Eco-Libris blog

Barefoot Books launched their new website!

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:16:00 +0000

Barefoot Books is, a great publisher of children's books and our partner, is presenting a new website. Their website, which is beautifully designed is very inviting and you can spend there hours enjoying great content.

So what you can find there? how about recommendations for beach reads, connecting with the Barefoot community, check out Barefoot's bestsellers, download fun activities for your kids and of course read about our collaboration!

Check it out at http://www.barefootbooks.com/

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green reading

Another green book review week is coming!

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 03:37:00 +0000

After a successful green book review week we had last May, our bookshelf is full again with great green books waiting for their turn to be reviewed, so we'll do it again!

This upcoming we'll have a green book review not only on Monday, but on every day of the week!

And of course, more reviews mean more giveaways, so next week watch out for three giveaways in one week!

We have some really great books, which cover a wide range of green themes. Here's our plan for next week:

Monday:The Green Year: 365 Small Things You Can Do to Make a Big Difference by Jodi Helmer

Tuesday: The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle

Wednesday: A Conservationist Manifesto Scott Russell Sanders

Thursday: The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget: Save Money. Save Time. Save the Planet by Josh Dorfman

Friday: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Greening Your Business by Trish Riley and Heather Gadonniex

See you on Monday!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
Eco-Libris: promoting green reading!

"Beyond the Cold" by Michael Kleiner receives first place in Beach Book Festival

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 03:37:00 +0000

We're always happy to update you with prizes and awards that books we're working with are receiving.

This time it's "Beyond the Cold: An American’s Warm Portrait of Norway" by Michael Kleiner that received receive first prize in the autobiography/biography category of The Beach Book Festival.

Michael is a fellow SBN member and he plants a tree with every copy sold of his book, which chronicles Kleiner’s year living in

Norway

with his family at age 11, attending a Norwegian school, learning a different language, new sports and about Norwegian culture. He has returned five times as an adult, and he develops an affinity and passion for the country, its culture and people although he is not of Norwegian descent. Not only does he find a second home and family, but a country that is more than cold weather and that these intercultural experiences contributed to the person he has become.

You could read more about the prize here at http://www.beyondthecold.com/pressroom.htm

The book is available through his web site – http://www.beyondthecold.com – which also has blogcasts of his appearances; Infinity Publishing’s web site store – http://www.buybooksontheweb, as well as Amazon and barnesandnoble.com.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

My Summer Reading with Kathleen Wilson, author of the new eco-fantasy "Rumer and Qix"

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:54:00 +0000

This week it's on our series My Summer Reading we have the pleasure to have with us Kathleen S. Wilson, the author of the new book 'Rumer & Qix: The Race to Terra Incognita'.

Kathleen consults with media companies on digital strategy and creative development and teaches in the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She is the author of a new book, “Rumer & Qix: The Race to Terra Incognita” – a futuristic, eco-fantasy adventure for tweens and all those who are forever tweens at heart. To learn more about “Rumer & Qix”, visit http://www.rumerandqix.com.

Kathleen is collaborating with Eco-Libris and for every sold copy of 'Rmuer & Qix' a new tree will be planted with us. Buyers of the new book will also receive our "One tree planted for this book" sticker.

Hi Kathleen, what are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading “The Earthsea Trilogy” by the incredibly imaginative and original Ursula Le Guin. I became intrigued when I read that one of my favorite animators, Hayao Miyazaki, a pre-eminent Japanese anime writer/director, once approached Le Guin to make a film based on her Earthsea series, was rejected at first, then later granted the rights.

What I’m planning to read + recommendations:
Points of View: An Anthology of Short Stories by Moffett and Mcelheny - The short story format is perfect for librophiles when on summer days everyone's pressuring you to put down the book and pick up a Frisbee. You can get your literary fix in 50 pages or less while still enjoying long sunny days.

Any recommendation on a good summer reading?
It’s great to have a range of options available in the summer depending on things like your mood, the weather, where you are and who you’re with.

Some of the summer reads I’ve enjoyed over the years are “World of Wonders” the last book in a trilogy by Canadian writer Robertson Davies, the science fiction classic, “Enders Game” by Orson Scott Card, Neal Stephenson’s eco-thriller “Zodiac,” “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night,” a fascinating, first-person insight into Asperger’s Syndrome by Mark Haddon and, for readers of all ages, “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss.

What you are planning to read this summer?
As always, there are so many books I’d like to read that I don’t know where to begin. I’m into a fantasy streak at the moment and a few that keep bubbling up to the top of my list are “The Wind Up Bird Chronicle: A Novel” by Haruki Murakami because it’s been described as both surreal and amusing, “The Gone Away World” by Nick Harkaway, which is supposed to be a post-apocalyptic fantasy with funny moments, “The Dark is Rising” by Susan Cooper, a magical, mythical fantasy that has been adapted to film and, not a fantasy, but still intriguing, “The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World" by Michael Pollan.

What is your favorite place to read in the summer?
I live in NYC and, like everyone who lives in a big city, tend to spend too much time inside. When the warm weather arrives, I love to find a place outside to read. After a long winter, it feels like a dream to sit on the grass under a tree with a good book in any of the city’s fantastic parks, or at a table at one of the many restaurants with outside seating, or to escape the city altogether to find a spot to read by the ocean or in the mountains, either of which can be reached within a couple of hours from NewYork City.

Thanks Kathleen!

So far on My Summer Reading series:

Christian Valentiner of the Norwegian publisher Flux

Avrim Topel, co-author of 'My Green Beginnings'

Tania Hershman, author of 'The White Road and Other Stories'

Elisabeth Baines, author of the upcoming book 'Too Many Magpie'

Erica Caldwell of the bookstore Present Tense

Sue Schrader of the bookstore Sources of Hope

Jennifer Taylor of GreetQ

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green reading

An event at Bryant Park Reading Room on Wednesday with some great green authors and experts

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:18:00 +0000

If you're by any chance on New York next Wednesday (and why shouldn't you? it should be a nice day with 80 degrees), we got an offer you can't refuse: an event at the beautiful Bryant Park Reading Room with some of the most interesting green authors and experts around. And it's free!

