the book they just bought at the bookstore at the counter. We have now 22 bookstores in the program from the U.S., Canada and Ireland, including Strand Book Store (NY), Hue-Man Bookstore (NY), San Francisco State University (CA) and Black Bear Books (NC).
We worked with many eco-conscious readers from all over the world that balanced out through our website the books they read or buy by planting trees.

We collaborated with many authors that wanted to plant trees for their books and used our "One tree planted for this book” stickers (printed on recycled paper) when selling books directly from their website , or on book signing or launch events.

We had a joint campaign with Raincoast Books, the Canadian publisher and distributor.

We started a partership with Chegg, the textbook rental service that plant a tree for every textbook students rent with this great service.

We initiated a collaboration with BookMooch, the online book swapping community, and did with them a great promotion of green books on Earth Day.

We became a member of the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) of Greater Philadelphia.

We worked hard to increase the awareness in the need of change in the book industry, through this blog, by offering resources on our website, interviews in the media, starting communication with local organizations of publishers and bookstores, joint work with literature events, participation in green fairs, and establishing connections with libraries, green organizations and companies and anyone who wanted to learn more why and how reading should be made more sustainable.

And of course, we started this blog, that in time became an important source of news and views in the field of green reading. We prepared special green book guides, reviewed many green-themed books, covered many relevant issues, had special coverage on a report on he industry's footprint, started 'my green bookshelf' series and mainly had a lot of fun!

And what's next? we have a lot of of work in front of us! We are going to work harder on the second year to balance out more and more books, expand globally and bring the change we're looking for - make books greener and move towards sustainable reading!

I would like to take this opportunity and thank everyone involved in our efforts - from the dedicated eco-conscious readers that balance out their books with us, through our business partners that take action to support the environment all the way to our wonderful planting partners that are doing such a great job in planting the trees in developing countries.

And I'm happy to add a photo that is fresh from the oven. It just arrived from our planting partner AIR that worked last month on planting trees in Guatemala, some of them with the support of Eco-Libris, as you can see from the photo below that were provided to by AIR.

AIR volunteers plant trees that were purchased with the support of Eco-Libris in Itzapa, Guatemalla. The species planted are Pino Triste (Pseudotrobus); Fresno (Fraxinus Undei); Ilamo, aka Aliso (Alnus jourulensis); and Gravilea (Gravilea Robusta).

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

'My Green Bookshelf' with Karen Stewart and Howard Brown, the founders of Stewart+Brown

noreply@blogger.com (Raz Godelnik) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:35:00 +0000

We're happy to present you with another green guest on our new series 'My Green Bookshelf', where we're taking a look at the reading habits of interesting people from the green world with special focus on their green reading. Actually, today you'll get two in the price of one :-)

We are very excited to have with us today husband and wife duo, Karen Stewart and Howard Brown, the founders of the eco-fashion brand Stewart + Brown (http://www.stewartbrown.com/).

In 2002 Karen and Howard, partners in life and work, realized their destiny; They gave birth to a baby girl named Hazel Stewart Brown and a baby brand named Stewart+Brown, which ever since was always at the cutting edge of eco fashion and style.

Design for Karen and Howard is a passion and a way of life. Their professional journey stems from a union of creativity and purpose. Karen, a trained painter and New York native, and Howard, a graphic artist and Montana native, oversee every aspect of the product and brand themselves. Each Stewart+Brown collection, at an elemental level, is a fusion of experiences and insights filtered through their creative core and rendered into their own unique and personal aesthetic.

Howard Brown replied to our questionnaire on behalf of the couple.

When do you find the time to read? what are your favorite genres?

I read headlines and articles during the day but it's hard for me to find the time and focus to read novels. I read a lot about current events and global economics. I have a subscription to the New York Times Sunday edition and usually spend the Sunday mornings and the first part of the week to get through it.For leisure reading my favorite genres are non-fiction and biographies. I don't care for fiction and never have.

How many books do you have in your library at home?

A few thousand. Among other things, my wife and I collect vintage art and design books.

What's your favorite green book?

I don't know if you would consider it a green book but I'm in the middle of Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan and it's the best book I've read in awhile.

Who is your favorite green author?

Not that he's green but I've been reading everything by Michael Pollan that I can get my hands on...he writes a column for the NYT online edition and various editorials for them as well. I also like Paul Hawken a lot.

What green books do you have in your library at home?

Way too many to name. Most of which I / we have not read.

Do you borrow books from friends? do you lend yours to others after you read them?

Yes and yes.

Are you registered to a library?

Yes.

If you had to go to a deserted island, what 3 books would you take with you?

I'd probably bring 3 books that had to do w/desert island survival - how to grow food, identify indigenous plants to eat, build shelters, etc. And also Robinson Crusoe.

What's your favorite bookstore?

I like Powell's in Portland and The Strand and St. Mark's Books in New York. But since I live in California, I do most of my book shopping on Amazon.com

E-books - for or against?

