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Top 100 green apps - GasHog: The Fuel Economy Tracker for iPhone

2011-12-30T04:05:00.000-08:00

We are creating a list of the top 100 apps that will help you go green as part of our effort to promote a more sustainable lifestyle. Apps become an integral part of our life and a valuable tool and we believe we should also take advantage of them when it comes go greening up our life.

Every Friday we update you with a new app on the list, and today we're happy to introduce you with an app that will help you to track the fuel economy of your vehicles.

Our app is GasHog from Adair Systems. This app is for iPhone and iPad and it costs $0.99 (we only include in our lists apps that cost less than $2).

Here are more details about GasHog App:
GasHog is a utility for iPhone and iPod Touch to track the fuel economy of your vehicle. GasHog allows you to enter the odometer reading and the amount of fuel added every time you add fuel, and it automatically calculates the fuel economy of your last tank, as well as historical averages. Additionally, GasHog offers tips for improving the fuel economy of your vehicle.

GasHog's features include:
- Simple and quick entry of odometer reading and fuel added
- Support for multiple vehicles
- Fuel cost tracking
- Support for English and Metric units, separate units for distance, fuel and economy
- International support with numbers and dates formatted to local custom
- Integrated tips for improving fuel economy
- Historical fuel economy statistics (last tank, last 30 days, last 6 months, all time)

GasHog does not require Internet connectivity for any of its features, and operates in areas with no mobile or WiFi coverage.

You can check top 100 green apps at http://www.ecolibris.net/greenapps.asp. As you'll see, this list is in work, but we promise to update it every week until we'll have all 100 green apps.

Last week's green app - Green Schools Revolution -The Game.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

Audiobook for the holidays - part 4: The Angel Esmeralda: Nine Stories by Don Delillo (and a giveaway!)

2011-12-29T12:16:00.000-08:00

Today we end our December series 'Audiobook for the holidays'. In the lasteeks we introduced you to Boomerang by Michael Lewis and Our Choice by Al Gore and Rin Tin Tin by Susan Orlean. Today we're excited to introduce you to a collection of beautiful nine short stories written by the award-winning American author and playwright Don DeLillo between 1979 and 2011.

Our last audiobook on this series is:

The Angel Esmeralda: Nine Stories by Don Delillo, read by Mercedes Ruehl, Heather Lind, Aaron Tveit, Michael Cerveris and Peter Friedman.

The audiobook is published by Simon & Schuster Audio. Here's an excerpt from the audiobook:

Here's more about "The Angel Esmeralda":

From one of the greatest writers of our time, the first ever collection of brilliant short stories, written between 1979 and 2011; chronicling—and foretelling—three decades of American life.

Set in Greece, the Caribbean, Manhattan, a white collar prison, and outer space, these nine stories are a mesmerizing introduction to Don DeLillo’s iconic voice, from the rich, startling, jazz-infused sentences of his early work to the spare, distilled, monastic language of the later stories.

In “Creation,” a couple at the end of a cruise in the West Indies can’t get off the island. In “Human Moments in World War III,” two men orbiting the earth hear American radio, a half century ago. In the title story, nuns working the violent streets of the south Bronx, confirm the neighborhood’s miracle, the apparition of the dead child, Esmeralda.

Nuns, astronauts, athletes, terrorists, and travelers, the characters in The Angel Esmeralda propel themselves into the world and define it. DeLillo’s sentences are instantly recognizable, as original as the splatter of Jackson Pollock or the luminous rectangles of Rothko. These nine stories describe an extraordinary journey of one great American writer—and are a perfect introduction to the author whose prescience about world events and ear for American language changed the literary landscape.

The audiobook is available on Amazon: http://amzn.to/nvNYNe and on iTunes: http://bit.ly/rLYYoA
GIVEAWAY ALERT!!

We're giving away two copies of this audiobook, courtesy of the publisher, Simon & Simon audio!

How you can win? Very simple. All you have to do is to add a comment with the name of your favorite short story author. We will have a raffle on Wednesday, January 5, 2012, 5:00PM EST between all the readers that will add their comments by then. The winners will be announced the following day.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

My article on Triple Pundit about the help SFI certification gets from Maine Governor Paul LePage

2011-12-29T11:55:00.000-08:00

Here's an update on a new article I published today on Triple Pundit with the latest news on the new battleground between SFI and FSC certifications.

This time it's Maine, where Governor LePage signed an executive order directing that that “any new or expanded state buildings shall incorporate ‘Green Building’ standards that give certification credits equally to forest products grown, manufactured, and certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Standard, Forest Stewardship Council, American Tree Farm System, and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification systems.”

The article is entitled 'Maine’s Governor Helps SFI Win an Important Battle Over FSC'. Here's the first part of the article:

I have to admit that I got it wrong. Last September, I wrote here about the battle between the competing forest products certification Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Forest Stewardship Council (SFI). I thought that the fact that seven large companies decided to reject the SFI certification meant that SFI is going to lose this battle, unless it worked with environmental organizations to improve its credibility. I didn’t take into consideration one factor that can change this balance of power and help SFI swiftly recover: friendly politicians.

To read the full article go to http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/12/sfi-wins-battle-fsc-maine-timber-friendly-governor/

Links to other articles I wrote for Triple Pundit can be found at http://www.triplepundit.com/author/raz-godelnik/

To read more on the fight between FSC and SFI, visit our website at http://www.ecolibris.net/SFI_or_FSC.asp

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Plant trees for your books!

Interview with Eric Lowitt, the author of The Future of Value

2011-12-28T10:14:00.000-08:00

Today I'm happy to introduce a great book that should be of interest to anyone who is looking to better understand the business case of sustainability, or in other words, how companies use sustainability to create business value for their stakeholders.