The list of participants include a CEO of one of the most innovative green companies and the author of "Revolution in the Bottle", the editor of Edible Manhattan, a Canadian journalist who wrote a book on her 366-day journey to live a more environmentally conscious lifestyle, making one positive change each day and a food writer who chronicles in a new book her experiences as an urban farmer.

Sounds interesting? Here are more details on the event:

Greening Gotham

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Moderated by Maureen Hackett, Director of Horticulture Bryant Park

Participants: Novella Carpenter (Farm City), Gabrielle Langholtz (Editor of Edible Manhattan), Tom Szaky (Revolution in a Bottle: How TerraCycle Is Redefining Green Business) and Vanessa Farquharson (Sleeping Naked is Green).

Learn just what it takes to turn concrete into vegetables, skyscrapers into eco-buildings, and parks into havens, at a special author panel dedicated to creating a greener Gotham. At this event, Maureen Hackett (Director of Horticulture Bryant Park) talks with a panel of experts and authors with stories to tell about how they are helping the planet.

The event is FREE and open to the public. For updates and additional information, please visit the website at www.bryantpark.org. The Bryant Park Reading Room located on the 42nd Street side of the park - under the trees - between the back of the NYPL & 6th Avenue. Look for the burgundy and white umbrellas. Rain Venue: Library of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen 20 West 44th Street (between 5th & 6th Avenue). New York.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green reading

Green printing is going mainstream!

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:35:00 +0000

We were happy to read that green printing is now not only the quest of a small number of printers, but it's also on the agenda of the the world’s largest graphic arts trade association - Printing Industries of America.

Yes, Printing Industries of America is providing now its members with a new tool for who wants to go green: The Green Guide for Graphic Communications.

According to their website the guide will help printers to turn your green profile into a market position, make appropriate and credible green claims, issue periodic reports on your green progress, better understand third-party certification and eco-labels,communicate effectively with customers, prospects, and other stakeholders, and so on.

It sounds like a valuable “how-to” guide for printers, that shows them how going green can not only benefit the environment, but also their business, and I hope many of them will make a good use of it.

This guide is provided free of charge to members of Printing Industries of America. You can read more about the guide at http://www.printing.org/greenguide?id=PGAMA

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting green printing

Happy Birthday - Eco-Libris is two years old!

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:42:00 +0000

Last weekend when the United States celebrated Independence Day, Eco-Libris had its own birthday celebration - we have just turned two years old!

Yes, another year passed and let me tell you - it wasn't an easy one. Like many others we had to cope with difficult economy and work hard to keep our heads above the water. At the same time, we try to look at these difficulties as an opportunity to improve, innovate, develop new programs and explore more ways to pursue our mission more effectively.

Still it was a year of progress - we managed to create more partnerships, enhance our educational work, tighten our relationships with our planting partners, contribute to the discussion about green issues in the book industry and of course plant more trees!

I am proud to report that Eco-Libris balanced out so far 98,066 books, which resulted in 111,390 new trees, of which 45,525 are the result of our operations on the second year.

Here's a reminder of some of things we did on this year, month by month:

July 2008
The UConn co-op joins Eco-Libris bookstores program

Madeline Kaplan, author of "Planet Earth Gets Well" is collaborating with Eco-Libris

Subscription option is becoming available on Eco-Libris website

August 2008
BlogHer's first book "Sleep is for the Weak" is going green with Eco-Libris

Tania Hershman, author of "The White Road and Other Stories" is collaborating with Eco-Libris

New collaboration with Bookworm Baskets, which sells book-themed gift baskets

September 2008
GreetQ, an online greeting card retailer, is collaborating with Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris is contributing to a demonstration of a green campus residence hall

A collaboration with Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing in an educational contest for kids

October 2008
New partnership with the Norwegian publisher Flux starts with a book on Arne Næss

Eco-Libris is collaborating with Dutch author Annet Struik

"The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear" is going green with Eco-Libris

November 2008
A new collaboration with Aaspirations Publishing, a proud green publisher

We have a monthly newsletter with special offers to our subscribers

Eco-Libris is collaborating with BookSwim in an holiday campaign

December 2008
We publish the annual assessments of our planting partners

An interview on Treehugger.com

Publishing the Green Collar Holiday Gift Guide for Book Lovers

January 2009
Collaboration with eBook publisher, Wyrdwood Publications, starts with "The Mouse in the Viking's Beard"

Publishing an interview with Greg Barber, an eco-friendly printer

Celebrating a new year with a new series - My green resolution for 2009

February 2009
Eco-Libris is available now at Hooray for Books! in Old Alexandria, Virginia

Celebrating another successful planting season of our planting partner RIPPLE Africa with photos from Malawi

We report on our blog on a green publisher that bits the recession - Chelsea Green Publishing

March 2009
The publisher and the author of "Sammy and Sue Go Green Too!" is collaborating with Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris on the cover of Awareness Magazine

New collaboration with the authors of "Green Beginnings"

April 2009
Raincoast Books and Eco-Libris are collaborating in a green campaign "Buy a book, Plant a tree"

Eco-Libris is taking part in a green reading event of the Chicago Bulls in a local school

A green campaign on Facebook

May 2009
A joint campaign with Barefoot Books in celebration of their new book 'Earth Tales'

Partnering with Pilcrow Lit Fest in Chicago

Participating in BookExpo America

June 2009
In collaboration with Greg Barber, we start a new series on our blog of weekly green printing tips

New collaboration with Kathleen Wilson, the author of the new book 'Rumer & Qix: The Race to Terra Incognita'

Bambeco, an online retailer of eco-friendly and stylish products for the home, is collaborating now with Eco-Libris

And what's next? we already work on new programs that we believe will assist us in achieving our goals - greening up the book industry and making reading more sustainable.We'll have more details soon so stay tuned!

We would also 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.

Thank you all!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

*photo is courtesy of RIPPLE Africa from the 2008/9 planting season - Makuzi Afforestation club

Green printing tip #5: How to avoid being greenwashed when buying printing services?

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:03:00 +0000

We have another great tip for you on our weekly series of green printing tips, where we bring you in collaboration with Greg Barber, an experienced eco-friendly printer.

