A new study: The destruction of forests costs much more than the financial crisis in Wall Street

Would you believe that annual loss from the disappearance of forests is greater than the current losses of Wall Street?

According to an EU commissioned study, the destruction of forests cost global economy $2-$5 trillion every year, whereas Wall Street by various calculations has to date lost, within the financial sector, $1-$1.5 trillion.

The BBC News reported (thanks to GreenLine Paper for the tip!) about this study, entitled "The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity" (Teeb) and headed by Pavan Sukhdev, an economist of Deutsche Bank. According to the article, the first phase of the study concluded in May when the team released its finding that forest decline could be costing about 7% of global GDP.

So what is exactly this economic loss that results out of the destruction of forests? well, the principle is quite simple - as forests decline, nature stops providing services which it used to provide us essentially for free, such as providing clean water and absorbing carbon dioxide. Then, the report explains, the human economy has to provide them instead, perhaps through building reservoirs, building facilities to sequester carbon dioxide, and so on, or we have to do without them. Either way, there is a financial cost.

If you ask yourself how come the Wall Street crisis gets so much attention and of course an immediate remedy, whereas the forests are left behind, think of relevance to your daily life. I think that's the main issue here. Of course we need more regulation and economic steps to be taken to support conservation and make sure living trees will have greater value than trees that are cut down, but in the bottom line it's mainly about relevance.

People were persuaded that the Wall Street crisis is relevant for each and every one of them due to its overall influence on the economy. But most people don't find the forests' crisis relevant to their daily life, and therefore it doesn't really matter what the price tag attached to this crisis is. And if it won't matter to people, governments and businesses (but especially governments) will find it much more difficult to act in the right direction.

How you make the forests' desctruction more personally relevant for people? I wish I had the right answer. My belief is that it is a combination of more education, more political awareness, more business action and more media attention. As you see there's a lot to be done but we need to stay optimistic and believe in our ability to achieve this goal even in time of financial difficulties.

At least Mr. Sukhdev, the study leader succeed to see the full half of the glass. "governments and businesses" he says, "are getting the point." And he further expalins: "times have changed. Almost three years ago, even two years ago, their eyes would glaze over. Today, when I say this, they listen. In fact I get questions asked - so how do you calculate this, how can we monetize it, what can we do about it, why don't you speak with so and so politician or such and such business."

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

More posts relevant to this issue:

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

Will the new international fund save the Amazon?

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

Merrill Lynch is investing in forest protection


* Picture Courtesy of Sustainable Harvest international

A new partnership with Norwegian publisher starts with a new book on Arne Næss

We love Norway. It's a beautiful and eco-friendly country (we wrote about Norwegian green initiatives in the past). Today we have one more reason to add to the list (not that we don't have enough..) - we're happy to announce on a new collaboration of Eco-Libris with the Norwegian publisher Flux.

Flux are publishers of a magazine and literature within the fields of philosophy, cosmology and ecology and a sustainable future. They're very unique publishers in their approach - some of the questions they ask are: Is it possible to find a deeper resonance between man, society, nature and universe? How can we shift or expand perspectives? What do we find in the forefronts of science? What are the underlying assumptions for science and society? What do we find behind and between formalized categories and reference frames? What about the paradoxes in our lives? What is the role of art and mythology? How do we release human intuition and creative power?

Flux seeks to shed light on these questions through dialogue, fruitful interchange between logic and intuition and crossfertilisation of subjects and fields. Key guidelines: essence, timelessness, reality, simplicity.

Now Flux are collaborating with Eco-Libris to plant trees for their publications, starting with a great book (in Norwegian) - Dyp glede (Deep Joy): Arne Næss on deep ecology by Per Ingvar Haukeland.

What this book is about? here's a short description of it from Flux:

Writer and scientist Per Ingvar Haukeland says, ’I have long felt the need to make Arne Næss’ ecosophy and deep ecology works more available to Norwegian readers, in the hope that more may be inspired to explore their own ecosophy and bring about change in a more ecologically sustainable direction. With this book we can finally present these works.’

The book consists of extracts of works spanning a 40-year period. Its five sections cover the core themes in Næss’ ecosophical and deep ecology thought; 1) The Gravity—and Levity—of Our Times; 2) Sources of Inspiration; 3) Ecosophy; 4) the Deep Ecology movement; and 5) visions for the future. Each section is made up of several subdivisions, which are tied together through short introductions.With images and text we also present individuals who are, and have been, important inspirations to Næss and to deep ecology.