The book is: The Future of Value: How Sustainability Creates Value Through Competitive Differentiation by Eric Lowitt.

I read many books on green and sustainable business, and this is one of the best ones I have read in the last couple of years, presenting the business case of sustainability in a clear and structured way. The book is full with great examples that Eric Lowitt gathered through years of research, making it an invaluable tool to practitioners who want to help their companies become more sustainable but just don't know how to do it.

I wanted to learn more about the book and had the opportunity to conduct an interview with the author, Eric Lowitt over the email. Before we get to the interview, here are just few more details about the book and Eric.

About the book: What if you were able to help your company grow faster and become more profitable than its rivals? Would you benefit as a result? Of course you would. What if your approach required little cash, caused nominal disruption, and was easily understandable by all your colleagues? What reason would you have for not helping your company outperform the competition?

Enhance business performance by using sustainability for competitive advantage The Future of Value reveals what it takes for companies to grow and outperform the competition in today's growth-constrained, sustainability conscious world. The author, Eric Lowitt, shows leaders and students alike how to use sustainability as a powerful, pragmatic lens to enhance business performance. The Future of Value explores how to craft and oversee a portfolio of effective tools, develop competitive strategies, and adjust value chain activities, talent management practices, and corporate policies to help organizations execute powerful sustainability strategies.

About the author: Eric Lowitt is a consultant, speaker, and author. A seasoned business leader and management consultant, Eric helps organizations grow their revenue and profitability by connecting sustainability and competitive strategy. His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and The Harvard Business Review, among tier one publications worldwide.

Raz Godelnik: What brought you to write this book in the first place?

Eric Lowitt: I’ve watched companies fail by not taking the environment or society – both the challenges and opportunities within – into account. I’ve also witnessed companies avoid sustainability because they mistakenly view sustainability as solely either ‘green’ or ‘philanthropy’. I wrote The Future of Value to counter these two issues.

When you read The Future of Value, you’ll learn that sustainability is synonymous with strategy, not just self-limiting terms like green or philanthropy. You’ll see how your company can reduce costs today, increase revenue tomorrow, and become more agile well into the future by embracing, not avoiding, environmental and social responsibility. As an example, consider my most recent Harvard Business Review contribution, as seen here.

RG: Your book, The Future of Value, brings many great examples of what you call 'Sustainable Market Leaders' - why these companies are still the exception and not the rule?

EL: Sustainable Market Leaders overcome three mental blocks which prevent other companies from ascending into the ranks of the business elite. The first mental block is the decision not to prioritize sustainability, mainly because companies mistakenly view sustainability as not being central to their business success. In reality, this could not be further from the truth. The second mental block is the flawed belief that sustainability isn’t worth investment. If your company suffers from this mental block, consider this – do you believe energy, commodity, and labor prices will decrease or increase in the next decade? Sustainable Market Leaders know these prices will increase, and in some cases increase dramatically. As a result, they are proactively investing in alternative sources of fuel and materials because they have concluded these sources will ultimately cost less.

The third mental block is to answer uncertainty with paralysis. That is most companies are uncertain how to proceed in order to achieve sustainability. As a result, they choose the easy path – no action at all. The Future of Value provides an actionable alternative, one that will repay its investment instantly and many times over in the long-run.

RG: Why so many companies have hard time in integrating sustainability into their corporate strategy?

EL: All too often, companies stop after crafting and documenting a sustainability plan. They rest on the misguided belief that the plan is in actuality a strategy, one which will carry itself out within the organization. Sustainable Market Leaders understand that only the future actions which get into their company’s strategic plan will get into the operating plan and thus get funded. One practical action you can take today is to schedule time with your company’s strategic planning and financial management teams to discuss not only your sustainability plan but also uncover the natural linkages that were always there between your sustainability, strategy, and operating plans.

RG: You provide in The Future of Value many examples of companies and their efforts to embrace sustainability - which one impressed you mostly?

EL: There is no one perfect company; rather every company has its strengths and flaws. The companies I most admire exhibit modesty, are fueled by a sense of urgency to act, and are guided by an unwavering commitment to continuous improvement in order to achieve sustainability. Companies in this category range from Unilever to Monadnock Paper Mills to Australia and New Zealand Bank. When you read The Future of Value you’ll learn the secrets behind these companies’ long track records of success and develop the same time tested skills that will lead your company to becoming a part of this group of elite companies – Sustainable Market Leaders.

RG: KPMG released a report earlier this week claiming that U.S. companies are “scratching the surface” of corporate responsibility, as a whole concentrating on communication more than performance - do you agree with it?

EL: Absolutely! There’s a continuum companies travel along during their journey to a state of sustainability. Companies begin by ‘toe dipping’ – taking a small action to get a sense for accomplishment and what’s to come. All too often, companies turn to ‘communication’ as a way to show others their company is braving the rough waters of sustainability. This is a problem in part because we as a group of companies and members of society have become accustomed to instant gratification. We’re eager to show others our new tool, our new skill, our new accomplishment. Within the sustainability realm, too often this translates into showing others the ‘sizzle’ without the complete cooking of the ‘steak’ – thus exposing companies to the backlash of ‘greenwashing’ accusations.

Eventually companies learn they need to perform and not merely promise. Society, with its voices amplified by social media, does not suffer fools for long. Companies will either act on their promises or face society’s backlash. Then companies evolve into sector-level advocacy for systemic change in order to facilitate sustainable development within industry. Few companies have achieved this state, though more and more are on the cusp of doing so!

RG: What is the most important element in the process of creating and maximizing the value of sustainability?

EL: Recognizing sustainability equals profitability. The Future of Value will equip you with the ability to challenge your incomplete views of sustainability’s connection to strategy and financial performance. By the time you finish reading and working through the questions within The Future of Value you will be able to see new customers waiting services – customers that will lead to revenue and profitability.