Today Greg is providing very useful advice how customers can and should avoid one of the biggest hurdles they're facing while going green - greenwashing.

How can I avoid being green washed in being a green buyer of printing?

Tip #5

This is easier said than done. Buying printing takes a lot of education on the terminology. I suggest that you know the basic terminology. I have three examples of potential Green Washing.

Example 1 - Recycled paper is paper that has a minimum of 30% post-consumer content. 100% recycled paper is based on the post-consumer content of paper. So, when a printer says they are using 100% recycled paper, I ask how much post-consumer is in the paper.This is a potential green washing. To make a big deal about 100% recycled paper when in fact the paper is maybe 30% recycled.

Example 2 - Chlorine Free paper that is bleached with hydrogen peroxide or oxygen is considered Process Chlorine Free (PCF). Paper that was bleached with Chlorine Dioxide is considered Elementally Chlorine Free (ECF). Processed Chlorine Free is chlorine free. Elemental Chlorine Free is really not chlorine free and can cause Dioxins. if a printer says the paper is chlorine free, you need to ask is it Processed Chlorine Free. This is a potential for green washing - making an ECF bleached paper sound like it is chlorine free.

Example 3 - FSC and Soy inks for printing sounds good, but ask how much post-consumer waste does the paper have, and what is the name of the paper. A 14 PT coated paper that is advertised a lot on many printer websites, is probably not even a recycled paper, and certainly not chlorine free. You need to be 100% post-consumer to be processed chlorine free. If the 14 PT is even recycled, it is ECF, or Elementally Chlorine Free, and does contain chlorine dioxide, and can cause dioxins.

The biggest Green Washing: Making a non recycled paper sound terrific, by attaching the FSC emblem and the Soy ink emblem to the advertising.I have always said that when stating FSC paper, include the other emblems. 100% post-consumer recycled, 100% processed chlorine free, Green E, etc.FSC is only one small element in determining the paper is environmental. The other emblems mean more.

If you have any further questions following our tips, or you have a specific question you want us to address, please email us to info@ecolibris.net .

More links:

Green Printing Tip #4 - What does FSC Certified mean? Is it enough?

Green Printing Tip #3 - How you make sure everyone knows you're using green printing practices

Green Printing Tip #2 - How you can make money while printing on 100% recycled paper

Green Printing Tip #1 - Go for a digital job

You can also find further valuable information on Greg Barber Company's website - http://www.gregbarberco.com.

All the tips are archived and saved on http://www.ecolibris.net/greentips.asp (part of our green printing tools & resources page).

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

When saving your customers money and saving the planet at the same time is not enough

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:46:00 +0000

Is establishing a win-win model where customers save money and the environment at the same time enough to ensure your success as a business? Apparently not as demonstrates the case of GreenPrint Technologies.

The New York Times had a very interesting article on the Sunday Business section about this company, which developed a software that according to their website"makes it easy to print only the pages you want saving you around $100 a year on paper and ink, as well as helping to save millions of trees."

This software is a great idea and it definitely creates a win-win model for customers - who wouldn't like to buy a software that cost around $70 for a corporate user and start making money on it from the first year (as savings are around $100 a year for a typical employee printing 10,000 pages at 6 cents a page), not to mention the reduction of your carbon footprint, saving many many trees and supporting the environment in general.

According to the article there's one problem - the software still has some operational issues, such as working too slow or chocking on large documents such as PowerPoint. And the company is learning the lesson that is widely common in the green marketplace - customers don't like to tradeoff. In this case, giving up time to reduce paper consumption.

The company is working now on version 2 of its software which should solve these issues, working faster and offering network administrators more reports on who's printing what and how much money is save (savings' visibility is very important!).

I think GreenPrint is a great company and also their journey from a bright idea to a successful company is not over yet, I believe their model with an improved product will get them there and it's definitely recommended to follow them and of course to check out their product (there's a free version you can download at their website - http://www.printgreener.com/).

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting green printing

Did you see our planting partner SHI on Oprah Magazine?

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:05:00 +0000

Getting a mention on Oprah Magazine is the desire of many (including Eco-Libris!).

We haven't got there yet, but we're proud to have a planting partner who did - Sustainable Harvest International (SHI).

On the June Issue of Oprah Magazine you can a profile of 4 Hotels With an Edge On "Voluntourism", or in other words hotels that "are helping guests plug into charitable projects during their stays."

One of the hotels profiled on the magazine is Cotton Tree Lodge in Belize and you can read there also about their unique partnership with SHI. The magazine describes how you can volunteer:

"If you don't mind a little mud on your boots, join SHI for daylong projects in the surrounding villages, helping families plant vegetable gardens, build chicken coops, or construct eco-friendly wood-burning stoves."

You can read more about it here - http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/omagazine/200906-omag-volunteer-vacations/2

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing

My Summer Reading with Jennifer Taylor of GreetQ

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:16:00 +0000

This week it's on our series My Summer Reading we have a dear guest from Seattle - Jennifer Taylor, the owner of GreetQ.

GreetQ offers a unique service: shoppers can buy paper greeting cards online, add a personal message, then schedule the cards to be sent on a specific date. GreetQ then mails the personalized card to the recipient on behalf of their customers on that specific date. The scheduled cards, which can be scheduled for up to one year in advance, are queued online in the customer’s “card-queue.”

GreetQ is collaborating with Eco-Libris to plant a tree for every 10 greeting cards purchased through the GreetQ.com's website.

Hi Jennifer, what are you reading now?
It's Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be: The World's Best Selling Book - I believe the target audience for this book is graphic designers and marketers. However it works as a sort of self-help book for creative types of all sorts, serving as cheerleader with the intention of convincing readers that they can accomplish the impossible. It's a brief read and I've actually completed it already but plan to carry it around in my summer tote, referring back to its more epiphanic sections all season.

I've been a long-time fan of this genre ever since it was introduced to me by one of its top purveyors, my college professor, who's also a brilliant prize-winning short story writer, Josip Novakovich. And although his work is still one of my favorites, I often find myself longing for the classics like Updike & Capote. Which is exactly why the "Points of View" anthology, loaned to me by a friend, is right up my literary alley. I have a lot of anthologies but this is the best collection I've seen thus far. And it includes one of my all time faves: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.