Arne Næss is a very important ecological philosopher and we're very happy to start our collaboration with Flux by planting trees to balance out this great book about his work.

Næss by the way is also very much connected to the birth of Flux - In 2000 Flux published the book Hvor kommer virkeligheten fra? (What is This Thing Called Reality?), seventeen conversations with the philosopher Arne Næss - 'father of deep ecology' - previously printed in the Flux Magazine. This inspired them to start their own publishing house in 2003 with two books in the Paradigm series.

The book's launch will be on November 13. We'll keep you posted with more updates about the book and of course with further news on our new collaboration with Flux. In the meantime you are invited to visit their website: http://www.flux.no

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Plant a tree for every book you read!

Green Options: Want to Green Your Addiction to Books? Buy Ebooks

As part of Eco-Libris' ongoing content partnership with Green Options Media, we feature a post that was originally published by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg on October 27 on Sustainablog. Today's post talks about one of our favorite topics: ebooks.

OK, I admit it: I'm a book whore (hardly a shocking confession for a former English professor). I'm most vulnerable to impulse buying in a book store. When a publishing PR rep contacts me about a book for review, I jump on it like an addict desperate for that next fix.

But, of course, I also know that book publishing takes a fairly heavy environmental toll: as our friends at EcoLibris have pointed out, "more than 30 million trees are cut down annually for virgin paper used for the production of books sold in the U.S. alone." The WorldWatch Institute notes that the average American uses over 300 kilograms (or over 660 pounds) of paper annually. And Erika Engelhaupt, in Environmental Science & Technology, observes:

Reducing paper use does more than save trees. Pulp and paper mills are also a major source of pollution. They release into the air CO2, nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), carbon monoxide, and particulates, which contribute to global warming, smog, acid rain, and respiratory problems. In addition, bleaching paper with chlorine can produce dioxin, which is known to cause cancer. Paper mills also produce large amounts of solid waste and require a lot of water. The industry is trying to clean up, but anyone who's driven past a paper mill has smelled the challenge.

Yep, that book addiction has quite the footprint. There are numerous approaches to dealing with this impact: "cradle to cradle" book design, Ecolibris-style offsets, used of recycled and non-toxic materials, and, of course, ebooks.

Does size (and margins) matter? Yes! - Les Wallace offers a way to save trees and money at the same time

Today Eco-Libris blog is hosting Les Wallace, a long-time activist of the U.K. who suggests a creative yet simple idea to reduce the usage of paper (and trees) in books. This way is not only costly but will actually save publishers money..

What Happened to Reduce?

There has been a good deal of effort, often led by authors, in reducing the environmental problems caused by the publishing industry. This has usually involved specifying the use of certain paper in its books i.e. non chlorine bleached, not sourced from old growth forests or is at least partly made from recycled paper.

This is to be welcomed and encouraged, but it has missed the most important and by far the easiest method for reducing the environmental impact of publishing – the actual amount of paper it uses.

Comparing books will show that there is a massive difference in the size of their margins. It is not uncommon to see a book that could reduce its paper use by 10 or 15% plus simply by reducing its margins to a size used by other volumnes.

This saves resources, reduces transport and packaging costs, takes up less shelf space and is more convenient for consumers – less paper same text.. Money saved could be used by publishers to use more recycled fibre, if additional cost is an issue.

A mere 10% reduction in paper use for books in America alone would result save 3 million trees every year just by someone reducing margin size when they are designing layout on a PC! Books should start carrying messages that they have reduced paper use by conscientious design in the same way they don't use fiber from ancient forest or do use recycled paper.

It would be great to see both messages together. We need to raise awareness of this fundamental issue amongst publishers, writers and other readers. Emailing photos of books with excessive margins next to those with sensible ones to publishers will show just how wasteful this practice is - totally unnecessary and a form of over packaging.

Les Wallace has been active in recycling and waste reduction for 19 years, He is a member of Falkirk Friends of the Earth group and a member of Friends of the Earth Scotland's CREW (Communities Reducing Excess Waste) scheme. He worked as an intern at the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Centre (HMDC) in 1992 helping to promote reduce, reuse, recycle issues to school kids and the general public.