Here’s a teaser - these customers come in the form of environmental and social needs currently going unmet…

RG: You started the work on The Future of Value with a great knowledge of sustainability, yet I'm sure you had interesting findings through your research - what was the one that surprised you mostly?

EL: I was surprised to learn just how clear the link is between sustainability and strategy and also how few companies have consciously made this connection. As a result of their shortsightedness, they’re allowing billions of dollars – yes billions! – of revenue and market value pass right under their nose. This is shocking to me! The Future of Value will help you claim your rightful portion of this cash flow and market value.

RG: Do you think there's a problem with sustainability metrics and companies' ability to transform their success stories into a language that investors and other stakeholders understand? How much of an obstacle is it?

EL: Metrics are certainly a challenge – more so on the social side of sustainability than on the environmental side. There are two problems which serve as roadblocks in the path of measurement success. First is the individual self-interest. That is, business leaders and other executives receive a significant portion of their annual compensation in the form of performance bonuses. Typically these bonuses are based on the leader’s performance as measured by his or her scorecard of annual goals.

Over time, leaders learn how to manage their investments and expenses in order to achieve their quantitative goals and to receive their maximum bonuses. In this context, it’s easy to understand why leaders resist adding new goals to their performance bonus evaluations…new goals such as environmental and social performance. As a result, they argue the addition of such goals to their scorecards ‘would be detrimental to the business’s best interests.’ In actuality, these leaders are preventing their company – and their department – from growing and becoming more profitable.

The second metrics roadblock comes in the form of companies’ failure to connect sustainability to actions and metrics the investment community truly understand and value. When you view sustainability as altruism, not profitability, you relegate sustainability to the backburner in the minds of the investment community. Instead you need to help analysts see how your sustainability strategy is opening new markets, increasing cash flow by removing inefficiencies, and sharpening your competitive advantage you have developed over your rivals.

RG: If a CEO of a company reads The Future of Value and would like to transform his company into a sustainable market leader, where should she start? What's the first step?

EL: I encourage each of my clients to start with this question – what does sustainability mean to you and your organization? Sadly, many clients stop at ‘green’ or ‘philanthropy’ – but both are self-limiting concepts. Once a definition of sustainability is clear, then you should ask yourself to objectively document where you currently are in relation to your sustainability definition. Next, challenge your organization to measure its sustainability management efforts versus its peers.

You can use a free tool on my website – www.ericlowitt.com/tools. The CLEAR Model - the model The Future of Value develops and brings to life through company case studies – will help you to compare your company’s sustainability management and performance to date versus specific companies within your Global Fortune 500 peer set. Finally be bold – sett unattainable targets and get on with it!

RG: When you finished writing The Future of Value were you more optimistic or pessimistic about the future of sustainable business compared to what you felt when you began working on it?

EL: I’m more optimistic, because The Future of Value translates sustainability into business language and business actions. In this way, The Future of Value serves as a sort of Rosetta Stone which helps companies transition from the unclear – sustainability – into the desirable – greater prosperity for all involved. Thus properly motivated, companies will spearhead the global pursuit of sustainable development!

Thank you, Eric! If you want to learn more about Eric Lowitt and his book, please visit his website - www.ericlowitt.com. The book is available for sale on Amazon in hardcover and electronic formats.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

Top 100 book apps: the Beatles Yellow Submarine by the Beatles

2011-12-26T19:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from Eco-Libris!

2011-12-23T13:40:00.000-08:00

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah or Festivus, we wish you a happy holiday!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

Top 100 green apps - Green Schools Revolution: The Game

2011-12-23T02:34:00.000-08:00

We are creating a list of the top 100 apps that will help you go green as part of our effort to promote a more sustainable lifestyle. Apps become an integral part of our life and a valuable tool and we believe we should also take advantage of them when it comes go greening up our life.

Every Friday we update you with a new app on the list, and today we're happy to introduce you with a fun app for kids!

Our app is Green Schools Revolution: The Game from the Co-operative Group. This app is for iPhone and iPad and it's free.

Here are more details about Green Schools Revolution: The Game:

Have you got what it takes to be the ultimate Eco Warrior at home and at school? GREEN SCHOOLS REVOLUTION: THE GAME, from The Co-operative, is your chance to show off just how green you can be! Put your green knowledge to the test, saving water and energy as you go. Can you unlock the secret bonus round and make it to the top of the leaderboard?

Packed full of exciting levels, it’s a race against time to harvest carrots before the rabbit, turn the taps off to save the duck and save energy by turning the lights off. Can you do this faster than your friends, get the highest score possible, unlock the secret bonus level and become an Eco Warrior?

GREEN SCHOOLS REVOLUTION: THE GAME – play your part in the Green Schools Revolution!
Find out more about The Co-operative’s Green Schools Revolution programme at www.greenschools.coop

Features:
• Fun quizzes about energy, water and healthy living unlock 4 levels of green games
• Energy saving game – turn of the lightbulbs to save energy and gain points
• Be a water watcher – can you turn off the taps to save water and keep the ducky afloat?
• Harvest carrots on the farm, but be quick before the rabbit beats you to it!
• Unlock a secret round to boost your green points even further

Play against your friends and see your top scores on the Game Center leaderboard.

You can check top 100 green apps at http://www.ecolibris.net/greenapps.asp. As you'll see, this list is in work, but we promise to update it every week until we'll have all 100 green apps.

Last week's green app - Every Body Walk!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

Audiobook for the holidays - part 3: Rin Tin Tin by Susan Orlean (and a giveaway!)