The Bedside Baccalaureate - It's full title, "The Bedside Baccalaureate: A Handy Daily Cerebral Primer to Fill in the Gaps, Refresh Your Knowledge & Impress Yourself & Other Intellectuals," sounds a bit pretentious but you'll be thankful you bought it when at your 4th of July BBQ someone asks "Hey, who wrote the 1st draft of the Declaration of Independence again?"

Okay, maybe that won't happen but you'll feel great when by the end of the summer you've filled in all of those pesky knowledge gaps. And like the short-story anthology, the information in this book is given in brief, summer-sized bites on topics ranging from Environmental Science to Art History to Philosophy.

1984 - This is a must-read that I've passed over for far too long. Described as one of the best works of modern fiction of all time, I've decided to finally give it a go this summer.

Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office - Again, a book with a very long title but as intended, it certainly caught my attention. I'm not usually a fan of "chick-lit" but how can one pass up a read with a title like this? I may have to make a fake "War and Peace" bookcover to read it however. After all, this is Seattle.

What is your favorite place to read in the summer?

I don’t abandon my beloved coffee shops during the summer. They really are the perfect place to read year-round.

There aren’t enough coffee shops with outdoor seating here but the next best thing is shops with lots of natural sunlight and plenty of big windows. Like the Seattle’s Best Coffee shop across the street from Pike Place Market whose large storefront windows swing open. Or Zoka which also has huge windows, lots of wood paneling, big comfy leather chairs and sort of resembles a library. In the fall, you’d be hard pressed to find a seat, but come summer when all of the college students have headed home, it’s the perfect place to park with a book for an hour or two.

Thanks Jennifer!

More information on GreetQ can be found at http://www.greetq.com/

So far on My Summer Reading series:

Christian Valentiner of the Norwegian publisher Flux

Avrim Topel, co-author of 'My Green Beginnings'

Tania Hershman, author of 'The White Road and Other Stories'

Elisabeth Baines, author of the upcoming book 'Too Many Magpie'

Erica Caldwell of the bookstore Present Tense

Sue Schrader of the bookstore Sources of Hope

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green publishing

Planet Earth Gets Well is partnering with Earth Day Network in a new green contest for children

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:33:00 +0000

We have a great partnership with Madeline Kaplan, author of "Planet Earth Gets Wel". Madeline is planting a tree with us for every copy her wonderful children's book and is adding our sticker to the books sold.

Last April the book was involved in a program of the Chicago Bulls to promote green in a local school (you can see pictures from the Bull's event here), and today we're proud to report on a new environmental partnership of "Planet Earth Gets Well".

The book, which addresses environmental concerns in a child-friendly format, is partnering with Earth Day Network to promote the 2010 Student Climate Change Solutions Contest in schools across the country commencing August 1, 2009 and concluding on October 23, 2009. Two winners will be announced on November 2, 2009.

Targeted to children ages 4-9, a sector of the market where there is a void in materials which promote environmental awareness, the book will serve as the centerpiece of the contest helping Earth Day Network expand its reach to new audience members in preparation for the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, to be celebrated in April 2010. “As we approach the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, we are excited to share these educational opportunities with our younger audience to engage them in climate change solutions,” explains Brenna Holzhauer, Education Coordinator at Earth Day Network.

The 2010 Student Climate Change Solutions Contest will encourage teachers in grades K-4 to read Planet Earth Gets Well with their students and to utilize a related lesson plan to introduce age-appropriate concepts surrounding climate change. The book will be offered at a discount to teachers by visiting http://www.planetearthgetswell.com/ and lesson plans will be available for free download from the Earth Day Network’s Educators’ Network at http://www.earthday.net/node/12. There will also be a back-to-school poster contest for students aimed at resolving climate change which will be tied to the Earth Day 2010 theme, “The Green Generation™.”

Selected by the Earth Day Network’s Education Department, the two winners of the 2010 Student Climate Change Solutions Contest will be celebrated as exemplary members of The Green Generation™. The winning students will also receive a prize package including a signed copy of Planet Earth Gets Well, a t-shirt, a poster and a copy of the Planet Earth DVD set as well as an autographed Earth Day poster for the teacher’s classroom.

Winners will be announced through the Earth Day Network’s education page in the Earth Day Network’s Educators’ Network newsletter and on the Planet Earth Gets Well website (http://www.planetearthgetswell.com/), Facebook page and on Twitter (@planetearthwell). The winning students will receive a prize package including a signed copy of Planet Earth Gets Well, a t-shirt, a poster and a copy of the Planet Earth DVD set as well as an autographed Earth Day poster for the teacher’s classroom.

Planet Earth Gets Well is based on the author Madeline Kaplan’s understanding that future generations must be prepared to preserve their planet and its resources. Full-color illustrations garnish every other page of this creative metaphor in which Planet Earth has a fever—global warming—and to make him healthy again, his human friends must listen to the advice of Earth’s mother. Ms. Kaplan says that, “The relationship between the health of the planet and the people that live on it is clearly demonstrated for young readers, promoting this awareness as part of their earliest understanding of the world in which they live. I am extremely pleased to partner with Earth Day Network to further promote this awareness.”

Kudos to Madeline Kaplan and the Earth Day Network! This is great news and we're proud to be part of such an important educational initiative. We will keep you posted on the contest and in the meantime you're welcome to visit the book's website at and the Earth Day Network's website at http://www.earthday.net/.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

Be a patriot and recycle - a special guest column for the 4th of July

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:19:00 +0000

Today Eco-Libris blog is happy to bring you a a special guest column of our friends at RecycleBank for the upcoming holiday. It presents you with an easy and important way to show your love for your country and not only on the 4th of July, but actually every day!

Recycling…as American as Apple Pie

What is patriotic? Fighting for one’s country is patriotic, flag-waving is patriotic, singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” is patriotic. Now, let’s think outside the bin (sorry, recycling humor) to something you do everyday. That’s right. Every time you reduce, reuse and recycle you’re celebrating your love for your country.