Monday's green books: Celebrate Green! (and a giveaway of the book)

After a short break of one week we're back with our beloved Monday's green books series, and today we're celebrating! Our book today is:

"Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations & Traditions for the Whole Family" by Corey Colwell-Lipson & Lynn Colwell

Few weeks ago we announced here on our collaboration with the authors (buyers of the book on the Celebrate Green! website are offered to plant a tree with their copy of Celebrate Green!) and today we're happy to review the book and to give away one copy of it.

I read quite a few guides for green living in the last year or so, but this is the first guide I know that is focused on holidays and celebrations. Why? the authors explain: "the reason it's important to green up our celebrations is that holidays and special days are plentiful...holidays and special days don't happen on one day only in one place; they occur throughout the year in homes, schools, and places of work across the globe." (p. 20)

I have to say I like the concept. Firstly, holidays and celebrations are many times part of traditions, whether these are on personal, family, local or national level. If we embed green practices into traditions, it will be much easier to pass them to the next generations. Second, holidays and celebrations require planning and giving some thought about the details, and hence provide an excellent opportunity to think and discuss the importance of green practices. Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson, a mother and daughter, started their green holidays journey on Halloween 2006 and this book is an important milestone on their green journey.

The book is covering various holidays, from Christmas and Hanukkah to Father's Day and St. Patrick's Day. It also talks about many types of celebrations such as baby showers, wedding anniversaries, office parties and so on. For each of these holidays and celebrations you will find many useful tips on how to green them up. Want an example? how about Halloween, the holiday where it all started for the authors and actually the nearest holiday on the calender..

So how to green up your Halloween? it starts with choosing eco-friendly and/or people friendly treats and treasures. Also use the 3Rs when it comes to treats and treasures: reduce their amount (kids will cherish it more), recycle (make treasures from recycled materials) and reuse (stuff you don't need can be great treasures). You will also find recommendations on green party favors and prizes, eco-friendly costumes, tips on hosting a Green Halloween party and more.

One important thing is that the book try to keep it real. Not too much complicated stuff and many ideas that can fit everyone - from the busiest people to those who have all the time in the world. Still, the authors don't pretend green celebrations can be made at no time and make sure you will understand that it requires planning to have a successful green holiday or party. They also show you how green alternatives don't have to be necessarily costly, as many people may assume mistakenly. Anyone who will implement the 3Rs for any of the holidays will find that you can actually "save some green while going green".

So if you are kind of person (and who doesn't) who likes to celebrate and enjoy the holidays and at the same time care about the environment and your footprint this is defenitely the book for you! Add to it the facts that Celebrate Green! is printed on 30% recycled and 70% FSC certified paper, collaborating with Eco-Libris and a portion of the proceeds from the book benefit Treeswing and Healthy Child, Healthy World and you've also a great green and affordable gift to give on the holidays.

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!

We are giving away our review copy of Celebrate Green! How do you get a chance to win it? all you have to do is to add a comment below with a story or advice of yours on how to make holidays and celebrations more eco-friendly. If you have a tip or a story about Halloween that would be great!

Submissions are accepted until Sunday, November 2, 12PM EST. We will pick the comment we liked best and the winner will be announced the following day.

And don't forget to check out these websites:

Celebrate Green! website - http://www.celebrategreen.net

More suggestions on how to green your Halloween - http://www.greenhalloween.org

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

New survey: 40% of magazine readers will pay more for greener magazines

I learned on Treehugger on a new survey of Hearst Magazines subscribers, which has a very green bottom line: many magazine readers care about the environment and are ready to pay more for magazines printed on recycled paper and committed to eco-friendly practices.

Net Ives reports on Advertising Age on the survey's results:

- Almost four out of five respondents agreed that everyone should care about being eco-friendly.

- 43% of respondents agreed with the statement "If I learned that a product I regularly use was not eco-friendly, I would stop buying it."

- 43% said they would pay more for a magazine printed on recycled paper

- 39% said they would pay more for a magazine committed to eco-friendly practices.

These are pretty good results, although you see an approximate 50% transition ratio - about 80% think everyone should care about the environment, but only about half of them translate it into action, whether negatively to stop using products that are not eco-friendly, or positively by paying a premium for magazines that go green.

Nevertheless, it is encouraging to see that level of support and willingness to pay a premium for magazines that go green. But how much eco-conscious readers are really willing to pay? I guess that when you break it into numbers (more than $1, less than $1, etc.), you will get better understanding of the value readers see in the usage of recycled paper or using eco-friendly practices.

You can see it on a 2005 study of American book and magazine readers that found that almost 80% of consumers are willing to pay more for books printed on recycled paper. At the same time "only" 42% were willing to pay $1 more per book according to the survey.