2011-12-21T15:46:00.000-08:00

Today we continue our series 'Audiobook for the holidays', where we review, recommend and give away 4 great audiobooks. In the last weeks we introduced you to Boomerang by Michael Lewis and Our Choice by Al Gore. Today we're excited to introduce you to an audiobook that might seems to be a tale about a dog, but is actually "an extraordinary journey" into the story of some of the most interesting parts of the twentieth century . And what a fascinating journey it is!

Our second audiobook on this series is:

Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean, narrated by the author.

The audiobook is published by Simon & Schuster Audio. Here's an excerpt from the audiobook read by the author, Susan Orlean:

Here's more about "Rin Tin Tin":

Nearly ten years in the making and perfect for the holidays, Susan Orlean’s first original book since the celebrated bestseller The Orchid Thief is the publishing event of the season: a sweeping, surprising, and powerfully moving work of narrative nonfiction about the dog actor and international icon, Rin Tin Tin.

German shepherd Rin Tin Tin’s journey is the story of the twentieth century. From the discovery of Rin Tin Tin on a WWI battlefield in 1918, to the movies, radio programs, and the 1950s television show that would cement his legacy around the world, Rin Tin Tin traces the extraordinary history of the dog and his descendants over more than ninety years. Rin Tin Tin was a star (he received 10,000 fan letters a week); a worldwide sensation; a social figure (as the U.S. Army’s WWII mascot, he inspired thousands of Americans to donate their dogs for use in the war); and a baby-boom touchstone. He was also a real dog, and the book tells the epic love story between Rin Tin Tin and the remarkable people who devoted their lives to him and his legacy.

Rin Tin Tin is also Orlean’s meditation on the nature of heroism, loyalty, and memory, and how Rin Tin Tin has lasted for so many generations. “Rin Tin Tin could leap twelve feet,” she writes, “and he could leap through time.”

Here's another interesting video clip, where author Susan Orlean talks about the audiobook and why she chose to narrate her book:

The audiobook is available on Amazon: http://amzn.to/oPSvFS and on iTunes: http://bit.ly/t7uZBP
GIVEAWAY ALERT!!

We're giving away two copies of this audiobook, courtesy of the publisher, Simon & Simon audio!

How you can win? Very simple. All you have to do is to retweet this post on twitter with the hashtag #rintintin at the end of your tweet. We will have a raffle on Wednesday, December 28, 5:00PM EST between all the readers that will retweet by then. The winners will be announced the following day.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Newt Gingrich would probably not be interested in this prize, but how about you?

2011-12-20T03:16:00.000-08:00

I read this morning on the New York Times on the attack ads on Newt Gingrich from other GOP Presidential candidates.

Among them (see picture) is a one showing Gingrich with Representative Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California and the former House speaker, and Al Gore in the background, asks, “With allies like this, who needs the left?” (I guess they're referring to this "We Can Solve It" global warming ad campaign sponsored by Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection).

So my guess is that Newt Gingrich won't be interested in a signed copy of Al Gore's great audiobook "Our Choice", but how about you?

I'd like to remind you that we're giving away two copies of this audiobook, one of them signed by Al Gore, courtesy of the publisher, Simon & Simon audio! This giveaway ends tomorrow (Wed, Dec 21) at 5:00 pm so you still have time!

How you can win? Very simple. All you have to do is to retweet this post (or the review post) on twitter with the hashtag #ourchoice at the end of your tweet. We will have a raffle on Wednesday, December 21, 5:00PM EST between all the readers that will retweet by then. The winners will be announced the following day.

And by the way, if Newt Gingrich is still interested, he's still welcome to participate. We promise not to tell anyone :)

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Top 100 book apps: iStoryBooks

2011-12-19T12:39:00.000-08:00

Since we believe in the digital future of books as a way to reduce eventually the footprint of books, we also believe in apps. Book apps are integral part of the digital age of books and we want to share with you some great book apps we find and thus we are assembling a list of the top 100 book apps.

In order to get into our list apps need to both book/ebook related and affordable - we chose only apps that are either free or cost less than $2.

From now on, every Monday we will update you with a new app on out list of top book apps. Today we're happy to begin with a great book app for children - iStoryBooks. This app is for iPhone and android and it's free.

Here are more details about iStoryBooks app: Free Interactive Children's Books for the new generation! iStoryBooks comes with free books that read itself to your little ones! Yes the books include text and audio. We publish a new book every 2 weeks. Kids can enjoy these books on their own or you can read to them.

When we publish new books they will appear automatically in the App. All books we publish are picture books with audio. We welcome your valuable comments and suggests. Please post your comments and suggestions, play games, puzzles and download coloring pages at facebook.com/iStoryBooks.

Type of books include children's books, story books, bedtime stories, toddler books, preschool books, nursery school books, kindergarten books and picture books with accompanying audio of the text in each page.

Some of our popular books include:

Fairy Tales
* Cinderella, the classic story about a beautiful girl named Cinderella who always hoped for the best even during hard times and eventually, her wishes come true!
* Snow White, the story of a princess who was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside.
* Cenicienta, the spanish (espanol) version our most popular book Cinderella.

Animal Story Books
* The Blue Fox
* The Crow the Doves and the Mouse
* The Mean Lion and the Smart Rabbit
* The Crow, the Doves and the Mouse
* Three Little Pigs

Folk Stories
* Stone Soup
* Little Red Hen
* Little Red Riding Hood

Educational Books
* A to Z Animals, A fun book to learn alphabets with pictures of animals.
* A to Z Fruits and Vegetables - Junior/Preschool/Yummy Riddles - A set of three books to learn alphabets with pictures of fruits and vegetables.
* The World of Trucks - Big and Small - A fun book with pictures and engine sounds of Trucks of various sizes and shapes. Includes Fire Truck with siren and horn, Crane Truck, Garbage Truck, Tow Truck, Picukup Truck, Dump Truck, Road Train etc.
* The World of Dinosaurs - Big and Small
* National Monuments of America
* Things that go - Book with pictures and sounds of cars, trucks, boats and ships.