I've never experienced an e-book but I'm not sure why I'd be against them.

And just a reminder: as a small token of appreciation to our guest on the series, Eco-Libris will plant with its planting partners 50 new trees on behalf of each and every guest in the series!

You're welcome to check out other guests we had on 'My Green Bookshelf':

Sophie Young, founder of g=9.8

Ron Gonen, Co-founder and CEO of RecycleBank

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

* photos of Karen and Howard and Stewart+Brown items are courtesy of Stewart+Brown.

New green campaign in Turkish schools will save 1.27 million trees a year!

noreply@blogger.com (Raz Godelnik) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:47:00 +0000

Green news from Turkey. The Turkish newspaper, Today's Zaman, reported on a new new book exchange campaign launched by the Ministry of Education that will be aimed at "saving millions of trees, protecting the environment and contributing to the country’s economy."

Every year 155 million books are distributed by the Ministry to students in Turkey. Most of these books, according to the article, are thrown into the trash at the end of the year. The cost of these books to the Turkish public is more than USD 800 million annually.

The Turkish Ministry of Education understood like many others that going green is a win-win deal - benefiting the environment and saving in costs. So it changed the concept from a distribution plan to an exchange project, where books will be given to students temporarily and they will be returned at the end of the educational term. The Ministry expects to save more than 1.27 million trees every year with this project. It also estimates that it will save USD 110 million annually (50% of the paper used to publish textbooks is imported, costing $750 million annually).

This is a great move and I congratulate the Turkish Ministry of Education for it. I was also very happy to read in the article that according to the Turkish Ministry, Germany, Austria, the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, England, France, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Japan, Korea and China were applying the same or a similar method at their schools. It makes so much sense (and similar in many ways to the renting concept of our friends and partners at Chegg), not to mention the educational added-value for the young students!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

Green Options 2: The Nature Conservancy: 320,000 Acres of Forest Protected in Landmark Deal

noreply@blogger.com (Raz Godelnik) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:55:00 +0000

Usually we republish every Tuesday one post from Green Options, but today we make an exception and republish two. The reason is a very important announcement of the Nature Conservancy on one of the most significant conservation sales in history. We wanted to bring you the full announcement with all the details, and we thank Jonathon D. Colman for approving to reprint his post that was originally posted on PlanetSave on June 30. Eco-Libris congratulate the Nature Conservancy for this remarkable deal and we hope to see many more acres of forestlands being preserved with their help!

Few places on Earth are as untouched as the "Crown of the Continent" — a 10-million-acre expanse of mountains, valleys and prairies in Montana and Canada. The area has sustained all the same species — including grizzlies, lynx, moose and bull trout — for at least 200 years.

Now — in one of the most significant conservation sales in history — The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land have preserved 320,000 acres of forestlands in western Montana that provide valuable habitat for species in the Crown of the Continent.

"There hasn't been an animal extinction here since Lewis and Clark encountered it in the early 19th century," explains Kat Imhoff, the Conservancy's state director in Montana. "It's the only such ecosystem in the Lower 48 states."

The deal is part of the Conservancy’s large-scale efforts to protect forestlands around the world — the majority of which are working forests supplying sustainably harvested timber.

Over the past five years, the Conservancy has protected 3.5 million acres of forestlands — at a time when nearly one-half of Earth’s original forest cover is gone and global deforestation rates continue to rise.

'A Landmark Conservation Project' That Also Benefits People

The initiative — known as the Montana Legacy Project — helps more than nature. Crucial to the deal are its benefits to people, including:

Maintaining the forests in sustainable timber management — keeping jobs in Montana and maintaining local businesses.

Promoting continued public access to these lands for fishing, hiking and other recreational pursuits.

Helping to curtail a growing trend nationwide — the conversion of timberlands into residential developments.

"This is a landmark conservation project that will benefit the environment and help to maintain strong local businesses," says Imhoff.

Stopping Habitat and Landscape Fragmentation

The land is being sold to the Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land by Plum Creek Timber Company, the largest private landowner in the United States and owner of 1.2 million acres of forestlands in Montana.

In recent years, a downturn in the timber industry has led companies such as Plum Creek and International Paper to divest their holdings and sell their land — much of which has been bought by developers and subdivided into smaller parcels, fragmenting large landscapes.

The lands covered in the agreement include multiple parcels spread across western Montana, primarily in Swan Valley and areas surrounding Missoula.

Together, these lands provide crucial pathways for wide-ranging animals such as grizzly bears and wolverines to feed, breed and rear their young. The area also includes some of the most popular recreation lands in the western United States.

Under the Montana Legacy Project, the purchased lands will be transferred into a mixture of private, state and federal ownership, allowing sustainable timber harvesting for Plum Creek for up to 15 years.

Conservation easements will restrict subdivision and home development on the vast majority of lands sold into private ownership. And maintaining public access for recreation will be a top priority. Neither the Conservancy nor The Trust for Public Land will retain long-term ownership of any lands.