In any case, it is clear that there is a growing number of readers that are willing to show their support for greener books, magazines and newspapers by paying a reasonable premium for these products, just like they pay it for many other green products they purchase.

More related articles:

Can wheat straw replace trees as the source of paper?

Green Options - ReadyMade Magazine Goes Digital in Green Issue

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

Green signing event of BUTT UGLY this Sunday in Santa Barbara

Last month we presented a green children's book entitled "BUTT UGLY". I'm sure you remember it. How can anyone forget such a great name? Now you can meet the book's author and Emmy winner, Lynn Montgomery, and get a signed copy of the book on a signing event this Sunday (Oct 26) at Chaucer's Books in Santa Barbara.

As part of our collaboration with the book's author, a tree will be planted for every copy of the book sold this signing event!

Here are the details of the event:

Where: Chaucer's Books, 3321 State Street in Loreto Plaza, Santa Barbara, CA 93105

When: Sunday, Oct 26, 3 p.m.

And a reminder on the book:

What the book is about (from the book's web page): the book is about a little green runt who needs a home. He's green. He's puny. And nobody wants to give him a home. What happens to the runt of the litter when he's abandoned on a doorstep in a Ding-Dong-Ditch? Mutts of the world unite! This book is for every 4-legged, 2-legged, and even 50-legged creature who has ever felt a little shy, a little alone, or a little butt ugly. And for all the heroes who have opened their homes and their hearts to love them.

How much green? very much! the book is printed in a very eco-friendly manner:

- on recycled paper

- with vegetable based inks

- no chlorine bleach

- printed with wind power in the U.S.

You can find more details on the book at http://www.zuzupetalsbooks.com

More on our collaboration with the author:

Green book of the week (and a new partner): BUTT UGLY by Lynn Montgomery

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

Reminder: five more days for our special newsletter offer

You got five more days to take advantage of our special offer: sign up to our newsletter by the end of October and you can win a copy of Mira Tweti's new book 'Of Parrots and People'.

Eco-Libris newsletter is planned right now to be a monthly newsletter, so you can expect to hear from us only once a month. On the newsletter we will offer you updates about our work and our latest collaborations in the book industry. We will also include articles on the book and paper industry from our unique green perspective, as well as special offers and discounts!

And as mentioned above, if you sign up until October 31, you will have the chance of winning a copy of "Of Parrots and People: The Sometimes Funny, Always Fascinating, and Often Catastrophic Collision of Two Intelligent Species" by Mira Tweti.

All you have to do is just to sign up, using the box on the right side of the page saying 'Join Our Email List' and that's it. We will have a raffle between the new subscribers on November 1st and will post here the name of the winner. And of course, a tree will be planted for this copy as well!

Thank you to the author Mira Tweti for the copy. Our collaboration with her started in her last book "Here, There and Everywhere", and continues in this book as well. The book endorses Eco-Libris - there is an entire page (page 304) devoted to Eco-Libris and how readers can balance out their copy of the book on Eco-Libris website.

You can find more about the book on this link: http://ecolibris.blogspot.com/2008/08/of-parrots-and-people-new-book-of.html

So what are you waiting for?

Yours,

Raz @ Eco-Libris

www.ecolibris.net

'The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear' goes green with Eco-Libris!

We are happy to announce on a new collaboration of Eco-Libris with David Bruins, the author of the new children's book entitled "The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear".

For every copy printed of "The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear", a tree will be planted with Eco-Libris. You can also find our logo on the cover of the book! In addition, the book is printed using vegetable-based ink, on 30% recycled paper, by a FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified printer.

"The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear" is an illustrated children's story about three friends who discover an important truth about equality, diversity and how to appreciate one another's unique traits. The pictures and prose work together to capture children's attention, spark their imagination, and impart a valuable lesson about the world around them. The book also include instructions on how to play the game Ninja Cowboy Bear.

The book is available now online (http://www.ninja-cowboy-bear.com/buy.htm) and in many bookstores in Toronto and its surroundings (see full list here - http://www.ninja-cowboy-bear.com/wheretobuy.htm).

It's a great book with a great name and we're very happy to green it up! We'll review the book in a couple of weeks and also have a giveaway of a copy of the book so stay tuned!