You can check top 100 book apps at http://www.ecolibris.net/bookapps.asp. As you'll see, this list is in work, but we promise to update it every week until we'll have all 100 book apps.

You're also welcome to check our list of 100 green apps.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Check our special holiday offer!

The greenest Christmas tree - a book tree!

2011-12-17T12:59:00.000-08:00

If you can't decide yet whether to buy a fake or real Christmas tree, because you don't know which option is greener, we have an alternative offer for you - a book tree.

Yes, a colorful tree made of books! Sounds impossible? Just look at the photos sent to GalleyCat with great trees people made from books. And of course, it's not just a unique and fun idea, it's also the greenest tree you can have for Christmas!

To see more great photos of book trees, visit Galleycat flickr's page.

And if you still consider which tree to buy and want to know which tree is greener - plastic or natural you can read the answer here and also check this New York Times video:

Photo credit: galleycat, flickr

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

Top 100 green apps: Every Body Walk! - A Walking App

2011-12-16T08:10:00.000-08:00

Last week we updated you on our effort to create a list of the top 100 apps that will help you go green as part of our effort to promote a more sustainable lifestyle. Apps become an integral part of our life and a valuable tool and we believe we should also take advantage of them when it comes go greening up our life.

Every Friday we update you with a new app on the list, and today we're happy to introduce you with a great app that hopefully will get you walking! Our app is Every Body Walk! from everybodywalk.org . This app is for iPhone and android and it's free.

Here are more details about Every Body Walk! app:
Every Body Walk! is committed to get Americans up and moving. The Every Body Walk! app enables you to personalize your walking plan, connect with walking communities, learn about the latest fitness trends and tips and more. Get connected and get walking!

Track and save your own walking routes, build your walking history--then share your progress on Facebook! Discover walking groups and walking paths near you with an interactive map!
Read the latest news about walking, health news, trends and more!

Watch videos that include walking tips, how communities are embracing walking, advice from experts and more!

You can check top 100 green apps at http://www.ecolibris.net/greenapps.asp. As you'll see, this list is in work, but we promise to update it every week until we'll have all 100 green apps.

Last week's green app - MailStop Mobile app from Catalog Choice

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Check our special holiday offer!

My article on Triple Pundit on the evil app of Amazon

2011-12-15T17:13:00.000-08:00

Here's an update on a new article I published today on Triple Pundit with the latest news on the new price check app, which is supposed “to guide you in making informed purchase decisions”, and got by now the nickname 'the evil app'. Why? Check the article..

The article is entitled 'Amazon’s Evil App Makes It the New Enemy of Main Street '. Here's the first part of the article:

Amazon has always had a love-hate relationship with small businesses. For some, it provided a well-needed online platform to sell their products, while for others it created a competition that drove them out of business. Now, with Amazon’s new price comparison app, which was promoted last Saturday with further discounts for anyone who goes to brick and mortar retailers, but chooses to buy at Amazon, it looks like things are changing. Amazon is becoming the new villain retailer threatening the future of local economies, a role that Wal-Mart filled until recently

To read the full article go to http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/12/amazon-new-evil-app-makes-new-enemy-main-street/

Links to other articles I wrote for Triple Pundit can be found at http://www.triplepundit.com/author/raz-godelnik/

To read more on how green is your (and my) Kindle, visit our website at http://www.ecolibris.net/kindle.asp

Image credit: Wayne Senville, Flickr Creative Commons

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Plant trees for your books!

Audiobook for the holidays - part 2: Our Choice by Al Gore (and a giveaway!)

2011-12-14T17:44:00.000-08:00

Today we continue our series 'Audiobook for the holidays', where we review, recommend and give away 4 great audiobooks. Last week we introduced you to Boomerang by Michael Lewis. Today we're excited to introduce you to an audiobook that is maybe not very new, but given the news from Durban is more relevant than ever.

Our second audiobook on this series is OUR CHOICE: A Plan To Solve the Climate Crisis by Al Gore, read by John Slattery (aka Roger Sterling) and Cynthia Nixon (aka Miranda of Sex and the City).

The audiobook is published by Simon & Schuster Audio. Here's an excerpt from the audiobook narrated by Sex & the City's Cynthia Nixon, Mad Men's John Slattery, and Al Gore:

Here's more about "OUR CHOICE" from Al Gore's introduction to the book:

It is now abundantly clear that we have at our fingertips all of the tools we need to solve the climate crisis. The only missing ingredient is collective will.

Properly understood, the climate crisis is an unparalleled opportunity to finally and effectively address many persistent causes of suffering and misery that have long been neglected, and to transform the prospects of future generations, giving them a chance to live healthier, more prosperous lives as they continue their pursuit of happiness.

Our Choice gathers in one place all of the most effective solutions that are available now and that, together, will solve this crisis. It is meant to depoliticize the issue as much as possible and inspire readers to take action -- not only on an individual basis, but as participants in the political processes by which every country, and the world as a whole, makes the choice that now confronts us.

There is an old African proverb that says, "If you want to go quickly, go alone; if you want to go far, go together." We have to go far, quickly.

We can solve the climate crisis. It will be hard, to be sure, but if we can make the choice to solve it, I have no doubt whatsoever that we can and will succeed.

It sounds like a great book and I warmly recommend to get the audiobook - not only that you'll be saving paper, but you'll have it read by John Slattery and Cynthia Nixon, which is a great added value to the interesting content the book has to offer.