During World War II citizens were urged to recycle (or “salvage”) metal, rubber, paper and even kitchen fat to help in the war effort. Today’s soldiers don’t need recycled steel for guns, salvaged kitchen fat for explosives or scrap paper for packaging, but recycling is still patriotic.

By recycling, we show our love for our country by protecting our nation’s resources, reducing our dependence on the resources of other countries and boosting our economy.

Here’s how:

-Recycling plastic reduces the need for virgin plastic. Of course, virgin plastic isn’t a natural resource, but the petroleum used to make it is. In fact, approximately 4% of our annual oil consumption is used to make plastics. By recycling more plastic we reduce the need for the production of virgin plastic and that reduces our dependence on foreign oil.

-Manufacturing products using recycled materials instead of virgin materials requires a lot less energy. Making an aluminum can from recycled aluminum requires 95% less energy than making an aluminum can from virgin aluminum. In 2003, we reduced our oil usage by more than 15 million barrels by recycling 54 billion aluminum cans.

-Of course, oil isn’t our only source of energy. Recycling materials also reduces our need for coal—and that protects those purple mountains majesty.

-Using less energy also saves money. Saving money improves the national economy, but the recycling industry has given the national economy a real boost by creating over a million jobs. In fact, a recent report by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that jobs in conservation and pollution mitigation (including the recycling industry) make up 65% of the United States’ clean energy economy.

-Recycling reduces the amount of solid waste we need to dump in landfills, which in turn, reduces the need for landfills. By protecting our land from being “filled” with garbage, we’re helping to keep America beautiful.

-Recycling paper protects our forests by reducing the need for trees to produce paper. Recycling cars and other objects made of steel and iron reduces the amount of iron ore we must mine and recycling aluminum reduces the amount of aluminum we have to pull out of the ground.

There you have it. You love your country. You just have a different way of showing it. Now, gather your friends and family and enjoy your 4^th of July barbecue. Don’t forget to grab your recycled (and recyclable) plates (http://www.preserveproducts.com/products/tableware.html) and your recycled American flag (http://online-clothing-catalog.com/archives/238).

How you combine free book swapping with generating more income to authors? "Mooch Before You Buy" may be the answer!

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:49:00 +0000

Our friends at BookMooch are conducting a very interesting experience that could generate a new model into the book world.

The concept behind the new "Mooch Before You Buy" program is actually very simple as John Buckman, the founder of BookMooch, explains on BookMooch blog:

"An author freely gives away copies of their book through BookMooch. Once you’ve read the book, if you:

* didn’t like it: relist it on BookMooch and send it to someone else.

* liked it, but want to give it away: consider a small donation to thank the author.

* want to keep it: give the author a larger gift, about the price you’d pay for the book new in a bookstore. "

The goal Buckman explains is to encourage authors to publish books in this “Mooch Economy”, as an alternative to the traditional publishing industry route.

I think this can be a great win-win model, adding another important layer to the swapping system - compensation of authors, who so far didn't receive any proceeds after the first sale of the book, no matter how many times their book was swapped and read afterwards. We had the chance to learn a little bit about this issue from a guest post we had on our blog of author Justine Locke who addresses a similar problem with sales of used books.

In all swapping provides many other indirect benefits for authors such as exposure to new readers, which will be translated in some cases to reviews on Amazon and in other cases to purchases of other books of the author when the reader wants to read more of the author's work. But again I'm sure some authors would still find it unsatisfying in terms of compensation for their hard work, and that's the missing part this new model can provide.

We're living in a digital era, where free content becomes more and more popular, or as Chris Anderson, the author of the upcoming book "Free: The Future of a Radical Price" defined it:"In the digital marketplace, the most effective price is no price at all". We see creators constantly looking for new models that adopt to these changes and still provide them with fair compensation for their work.

Taking that in mind, it will be interesting to follow the BookMooch new model and see how well it manages to make both readers and authors happy. We hope it will generate great success because as we said before the concept of book swapping is very eco-friendly, making the most out of every printed copy, and hence communities such as BookMooch are a great example of sustainable reading.

The first book on the "Mooch Before You Buy" program is “A Cat May Look at a King“ of author and moocher Ramsay Wood, who had provided BookMooch with 32 new copies of his book. “A Cat May Look at a King“ is a beautifully full color illustrated set of ancient stories featuring cats, retold by Ramsay.

And last but not least, I would like to mention our ongoing partnership with BookMooch to offer Green Mooching, a special incentive to BookMoochers to balance out their books, and to Eco-Libris fans to start mooching some books. For every 10 books you balance out you will receive a free BookMooch point you can then use to mooch a book online for free.

So if you don't have a BookMooch account yet go get one :)

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

And we have a winner on "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Building and Remodeling" giveaway!

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:37:00 +0000

Following our review of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Building and Remodeling" last week, we had a give away of our review copy. We asked you to share with us what you do at home to lower your energy costs and/or use water more efficiently.

We got great replies with many great ideas that only show how many things can be done at home with not too much trouble to save energy and money.

And we have a winner!

Our winner is the reader ethnically ambiguous who wrote the following:

We recycle our raining water to water our garden & lawn, we uplug all non-essential electrical items in our household, as appliances burn out in our house we replace with only energy star rates appliances, in the winter we cover all windows with a layer of plastic and flannel to make sure we are keeping the house as warm as possible, we just bought a water efficent toilet and water savers on all faucets & showerheads...

Congrats to the winner! You will receive a copy of the book and we'll also plant a tree for it. Thank you also to all the other participants!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing

Green printing tip #4 - What does FSC Certified mean? is it enough?

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:48:00 +0000

Today we continue our series of green printing tips, where we bring you in collaboration with Greg Barber, an experienced eco-friendly printer.

Last week we discussed various emblems that it's important to use to demonstrate the fact you're using green printing practices. Today Greg's tip is referring to one of these main emblems - the FSC certification.

What does FSC Certified mean? is it enough?

Tip #4
FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council. This council certifies that the paper mills are following strict procedures in managing their forests.

The FSC wants to make sure the forests are managed properly and that new trees can grow and that the forests are not depleted. To have a printing job be FSC certified, several very important procedures must be followed.