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

New guide for buyers: Canada's sustainable forest products

A new guide from Canada - Environmental Leader reports that The Forest Products Association of Canada and PricewaterhouseCoopers have published a buyer’s guide for Canada's sustainable forest products. This guide is designed to provide buyers guidance on what to consider when writing procurement policies and programs that need to be based on sustainable and socially responsible forest practices.

The Guide provides practical advice in areas critical to ensuring that purchasing practices contribute to the positive development of communities and do not harm the environment.

So what you can find in this guide?
The guide encourages readers to go beyond the traditional considerations of price, quality, service and availability, by considering all aspects of the production process and their impact on the environment. Such topics as climate change, traceability, certification, legality and social desirability in the production of Canadian forest products are covered in the Guide.

It is designed to address the major considerations presented by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the World Resources Institute (WRII) in their guide to Sustainable Procurement of Wood and Paper-based Products, with respect to forest products produced in Canada, including:

Sourcing and Legality Aspects (origin, information accuracy, legality)
Environmental Aspects (sustainability, environmental protection, special places, other resources, climate change, recycled fibre)
Social Aspects (local communities and indigenous peoples)

As always, you have to take into consideration the point of view of the writers - FPAC is the voice of Canada's wood, pulp, and paper producers (a $80-billion dollar a year industry that represents 2% of Canada's GDP!). Last year by the way FPAC announced that Canada’s forest products industry is setting a new bar for environmental responsibility and action on climate change: industry-wide carbon-neutrality by 2015 without the purchase of carbon offset credits.

If you want to learn more about the FPAC please visit their website -http://www.fpac.ca/en. You are also welcome to watch an Interview with Avrim Lazar on Global TV - http://www.fpac.ca/en/media_centre/video.


Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
http://www.ecolibris.net

Eco-Libris blog on the virtual book tour of 'The White Road'

Last month we wrote here on our collaboration with author Tania Hershman to balance out her first book, The White Road and other Stories, published by UK's renowned Salt Publishing. This great collection of short stories is balanced out by planting a tree with Eco-Libris for every copy printed.

Now Tania is having a virtual book tour and we're very happy to be one of the stops on this grand tour!! On December 10 we'll host Tania for virtual green beer and a conversation on her book and how it feels to have the first collection of short stories worldwide that is planting a tree for every copy printed!

The tour stops are as follows (you're most welcome to check them all!):

28 Oct 2008 Keeper of the Snails

5 Nov 2008 Literary Minded: Angela Meyer

9 Nov 2008 Vanessa Gebbie’s News

18 Nov 2008 Sue Guiney: Me and Others

26 Nov 2008 Tim Jones: Books in the Trees

2 Dec 2008 Eric Forbes’ Book Addict’s Guide to Good Books

10 Dec 2008 Eco-Libris

16 Dec 2008 Kelly Spitzer (Writers In Profile)

23 Dec 2008 Kanlaon

29 Dec 2008 Thoughts from Botswana

In the meantime, here's a reminder of the author's bio:

Tania Hershman (TaniaHershman.com) was born in London in 1970 and in 1994 moved to Jerusalem, Israel, where she now lives with her partner. Tania is a former science journalist and her award-winning short stories combine her two loves: fiction and science. Many of Tania's stories, which have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and published in print and online, are inspired by articles from popular science magazines. In November 2007, she founded The Short Review, a unique website dedicated to reviewing short story collections. For further information, visit the White Road and Other Stories. Tania blogs at TitaniaWrites.

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

Do the Seven Green Things!

We're following Do the Green Thing for a while and update you every month with their monthly Green Thing, which is always presented and explained in a fun and interesting way.

After their first year, which was very successful reaching over 2.1 million people from 171 countries worldwide and helping save in excess of 3.4m KGs of CO2, the Green Thing team has just launched a completely redesigned site.

It's not only a design, it's also a shift in the focus - from monthly green recommendation aimed to inspire people to go green, they shifted to to focus on seven green things you can do - and enjoy doing. These things include as you can see prior monthly recommendations, as following (from their website):

1. You get from A to B without any C when you Walk The Walk
2. It’s delicious but it causes more CO2 than cars so go Easy On The Meat
3. Resist the urge to buy the latest and Stick With What You Got
4. Turn down the central heating and turn up the Human Heat
5. The art of wasting nothing and using up everything: All-Consuming
6. Instead of jetting your way around the world, Stay Grounded
7. Don’t leave it on or even put it on, Plug Out



this video is designed by Andrew Rae of Monkey Dust fame, illustrated by Tom Baker and voiced over by Aaron Willmer).