The Farm Bill's Role

Funding for the $510 million purchase could come from several private and public sources—including a new Qualified Conservation Forestry Bonds program that was included in the recently passed federal Farm Bill.

The bonds were designed to help fund the purchase of ecologically important lands that are adjacent to existing U.S. Forest Service owned-lands. The purchased lands would eventually be conveyed to the Forest Service. Funding for the purchase is also being sought from other sources, including the state of Montana, private philanthropists and investors.

This would be the first forest-protection effort to receive these newly designated bonds, which were championed by U.S. Senator Max Baucus of Montana.

"This project is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to protect these lands for our families and future generations," said Montana Senator Max Baucus, who helped facilitate the agreement.

"It will keep jobs in Montana, help maintain our communities and our working forests, and preserve public access for hunting and fishing. This will be the most significant land conservation project in the state's history, by far, and I'm proud to be part of it."

Green Options: Sustainable Living Rule #2: Have FUN

noreply@blogger.com (Raz Godelnik) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:59:00 +0000

As part of Eco-Libris' ongoing content partnership with Green Options Media, we feature a post that was originally published by Caroline Savery on June 30 on Sustainablog. Today's post includes useful advice for those who wish to to live sustainably.

If the revolution isn't fun, you're doing it wrong.

I often wonder what people imagine when they hear I'm trying to live environmentally sustainably for three months. Do they picture me living in a tree, hunting rabbits and eating grass? Do they think "oh, I could never do that for myself," or do they think I'm lying?

Sure, establishing and maintaining a sustainable lifestyle goes against the grain. It can be draining, and it may not be possible to implement the chosen lifestyle modifications in your expected timeframe, which can be discouraging.

But to innovate a way of living that is in keeping with your ideals can be the most empowering thing you ever do. Sustainable living is creative--it will always require imagination and a good dose of gumption. It gets you "out there," doing new and radical things that you may have never thought you would do. That, my friends, is living!

My two months of sustainable living so far have been rocky. Sometimes I don't eat as many calories as I should in one day. I will skip meals--not because I'm trying to lose weight, but because the sustainable food choices aren't accessible enough to me, either because I don't feel like biking for an hour to get some produce, or I don't have the time to cook, etc. Sometimes it feels like a chore to live environmentally sustainably.

But it always felt like a chore to go to work every morning, too. It felt like a chore to pay bills, a chore to clean my house. Overall, I feel significantly freer now than I ever have before. And slowly but surely, I am replacing old unsustainable routines with new ones, and settling into them. My life has frequently felt unstable over the past two months, due to many factors. I dug up my old lifestyle and it's been hard... until I am now beginning to lay the foundation for a new life.

Here's something I must stress about living sustainably: if you're not having any fun, stop doing it! (Don't worry, I make this mistake all the time.) Your health must absolutely come before some vague goal of environmental perfection. You will never be perfect, but then again... that should never be a goal. Resolve, instead, to be exactly you.

A truly sustainable lifestyle incorporates what is environmentally sustainable AND what is personally essential for you to be happy. A sustainable lifestyle means:

You must get out of the house. It's easy to get stuck in one mindset, or on one project, and feel it impossible to see a solution. Be careful not to hole up with your green project--include the community in designing it. Trade skills--if you want help building a solar shower, ask your neighbors or friends in exchange for a favor to them. Mutual aid is more than just empowering--it is essential! Connect, organize, live!

You must spend time with your friends. If they want to meet at a bar, go ahead--simply don't drink (or ask for a local brew), and eat before you go. A better option would be to stay in--so don't be shy to suggest it. Explain why you'd rather know where you food and liquor are coming from, and invite them to spend time at your place. That way you can provide a smorgasbord of tasty local and organic treats, all while boozing it up with a locally or HOME brewed beer (in Pittsburgh, check out the East End Brewery or the Church Brew Works.) Once your pals see what totally awesome green projects you are working on, they'll likely be willing to help!

You must include activities that enrich your life. This past weekend I spent hours exchanging songs with a new friend, then made a creative dinner with available ingredients. The next day I went to a fundraiser brunch made from redeemed foods, and after that I biked to an activist organizing meeting. Have you ever tried growing your own food before? Why not? Try it! Have you ever tried building your own solar cooker before? Give it a go! Living is learning.

You must be willing to be patient. Maybe your friend is having a difficult emotional time right now, and needs you more than your new water heater does. Maybe you need to give yourself a day to just sit, and process some of the inner changes associated with reorganizing your life and priorities. Don't push yourself like I did to create a sustainable lifestyle within a strict deadline. Simply commit to growing towards what you truly believe in, and away from participating in what you don't. Commit to learning and reading as much as you can.

Despite the tumult, I'd be lying if I said that these past two months haven't been profoundly transforming. My future possibilities are broader than ever before. There is little left that I think I can't do, and plenty more that I think I would like to do. I feel... fulfilled.

Join me!