1. The Chain of Custody must be followed.
The printer needs a document from the paper merchant that proves that the paper bought is FSC certified. The delivery receipt must be sent to the Forest Stewardship Council for final verification.

2. The printer Must Be FSC certified.
Not many printers have gone through this process. It costs at least $5000.00 and there are very strict procedures that must be checked out to see if the printer is being environmental in their printing.

3. The PDF of the print job , along with the Chain Of Custody signed
A receipt with the name of the printer must be sent to the FSC.

4. The FSC will check the documents and then email back the code # that must be printed in the correct position next to the FSC emblem.

My final approval to this procedure: I like FSC and I also like that other emblems are printed, next to the FSC emblem. FSC is for managing the forests. It does not mean that the paper is recycled or chlorine free.

I like to see that the paper is also 100% PCW and 100% PCF and that the Energy used to make the paper is Green E certified. FSC can be for non environmental paper, and FSC can be for minimum recycled paper, and FSC can be for the maximum recycled paper. I like the maximum recycled paper. Then, I am sure your job is totally environmentally sound!

If you have any further questions following our tips, or you have a specific question you want us to address, please email us to info@ecolibris.net.

More links:

Green Printing Tip #3 - how you make sure everyone knows you're using green printing practices

Green Printing Tip #2 - how you can make money while printing on 100% recycled paper

Green Printing Tip #1 - go for a digital job

You can also find further valuable information on Greg Barber Company's website - http://www.gregbarberco.com.

All the tips are archived and saved on http://www.ecolibris.net/greentips.asp (part of our green printing tools & resources page).

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

Monday's green books series: The Cul-De-Sac Syndrome

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:21:00 +0000

Once a big house in the suburb was an indicator of success in America. It was part of the American Dream. Today it is transforming from an asset to a liability and becomes a nightmare for so many.

The book we're reviewing today is looking into this dream, the crisis that now seemed so inevitable and a new sustainable dream that should replace it.

Our book today is:

The Cul-De-Sac Syndrome: Turning Around the Unsustainable American Dream

Author: John F. Wasik

John Wasik has won 18 journalism awards, including several from the National Press Club, for consumer and business journalism. His Merchant of Power was praised by Studs Terkel and well reviewed by the New York Times. Wasik is a financial columnist for Bloomberg News and the author of 11 other book s. He has appeared on such national media as NBC, NPR, and PBS.

Publisher: Bloomberg Press

Published on: June 2009

What this book is about? (from the the book's Amazon webpage)
An incisive look at the consequences of today's costly and damaging suburban lifestyle, this new book exposes the economic, cultural, environmental, and health problems underlying life in suburbia. John Wasik provides powerful insights into how the U.S. suburban lifestyle became unsustainable and what can be done to salvage it.

Wasik's observations are firmly grounded in exclusive on-the-ground research, interviews with thought leaders, and the latest studies and statistics. He exposes the untold truths about home ownership: green isn't always so green, life isn't cheaper after accounting for gas, water, and taxes, and modern suburban living isn't so idyllic considering the toll it takes on our health.

Wasik's trenchant analysis adds a new dimension to an important topic, with exclusive research and analysis that debunks the many myths of suburban living, while exploring innovative solutions being developed in cities and suburbs across the country.

Why you should get it?
If you live in suburbia and less and less feel that you're living the American dream, this is the book for you. Not only that this book raises the right questions, it also provide you with some of the answers.

There are some books that are discussing green housing alternatives, some more conventional and some are less, but they're mostly focusing on the environmental-economic link from an efficiency point of view. This book is unique in its much more diverse inter-disciplinary approach, as it masterly presents the connection between the economy, environment, sustainable development and the American way of life.

And of course there's the focus on the housing bubble, or as the book calls it "one of the most devastating housing recessions since the 1930s". This is the first book that I see which is connecting all the dots, economic, cultural and environmental, with regard to this significant financial blowup that is still going on.

Wasik does a great job in both describing the problem and offering various solutions. I like the fact that he keeps the discussion as practical as possible with many examples that makes this book much more than a theoretical manifesto - it is a description of a dream that once was admired by everyone and its demise. Moreover, it's a description of a new dream, a sustainable one that can shape the future of the U.S. and creates a whole new American dream.

What others say about the book:
"John Wasik's The Cul-de-Sac Syndrome offers enough to chew on for three sets of teeth, enough to digest for three stomachs, and the alerts the mind faster than an approaching siren." -Ralph Nader, Consumer advocate

"Get ready for a totally original look at the American dream. Wasik delivers the first truly multidisciplinary examination—using planning, law, architecture, and history to focus on working solutions that can keep the dream alive. This is a winner!" — Paul B. Farrell, JD, PhD. Columnist, MarketWatch.com and author of The Millionaire Code

"This excellent book takes a ground-level look at the causes of our housing crisis and offers a myriad of ideas on reinventing the concepts of home and community.” —Ilyce R. Glink, syndicated real estate columnist, author of 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask

If you're looking for other interesting green-themed books, you are invited to check out our green books page on our website's green resources section.

Will the new Climate Bill help protecting forests or become a source of income for timber companies?

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:12:00 +0000

The Climate bill passed in the House last Friday. It might not be only a new era in fighting climate change, but also the first time when it is worthwhile to keep trees alive instead of cutting them down.

The Huffington Post reported last Friday that trees will be part of the credits scheme that is presented in the bill, and this time it means not only reforestation projects, but also protection of existing forestlands.

The article explains the mechanism:

"Say an acre of forestland sucks up two additional metric tons of carbon after a landowner plants more trees on his land or promises to rotate the way he cuts them down so more are standing at once. If the pollution market created by the legislation is currently trading at $20 a ton, then the landowner could stand to make $40 per acre if he qualifies for the program"

The legislation, according to the article. would also extend to international forests, promising to pay some countries that agree to slow their harvesting of trees abroad. We mentioned this idea in the past (see links below) and we're definitely in favor of giving economic incentives to preserve the forests and to make it worthwhile to keep them alive, avoid logging and prevent further deforestation.

This idea was discussed in the U.N.’s Bali meeting in December last year, and though it is not approved yet, there's a good chance it will be part of the post-Kyoto protocol that will be discussed in Copenhagen in December. It also enjoys the support of many international parties, such as Prince Charles, Norway, Al Gore and Wangari Maathai.