As always you're welcome to explore their great website - http://www.dothegreenthing.com and do the Green Thing!

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

An inteview with Guy Boulianne of Mille Poetes editions, a new partner of Eco-Libris

We wrote here briefly last month on our new partnership with Mille Poetes editions, when we presented the great video they made about our collaboration. Mille Poetes editions is a Montreal based, French language publisher that has been created for authors, poets and readers. Now it's also a new partner of Eco-Libris, as they dedicate 2% of their monthly sales to planting trees to combat deforestation, desertification and poverty.

We wanted to learn more about Mille Poetes and conducted an interview with the owner and editor in chief, Guy Boulianne (see photo below).

Can you tell us a little bit about Mille Poetes and your work process with authors? are there any specific types of publications you are focused on?

Mille Poetes editions were created in November 2005 and incorporated in Delaware in early 2006. It is a domestic Limited Liability Company (LLC) managed from Quebec.

Our main task to facilitate the process of the artists for publishing their works. We know the difficulties that an author may encounter along the way when it comes to publish his book, which is why we want to help ...

Mille Poetes editions mostly publish poetry, but we are also very open to all genres of literature. Hence we are publishing novels, short stories, essays, children books, biographies, science fiction, historical books and others.

All styles are welcome because we believe that the creation may not bear any limit.

Can you provide us with information on some of the books you published lately?

The latest book that we published is the short story by the Rwandan author Felix Ntihemuka: « La lumière origine de tout ». We also published the novels by the authors Francine Therrien from Quebec: « Coeurs migrateurs », Marie-Pierre Demon from France: « Au commencement était le Pouvoir » and Jean-Jacques Kurz from Switzerland: « Le mystère du bolduc maudit ».

The goal of Mille Poetes editions is to publish authors from everywhere and all countries. Thus we have published books by Jean Saint-Vil (Haiti), Philomene Bohoussou (Ivory Coast), Anna Do So Tadjuideen (Poland), Noureddine Mhakkak (Morocco), Theodore Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso), Michele Machado (Spain), Axel Gaspart (Belgium), Thierry Waser (Switzerland), Pierre Charette (Quebec) and more.

We are therefore trying, within our means, to work at the international level.

Which are the biggest markets for books in French except of France of course?

Most of our market is in France. We rarely receive orders from Belgium or Switzerland. Regarding Quebec (Canada), the market is too small. Quebec is composed of only 7.5 million inhabitants on a territory of 1 667 441 sq. km when there are 63.5 million people in France over a territory of 675 417 sq. km.

Most publishing houses in Quebec survive through grants. For the moment Mille Poetes editions do not receive any subsidy or any private financial support. That’s why we ask a small contribution from authors who wish to publish with us.

Are books in French dealing with the same difficulties that books in English struggle with or it's even more difficult for them because of the relatively limited market (in comparison with the English books market)?

Despite major upheavals in the world of publishing with the development of electronic publishing with new technologies such as e-ink and readers Kindle (Amazon), Reader (Sony) and Cybook Gen3, the world 's French edition is doing fairly well in general.

Like every year Livres Hebdo offers its ranking of the largest publishers in France or who has the most turnover during the year. For the year 2007 Hachette is holding up the tile with 2.13 billion euros in turnover, and the success of the group is not confined to France as it is the largest general editor the United Kingdom and the 5th largest in the United States.

Then Editis with 760 million euros in sales (recall of editing was recently bought by Planeta) and France Loisirs which still belongs to Bertelsmann with 380 million euros sales, with editions Atlas 378.3 million euros sales, Media shares with 301 million euros sales, Lefebvre Sarrut with 296 million euros sales, Gallimard with 290 million euros sales, Flammarion with 243 million euros sales, The Martinière Group with 237 million euros sales and Panini France with 183 million euros sales.

Livres Hebdo said that “seven of the twelve major players in the French edition are now foreign companies, all European”. In view of these figures, it must believe that the crisis was not too affected the publishing industry that benefits, according to our colleagues from Livres Hebdo yet, a "relatively good health" (Ref: Actualitté).

Obviously we are talking here of the biggest publishing houses in France. This does not really concern Mille Poetes editions who publish in majority - as its name suggests – poetry books. We are a very small publisher and we make no distribution of books in bookstores. We sell through the Internet. People can buy our books directly from our online store or from our partners Abebooks, PriceMinister, 2xMoinsCher, Caplivres, Biblio.com (USA) and others. As a small publisher we avoid two important intermediaries: distributors and bookstores. In addition, Mille Poetes editions have been designed from the outset by this vision : they are an online business.