"An Inconvenient Truth" made a difference in the way the world is understanding and dealing with global warming and contributed greatly to the progress we have seen in the last couple of years. We can only wonder what impact this book will have.

The audiobook is available on Amazon: http://amzn.to/rI8RoI and on iTunes: http://bit.ly/uulO2Z

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!

We're giving away two copies of this audiobook, one of them signed by Al Gore, courtesy of the publisher, Simon & Simon audio!

How you can win? Very simple. All you have to do is to retweet this post on twitter with the hashtag #ourchoice at the end of your tweet. We will have a raffle on Wednesday, December 21, 5:00PM EST between all the readers that will retweet by then. The winners will be announced the following day.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

How investors can profit in the event Barnes & Noble file for bankruptcy

2011-12-13T09:09:00.000-08:00

We are watching Barnes & Noble for sometime, discussing the possibility of bankruptcy, which after the one Borders went through seems less illusory.

If you looked at their latest financial results which were released two weeks ago you could see that bankruptcy is still an option, given the fact that B&N has no viable strategy for its brick and mortar bookstores and put all its efforts into the Nook. We believe that this is a risky strategy considering that B&N competes with Apple and Amazon, which have much deeper pockets and probably better devices to start with.

We're not the only ones who identified the risk of bankruptcy. Motley Fool analysts Austin Smith and Nick Crow also see this risk and they have an interesting video where they discuss how investors can protect themselves from such an event and even profit from it. You can find their video here.

To view the weekly changes in the index visit Barnes and Noble Bankruptcy Index on our website.

You can find more resources on the future of bookstores on our website at www.ecolibris.net/bookstores_future.asp

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Working to green the book industry!

When Amazon tries to compete with Apple in the tablet market

2011-12-12T10:25:00.000-08:00

Amazon tried to penetrate the tablet market lately with its new Kindle Fire, trying to create a cheap yet quality alternative to Apple's iPad, by far the most dominant tablet computer. As we learn today from the New York Times, it might be more difficult than what it looked like to Amazon in the first place.

The article ("As Kindle Fire Faces Critics, Remedies Are Promised") reveals that the Kindle Fire is generating a lot of negative customer feedback and therefore Amazon Amazon, although it does not say so, is soon likely to release an improved version of the device.

What's wrong with the Kindle Fire? The article explains: "A few of their many complaints: there is no external volume control. The off switch is easy to hit by accident. Web pages take a long time to load. There is no privacy on the device; a spouse or child who picks it up will instantly know everything you have been doing. The touch screen is frequently hesitant and sometimes downright balky."

Some analysts think customers can still live with it, given the $199 price tag - “I would have expected things to be even worse at this point,” Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray, said, adding that initial buyers were usually the most critical. Pricing will save the Fire, he predicted. At $199 versus $500 for an iPad, “Amazon has a lot of air cover to have a B-level product.”

But Amazon can't count on it, which is why we're going to see soon, according to the article probably in the spring, an improved version of the device.

The lesson to Amazon is clear - you need to come more prepared when you try to penetrate new markets and generate high expectations of your new products.

The lesson to consumers is also clear - don't buy the Kindle Fire now. Save your money and wait for the Kindle Fire 2.

Those of you who are interested in learning more about tablet technology can find information on classes from Guide to Online Schools.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Check our special holiday offer!

Check out our special holiday gift offer: new trees + book stickers + beautiful holiday greeting card

2011-12-09T07:19:00.000-08:00

I would like to remind you about special offer for the holidays: trees + stickers + beautiful holiday greeting card.

It's very simple - plant trees to green the books your loved ones read. We will send them a beautiful holiday card and Eco-Libris stickers to display on their books' sleeves. Just change the shipping address on the PayPal payment page to the address of the gift receiver (or send us a separate email to info@ecolibris.net with the details) and we will take care of the rest!

The holiday greeting cards we send are made by Doodle Greetings (see picture above). Not only these cards come with a beautiful design, but they are also eco-friendly - printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper and are made chlorine-free and acid free. This is a good fit with Eco-Libris stickers, which are also made of recycled paper!

This is also very affordable gift offer, starting from $6.50 for 5 trees/stickers and a holiday gift card! $25, for example, will get you 25 trees, 25 stickers and a beautiful holiday gift card. Interested? go to our holiday gift page.

Last but not least, if you buy books this year as gifts for family and friends (and maybe even yourself), we have some ideas on how to make your gift more sustainable. Check out our 10 recommendations on how to green your book gift this holiday season.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting green reading!

Top 100 green apps: MailStop Mobile app from Catalog Choice

2011-12-09T02:28:00.000-08:00

As part of our effort to promote a more sustainable lifestyle we are assembling a list of the top 100 apps that will help you go green. Apps become an integral part of our life and a valuable tool and we believe we should also take advantage of them when it comes go greening up our lifestyle.

Starting this week, we'll update you here every Friday with a new app we add to the list. Today we're happy to introduce you with an app that was launched this week - MailStop Mobile app from Catalog Choice. This is a very cool app that will help you to use Catalog Choice services and reduce your junk mail. This app is for iPhone and iPad and it's free.

Here are more details about MailStop Mobile app:
The free app is available for download in the iTunes App Store. Once installed, members login or create a free Catalog Choice account, take pictures of their unwanted mail and upload those images to www.catalogchoice.org. Catalog Choice will then communicate opt-out requests to companies and monitor compliance.

The MailStop Mobile app works in sync with one’s free online account and is used to opt-out of all types of direct mail including catalogs, credit card offers, donation requests and coupons. The first five MailStop Mobile opt-outs are free. Members can buy additional opt-outs within the app priced at $1.99 for five, $6.99 for 20 or $14.99 for 50.