So we should be happy as forest protection finally becomes part of the carbon market, right? well, we are but it seems that the way it was integrated in the Bill is a little bit problematic..

Well, there are of course concerns about measurement, monitoring and making sure carbon capturing is actually taking place (especially outside the U.S.), but in all these concerns are no different really from the concerns you have with every other component in the "trade" part of the cap and trade scheme under the Bill. The more significant issue here might be who is eligible to take part in it in the first place.

The article on the Huffington Post mentions that owners of large swaths of forestland, such as timber companies and large farms can benefit from it. Frank O'Donnell of the advocacy group Clean Air Watch is quoted saying "In effect, the public is going to pay polluters to plant trees. Does that really lead to a major improvement in global warming? I don't know and I'm not sure anybody knows."

The fact that the Agriculture Department, which includes the U.S. Forest Service, will oversee the domestic program and develop regulations for verifying whether a forest owner's particular tract of land is actually capturing carbon, brings up questions like will they make tree farms eligible as well and how much will they will take sustainability into account?

If eventually we'll have timber companies being paid for having single-species tree farms that have replaced highly diverse forests (you can see that in the Southeast U.S. for example), then we're very far from what the idea of forests protection was meant to achieve in the first place.

So how it can be prevented? here is just one idea - how about limiting forest protection to highly-diverse forests and/or forests that have FSC certification. I believe that these kind of restrictions can provide a better chance that this measure of forests protection will truly help fighting climate change and not just become another way for land owners to make money without making any significant impact on the environment.

What do you think? I'll be happy to hear your thoughts about it so feel free to add your comments.

More related posts:

How investors can save the forests? check out the Ethical Corporation Magazine

Al Gore and Wangari Maathai calls the U.N. General Assemby to support protection of forests

Merrill Lynch is investing in forest protection

How to deal with the growing deforestation in the Amazon rain forest?

Prince Charles wants to team up with Norway to save forests

Preserving forests to fight global warming

Yours, Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing

Looking for a green printer in Florida?

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:36:00 +0000

We always love to learn about green printers and present them on our blog.

This time we have a video with Augustus Casamayor, chairman/CEO of AC Graphics in Hialeah, Florida. It's especially recommended for those who are concerned with the cost of green printing!

As mentioned on the video, AC Graphics is the first triple-certified green printer in the State of Florida, which means the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), the PEFC Council (Programme for the Endorsment of Forest Certification) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) have verified our company’s products and practices as being environmentally sound.

On Tuesday you'll have a chance to learn more about the FSC certification on our "Green Printing Tips" series.

You can find more information on AC Graphics on their website - http://www.acgraphics.com

Yours,
Raz@Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing

Men-only book club?

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:46:00 +0000

Can men actually sit together, sip Cabernet and discuss books?

Apparently yes, according to an interesting article of Don Aucoin on the Boston Globe ("Where the guys Are").

So what brings guys to sit together and discuss books? one of the interviewees in the article explains that book groups offer the best of both worlds "I get a night out," he says. "I get to hang out with a few of my buddies whom I normally wouldn't see. I get to have a few laughs and talk about everything. Plus it forces me to read a book a month, which is something I don't know if I'd do."

Well. who knows, maybe we'll see soon a male version of the Jane Austen Book Club. How about the 69-page book club? (following the rule of one book club presented in the article that "there has to be something pretty sick going on on page 69 for us to read the book, either a sexual encounter or some crazy situation.")

Yours,
Raz@Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing

My Summer Reading with Sue Schrader of the bookstore Sources of Hope

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:27:00 +0000

The second guest today on our series My Summer Reading is Sue Schrader of Sources of Hope in Dallas, Texas. This gifts and books store is part of the Cathedral of Hope and also participates in our bookstores program, where customers at the store can plant a tree for every book they buy there and receive our sticker at the counter!

Hi Sue, what are you reading now?
Artifacts by Mary Anna Evans

Any recommendation on a good summer reading?
Light fiction – no specific titles

What you are planning to read this summer?
Have several books at home, but can’t remember titles.

What is your favorite place to read in the summer?
Same as in the winter—at meals, waiting in line or on appointments, on the couch.

Thanks Sue!

More information on Sources of Hope can be found at http://www.sourcesofhope.com/

So far on My Summer Reading series:

Christian Valentiner of the Norwegian publisher Flux

Avrim Topel, co-author of 'My Green Beginnings'

Tania Hershman, author of 'The White Road and Other Stories'

Elisabeth Baines, author of the upcoming book 'Too Many Magpie'

Erica Caldwell of the bookstore Present Tense

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green publishing

My Summer Reading with Erica Caldwell of the bookstore Present Tense

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:17:00 +0000

This week it's bookstores time on our series My Summer Reading with two recommendations from bookstores that participate in our bookstores program, where customers at the store can plant a tree for every book they buy there and receive our sticker at the counter!

Our first guest is Erica Caldwell of Present Tense in Batavia, NY.

Located in Batavia, NY, halfway between the cities of Buffalo and Rochester, Present Tense is a locally-owned independent bookstore that serves as a center for reading, writing, and the arts in Western New York. As you can see from the picture below Present Tense is also celebrating the summer with a great program of visiting authors.

Hi Erica, what are you reading now?
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

Any recommendation on a good summer reading?
The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan

What you are planning to read this summer?
The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha and then hopefully a few more that are in my towering stack of unread books!

What is your favorite place to read in the summer?
On the deck

Thanks Erica!

More information on Present Tense can be found at http://www.presenttensebooks.com/

So far on My Summer Reading series:

Christian Valentiner of the Norwegian publisher Flux

Avrim Topel, co-author of 'My Green Beginnings'

Tania Hershman, author of 'The White Road and Other Stories'

Elisabeth Baines, author of the upcoming book 'Too Many Magpie'

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green publishing

International Paper believes that paper is greener than pixels. Is this really the case here?

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:28:00 +0000

International Paper published yesterday a press release on a new brochure in their Down to Earth environmental series, entitled "Pixels vs. Paper: Are pixels greener than paper?"