You write that "Mille Poetes editions works in the third millennium. We are part and parcel of this new form of operation, this new form of economy, which enables us to expedite all processes, simplifying all the steps and open all borders." What do you mean by that? can you give some examples?

Mille Poetes editions are a Publisher on Demand (POD), ie that we print and ship books to the unit and quantity. We use new manufacturing technologies and distribution as digital printing (eg Xerox) and Internet sales. Our books are available at the international level. We do not limit ourselves to one area or one market.

We print and ship the book to the unit when there's a sale. We thus avoid the waste of ink, paper and human resources. We also avoid excessive printing of books that lead most of the time with the pestle for unsold.

What do you enjoy most as a publisher?

I started writing poetry with a depth arts at age 18 and I self-published my first book at age 20. From the start I decided to do everything by myself: I designed the graphics of the cover, I oversaw the typography and I paid my printer for a first printing of 500 copies.

So I made my entry into the professional field of culture 26 years ago. In a very short time the national media in Quebec have spoken of me and my poetry, whether Ms. Francine Grimaldi to the newspaper La Presse and Radio-Canada, or the magazine Le Lundi that at that time more than 1 million readers.

I always took my job very seriously. I extended it in art galleries and television as a conceptor and producer of « Ecriture d’ici » and « Plume et pinceau » TV programs at Videotron.

I have always worked in the field of culture and organized projects and events of all kinds. The fact of working in Mille Poetes editions for me is the logical continuation of what I have always done in my life and now I offer my expertise to other creators.

You can also read my biography that is published on AuthorsDen website, in USA.

What is your favorite book currently and in all times?

I can not give the title of a current book that I would prefer more than another. Several books of several authors that appeal to me once and I can’t provide any details about it.

But, as lover of History, I am in great admiration for the work of Dom CL Devic et Dom J. Vaissete : « Histoire générale de Languedoc » (1875). Until recently, it was almost impossible to access this rare work which consists of several volumes containing about 1,000 pages each. The only places where one could read that books were the various departmental archives in France. But, with the advent of Google Books, we can now download a large part of the collection. For now, I own 9 volumes of the series.

This work of the two Benedictine is a real treasure for French heritage.

What is the main reason that you decided to devote 2% of their monthly sales of books by planting trees?

Anyone living on the Earth must have a global conscience. The same goes for businesses.

As a publisher on demand, Mille Poetes decreases the use of materials and human resources. In this sense we already have a non-negligible effort for the health of the planet: we can stop waste at its base.

By devoting 2% of our monthly sales of books for planting trees we complete this process. Regardless of the amount of books we print per month, paper is used and trees are cut. It is therefore crucial to reinvest a portion of profits to eco-system to plant new trees, among other in Africa and Latin America. This has the effect of combat deforestation, desertification and thus poverty. That’s what we do in partnership with Eco-Libris.

It is also important to note that this rebate on profits does not affect copyright for the authors.

As a publisher, how do you see the efforts of the book industry to go green? where do you think there's a need to make more efforts?

The book industry must do as Mille Poetes editions : eradicate waste at its core and back a portion of its profits in the eco-system. As a result there are more and more publishers and printers on demand in the market, which is a good thing in itself.

We must abandon the old settings and the old conceptions of the world. We must develop a new economy around new technologies.

Many developments have taken place since the invention of printing by Gutenberg in 1450 and the recent invention of the computer, via the digital press, electronic books, Internet and online downloading.

Times have changed and only those who can adapt to new paradigms can survive and prosper.

And finally, do you have any message to Eco-Libris readers?

One day, perhaps Mille Poetes editions will translate their books in English. So Eco-Libris readers can learn more about our French authors and creators. Meanwhile it is still possible to buy our books in French on Biblio.com website. This can help them better learn the language of Moliere.

We also invite all people to participate individually in Eco-Libris program so that we all participate together to Greening our beautiful planet. Before it is too late ...

Thank you Guy! For further information on Mille Poetes Editions you can visit their website at Site at http://www.mille-poetes.com

You can also join their Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bradenton-FL/Editions-Mille-Poetes/33329258221

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Plant a tree for every book you read!

And the winner in the Little Green Books' giveaway is:

Thank you for all the participants in our giveaway of the Little Green Books, following our review of two of these books, 'Little Panda' and 'Little Monkey' by Kimberly Ainsworth.