“Eradicating junk mail just got easier and fun,” said Chuck Teller, Executive Director, Catalog Choice. “MailStop Mobile turns your smartphone into a tool that declutters your mailbox in seconds, protects your privacy, saves trees and eliminates waste.”

MailStop Mobile is the newest service in a line of premium opt-out tools from Catalog Choice, including MailStop Envelopes and MailStop Shield. A version of the MailStop Mobile app will be available for Android users in 2012. For more information, visit www.catalogchoice.org.

You can check top 100 green apps at http://www.ecolibris.net/greenapps.asp. As you'll see, this list is in work, but we promise to update it every week until we'll have all 100 green apps.

If you're interested in developing and not just using green apps like this one, Online universities have courses in technology, so check them out.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Check our special holiday offer!

Audiobook for the holidays - part 1: Boomerang by Michael Lewis (and a giveaway!)

2011-12-07T09:42:00.000-08:00

Today we start a 4-week series for the holidays, where we will be reviewing, recommending and giving away four great audiobooks.

We believe these audiobooks are great to listen to all year round, but we know this is the time of the year when people look for unique and meaningful gifts, so this is certainly the right time to introduce you with these audiobooks, all published by Simon and Simon Audio.

Our first audiobook on this series is Boomerang by Michael Lewis, read by Dylan Baker.

Just like his last book, the Big Short, Michael Lewis takes the role here of a tour guide. This time he's leading a guided tour through some of the disparate places hard hit by the financial tsunami of 2008, like Greece, Iceland and Ireland. His role is almost Sisyphean as this is incredibly difficult to understand these events, not to mention putting them in some sort of coherent and clear context and even making you laugh once in a while when listening to it. Yet, Michael Lewis succeed to do it. Just like he did in the Big Short, he takes big global events and present them through small personal stories that helps us to understand how the hell these countries got to this situation.

What amazes me every time I listen to his audiobooks is how easily misconceptions are becoming common due to the belief that the people that are making the decisions are reasonable people and know what they do. Even though we get to learn time after time this is not the case we keep believe in it. This is why I won't be surprised if one of the next audiobooks of Michael Lewis will be on another crisis that follows the same patterns of the financial crisis he describes in the Big Short and Boomerang, this time environmental one. Actually, it might be that he's working on it as we speak..

Bottom line: If you want to understand the news coming from Europe and what's really going on there, listen to Boomerang!

Here are more details on Boomerang (From its Amazon page):

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Big Short, Liar’s Poker and The Blind Side!

The tsunami of cheap credit that rolled across the planet between 2002 and 2008 was more than a simple financial phenomenon: it was temptation, offering entire societies the chance to reveal aspects of their characters they could not normally afford to indulge.

The Greeks wanted to turn their country into a piÑata stuffed with cash and allow as many citizens as possible to take a whack at it. The Germans wanted to be even more German; the Irish wanted to stop being Irish.

The trademark of Michael Lewis's bestsellers is to tell an important and complex story through characters so outsized and outrageously weird that you'd think they have to be invented. (You'd be wrong.) In Boomerang, we meet a brilliant monk who has figured out how to game Greek capitalism to save his failing monastery; a cod fisherman who, with three days' training, becomes a currency trader for an Icelandic bank; and an Irish real estate developer so outraged by the collapse of his business that he drives across the country to attack the Irish Parliament with his earth-moving equipment.

Lewis's investigation of bubbles beyond our shores is so brilliantly, sadly hilarious that it leads the American listener to a comfortable complacency: Oh, those foolish foreigners. But when Lewis turns a merciless eye on California and Washington DC, we see that the narrative is a trap baited with humor, and we understand the reckoning that awaits the greatest and greediest of debtor nations.

"No one writes with more narrative panache about money and finance than Lewis."

--Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

Disclosure: We received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher (Simon and Simon Audio).

Here's an excerpt from the audiobook:

on Amazon: http://amzn.to/qj7fyn

on iTunes: http://bit.ly/tRZwhq

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!

We're giving away two copies of this audiobook, courtesy of the publisher, Simon & Simon audio!

How you can win? Very simple. All you have to do is to retweet this post on twitter with the hashtag #boomerang at the end of your tweet. We will have a raffle on Friday, December 14, 5:00PM EST between all the readers that will retweet by then. The winners will be announced the following day.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Spit That Out! second edition is on sale now (and one tree is planted for every sold copy!)

2011-12-07T03:55:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to update you that the second edition of Spit That Out!, the wonderful guide for parents by Paige Wolf is out for sale now. Not only that, but our collaboration with the author continues with this edition and one tree is planted with Eco-Libris for every printed copy sold.

We're not the only ones who think this is a great book. PEOPLE.com called this book "a realistic guide to keeping your kids safe and healthy," and Babble.com said it is "…a must read for eco-concerned parents." The new edition can be a great gift for the holidays for new parents or those who are about to become ones.

Here are more details on the new edition of Spit That Out!:

Spit That Out! The Overly Informed Parent's Guide to Raising Children in the Age of Environmental Guilt has received positive attention from PEOPLE.com, The Huffington Post, Pregnancy & Newborn, Daily Candy, and more. An updated edition of the book, which turns to everyday and celebrity moms as well as experts to present facts, debunk myths, and help parents stay on a reasonable and responsible course without losing their minds, will be available for sale this December.

In the new edition, readers will find the story of the author's transition to cloth diapers, an updated discussion of plastics, and the newest resources for green deals and discounts. The book is available in paperback and Kindle editions at Amazon.com and select retailers across the country. Learn more and follow the blog at www.spitthatoutthebook.com.

The book is available both at electronic and paper formats on Amazon.com.

And if you want to further educate yourself in Environmental Studies, look into online classes.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Check our special holiday offer!