The goal of the 6-page brochure is explained as follows: "More and more people are communicating with electronic media. But are electronic devices the most effective environmental choice for getting information? Get the facts before you decide"

Not surprisingly their findings are favorable of paper use in comparison with electronic devices. But is it really so?

They're looking into couple of factors:

Raw materials - IP explains that paper comes from a renewable resource - trees, whereas electronic devices are typically made of plastics and other non-renewable resources and often contain chemicals and metals.

They also mention that "every day the paper and forest products industry plants more than three times the number of trees than are harvested -- paper is truly renewable and sustainable." What they don't say there is what trees are cut down and what trees are planted instead.

Mandy Hagith, author of the recommended book "Paper Trails: From Trees to Trash - The True Cost of Paper" helps to clarify the picture:

"No one likes to think of trees being felled, but many of us have a cosy image in our heads that it all comes from recycling or "sustainable" woodlands growing in neat rows, perhaps somewhere in Sweden. It's a myth. Globally, 70 per cent of the 335 million tons of paper the world uses each year comes from natural, un-farmed sources. In Canada, the UK's biggest source of pulp, 90 per cent of its output comes directly from its ancient forests."

The planting part of the equation is no better in some cases, as you can read about on the Green Press Initiative's website. Here's one example:

"In the Southeast U.S., highly diverse forests are being converted into single-species tree farms at an alarming rate. Already 15% of southern forests (32 million acres) consist of plantations...Tree plantations are not inherently bad, and can be part of a sound forest management plan. However, this is not what is occurring in the southeastern U.S. where vast areas of diverse forest are converted to plantations. Included in this region is the Cumberland plateau, which has been designated as a “biogem” by the Natural Resource Defense Council."

Afterwards IP adds in the brochure that "20 percent less CO2 is used per year by person reading a daily printed newspaper versus a person reading web-based news for 30 minutes a day". They don't quote the resource for this fact, but they make it look very conclusive although there are others who claim the opposite.

For example, one comparison of 'Dear Science' got to the conclusion that "if you're reading on an inefficient desktop PC, a mere two hours online may equal the carbon impact of the print edition," and another comparison at Fat Knowledge found out that "reading the physical version of the NY Times for a year uses 7,300 MJ of energy and emits 700 kg of co2. Reading it on a Kindle uses 100 MJ of energy and emits 10 kg of co2."

Energy consumption - the brochure mentions that "The amount of electricity to run a computer for only five months could produce enough paper for the average person to use for an entire year." They also write that "our industry is one of the biggest users of renewable, low-carbon energy in the world".

Interesting fact they don't mention is that "The paper industry is the 4th largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions among United States manufacturing industries, and contributes 9% of the manufacturing sector's carbon emissions." (from '15 Facts About the Paper Industry, Global Warming and the Environment')

End of Life - According to the brocure paper is biodegradable and nearly 60 percent of all paper in the U.S. is recycled, whereas only 18 percent of all electronic devices are currently recycled and E-waste constitutes the single largest waste export in the U.S. Here are two more interesting facts to be considered: Paper accounts for 25% of landfill waste and one third of municipal landfill waste (from '15 Facts About the Paper Industry, Global Warming and the Environment') and when paper degrades in a landfill it releases methane, a greenhouse gas emission that is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide (resource: The Green Press Initiative).

International Paper encourages you to ask the right questions before you choose between electronic media and paper and they're certainly right. It's important to get all the facts right on the environmental impacts of both options, especially when there are so many misconceptions about the impacts of both paper and electronic devices.

But as the information is still inconclusive, as we can tell from watching this debate for some time (you are welcome to check our eBooks vs. Paper Books to check research and articles on this issue), it is important to bring ALL the facts and not choose only those that are a good fit with your business.

If IP really wants as they say to "provide thought provoking educational pieces that help our customers better understand important environmental topics", they should add to their brochure some more facts that will give readers the whole picture and not just parts carefully chosen from it.

Yours,

Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

Photos and video from the book launch of 'Where the Buttercups Grow' with author Shelley Meyer

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:37:00 +0000

We announced earlier this month on the collaboration with Aaspirations Publishing to plant 5,000 trees for their new children's book ‘Where the Buttercups Grow’.

The book launch of this great book was held in Chapters in Surrey with the author Shelley Meyer (see photo above). You can see photos from the book launch on Aaspirations Publishing's website. Here's also a video from the event:

Beautifully written by Shelley Meyer and vividly illustrated by her daughter Tessa Meyer, this inspiring and powerful story will find a spot on every child's list of favorites, especially when they can carry the story forward in their own lives and plant their very own buttercups. This wonderful title is doubly special because for every book 1 tree has been planted.

To order your copy of the book click here, or if you are in the area, drop in at the Chapters at Strawberry Hill, 12101 on 72nd Avenue, Surrey, BC V3W 2M1.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing

Green printing tip #3 - How to let let your clients know you are being responsible in your printing

info@ecolibris.net (Raz Godelnik) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:40:00 +0000

Today we continue our series of green printing tips, which we bring you in collaboration with Greg Barber, an experienced eco-friendly printer.

Today Greg's tip is referring to an important element of the process:

How you make sure everyone knows you're using green printing practices and it doesn't stay between you and your printer?

Tip #3

My clients want to look environmental in their printing. What do I recommend they do?

I suggest that my clients include the environmental emblems when they are being green in their printing.

Here are few examples of the emblems we have:

- 100% post-consumer waste emblem

- 100% processed chlorine emblem

- Green-e emblem

- FSC emblem (we are an FSC-certified plant)

- Carbon neutral emblem (we derive our energy from wind and we're carbon neutral)

So let your clients know you are being responsible in your printing. You will feel good about it and your clients will be happy you are environmental!

If you have any further questions following our tips, or you have a specific question you want us to address, please email us to info@ecolibris.net.

More links:

Green Printing Tip #2 - how you can make money while printing on 100% recycled paper

Green Printing Tip #1 - go for a digital job

You can also find further valuable information on Greg Barber Company's website - http://www.gregbarberco.com.

All the tips are archived and saved on http://www.ecolibris.net/greentips.asp (part of our green printing tools & resources page).

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net