We got many great comments and the main idea in many of them was of parents setting up an example for their kids. And the winner of our giveaway is the reader Gina, whose comment added few important ingredients to this green concept, so here it is:

Make it fun and make it normal! To my kids, breastfeeding and cloth diapering are normal. My daughter knew at 2 1/2 what snappis and prefolds were. We also use our own bags unless we forget them LOL. Then we get paper bags, which the kids use to make costumes.

Also, giving them ownership helps. We are going to try to garden and as a starting activity, we sprouted a few beans in a plastic bag in the window. The kids figured out on their own that different plants grow at different rates. We'll be composting, too, and each of the kids will play a role.

Congratulations Gina! As mentioned, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing are donating the prize: a package including all of the four books published so far in the Little Green Books line: Little Panda, Little Monkey, I Can Save the Earth!: One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle and The Polar Bears' Home: A Story About Global Warming.

If you didn't win this time, no worries! We'll have more reviews of the Green Little Books with more giveaways in the next couple of weeks! And if you have kids at the age of 5-10 - don't forget the opportunity for them to take part in an educational contest Eco-Libris is co-sponsoring with Simon and Schuster - I CAN SAVE THE EARTH!, where they can share how they’re helping to save the environment and win eco-friendly books from Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing - and have trees planted in their name with Eco-Libris!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

Torpedo update

As we mentioned here before, we have a great partner down under - Falcon vs. Monkey, Falcon Wins. This is an independent publishing company based in Melbourne Australia, noted for fiction/illustration quarterly Torpedo.

One tree is planted for each copy of Torpedo sold, through Eco-Libris. This way they're're building our own forest so that falcons and monkeys can live in bloodless harmony :-)

Today we have an update on Torpedo for all of you who write short stories and to those who like reading great fiction in general.

So here it is straight from Chris Flynn of Falcon vs. Monkey:

Torpedo is now open for submissions - we are looking for great fiction to fill volume 5 and beyond. Short stories between 1000 & 7000 words, full colour comics. If you've read a copy, you'll know what we like. If not, why are you submitting?

Torpedo is now cheaper to buy online - we're absorbing the shipping costs for overseas buyers, so it's just $25 AU including postage anywhere in the world from now on, and $80 for a four-issue subscription. That's about 10 pounds sterling, 13 Euros, 18 bucks U.S. or 150 Chinese Yuan Renminbi for an issue of Torpedoey goodness. And with each day the economy heads further into the maelstrom, it gets cheaper, huzzah! Plus, Volume One is now on sale for $20 including postage. Treat yourself!

Torpedo Volume Four is now in production - our tribute issue to Richard Brautigan is currently being designed, with lots of tribute fiction, full colour artwork based on his stories and forty pages of his best work as chosen by editor Chris Flynn & Ianthe Brautigan. If you don't already love RB, you soon will. Released in January 2009.

Submissions can be made on Falcon vs. Monkey's website. You're also invited to join Falcon vs. Monkey's Facebook group - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Falcon-vs-Monkey/26634270791

Cheers!
Raz @ Eco-Libris
http://www.ecolibris.net

Eco-Libris is collaborating with Dutch author Annet Struik

We are happy to announce on a new collaboration of Eco-Libris with the Dutch author Annet Struik. Eco-Libris will partner with Struik to plant 1,000 trees for the first edition of her new book "52 vonken".

The book is in Dutch and it's actually the first book we balance out in Dutch so we're very excited about it. If you know Dutch (lucky you!) and you want to learn more what's this book is about, you're welcome to check the following link: http://issuu.com/quist/docs/52vonken?mode=embed&documentId=081015190103-2d529c7c95fc430894958fce042531e4&layout=grey . The rest of us will have to wait to the English transaltion :)

Eco-Libris will work with its planting partners to plant 1,000 trees (actually 1300 trees will be planted to make sure that at least 1,000 trees will reach maturity). Our planting partners are three highly respected US and UK registered non-profit organizations that work in collaboration with local communities in developing countries to plant these trees.

These trees are planted in high ecological and sustainable standards in Latin America (Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, Belize, Honduras) and Africa (Malawi), where deforestation is a crucial problem. Planting trees in these places not only helps to fight climate change and conserve soil and water, but also benefits many local people, for whom these trees offer many benefits, such as improvement of crops and additional food and income, and an opportunity for a better future.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

http://www.ecolibris.net/