Tomorrow: A giveaway of 2 copies of Boomerang by Michael Lewis (audiobook)

2011-12-06T12:33:00.000-08:00

I wanted to update you that tomorrow we'll be reviewing a great audiobook - Boomerang by Michael Lewis, read by Dylan Baker.

And we're also be having a giveaway! We'll be giving away 2 copies of this invaluable and interesting audiobook, courtesy of the publisher - Simon & Schuster Audio.

So check out our blog tomorrow and don't miss the opportunity to win a copy of Boomerang.

Just to warm you up, here's a reminder of six great audiobooks we gave away on our blog in the past:

1. Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell

2. My Footprint: Carrying the Weight of the World by Jeff Garlin

3. American Assassin by Chris Flynn

4. Gideon's War by Howard Gordon

5. The Essence of Happiness: A Guidebook for Living by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler M.D.

6. The Big Short by Michael Lewis

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Check our special holiday offer!

Book recommendation for this week: A Big Strategy by Peter J. Hughes and Kinga Monica

2011-12-05T03:15:00.000-08:00

This week we have a recommendation on a book that recommends a big strategy based on small actions, offering "a framework for generating new answers to today's problems."

The philosophy of this book coincides well with our belief in small actions that can make a big difference and we're happy to recommend it - it can be not just a great read, but also a great and valuable gift for yourself or others for the holidays!

The book is A Big Strategy

Authors: Peter J. Hughes and Kinga Monica. The authors collaborate with Eco-Libris to plant trees for sold copies of 'A Big Strategy'!

Publisher: Authors OnLine, a leading UK book publishing company that specialises in a broad range of publishing services including self publishing, print on demand and e-books.

So what is this book about? Here are more details about 'A Big Strategy':
How many small actions and collective wisdom can change the world for the better.

A Big Strategy offers a framework for generating new answers to today's problems.

Everyday our world is changing; a worldwide financial crisis, emergency bank bail-outs and unemployment. Debt and food prices are surging. Scientists and economists predict environmental tipping points could lead to a convergence of many complex issues. The choices we make today shape and determine the outcome over the next decades.

With rapid restorative action we can change the conditions for the better. As fossil fuels start to become scarcer, we are moving towards a future powered more by renewable energy and the wise use of resources. A Big Strategy looks to many sciences and ancient philosophies to discover what insights can be gleaned to help today replenish the planet.

This book explores how an integrated approach can enhance our lives, community, local economy, environment all at the same time. Through collective action we can generate enhanced leisure facilities and more opportunities in neighborhoods, achievable through instigating this highly advanced sustainable development formula. The benefits are multi-faceted and can be replicated, multiplying results that can start to create more optimism and hope for a brighter future.

For more details as well as for ordering a copy (it is available now in an ebook format) visit Authors OnLine's website.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Check our special holiday offer!

My article on Triple Pundit on the latest wood news from the guitar world

2011-12-04T02:47:00.000-08:00

Here's an update on a new article I published last Thursday on Triple Pundit with the latest news from the guitar world with regards to wood use.

The article reports on a new Martin guitar made in part of FSC-certified recycled Sitka spruce that comes from dismantled Canadian bridges where it had been used in construction and follows up on the August raid in Gibson Guitar plants, following a suspicion that a shipment of sawn ebony logs from India that was imported by Gibson illegally, violating the Lacey Act.

The article is entitled "Martin Unveils Recycled Wood Guitar, While Gibson Still Fights Raid Fallout". Here's the first part of the article:

If you heard the words “guitar” and “environment” in the same sentence in the last few months you were probably hearing about the raid on Gibson Guitar. While the August raid on Gibson’s factories continues to draw a lot of attention and still gets conservatives and Tea Party supporters angry, another guitar company is coming up this week with an innovative effort to connect the dots between guitars and the environment in a positive way.

To read the full article go to http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/11/victorias-secret-catalogs-getting-greener/

Links to other articles I wrote for Triple Pundit can be found at http://www.triplepundit.com/author/raz-godelnik/

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Plant trees for your books!

Today is Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day!

2011-12-03T03:58:00.000-08:00

Today is Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day. GalleyCat reports that founded by novelist Jenny Milchman, the new tradition urges parents to pass along the joy of bookstore shopping to the next generation. What a great idea a great idea, right?

Here are more details about this day from Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day's website:

Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day began when my children were little and I was going to story time at bookstores nearly every week. Did all children know the pleasure of spending time in a bookstore? I wondered. Of being drawn into a magic world for a while, then being left to choose treasures on the shelf? I wanted to begin a holiday that would expose as many kids as possible to this joy.

But Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day quickly became bigger than one mother and her children. Bloggers and book lovers took it viral across the web, carried posters into bookstores, and welcomed me and my family to local bookstores when we traveled cross country last summer.

Now we are busily adding stores, helping support celebrations on the Day, and leading people to the wonderful places we have found. In the future, Take Your Child to a Bookstore may offer grants for children who can't visit a bookstore on their own, or perhaps there will be internships for kids who want one day to own a bookstore. Because the sky is the limit when there is a book!

I'm going to take my kid to Strand Bookstore, which is not just a great indie bookstore, but also partners with Eco-Libris to offer customers to plant a tree for every book they buy at Strand.

Which bookstore will you go to with your kid to? Have a look at the Day's Bookstores page to see a map of the almost 150 bookstores participating in Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day!

For more information visit Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day's website.

If you have a passion for books and reading, you may enjoy literature courses from accredited online colleges.

Photo credit: Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day's website

Enjoy this day,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting green reading!

Eco-Libris special gift offer for the holidays: trees + book stickers + holiday greeting card

2011-12-01T12:23:00.000-08:00

We would like to remind you about special offer for the holidays: trees + stickers + beautiful holiday greeting card.