Friday, January 30, 2009

My Green Resolution for 2009 - Mille Poetes editions

Our two last parts of "My Green Resolution for 2009" series will host two partners of ours, whom we work now on two very exciting projects!

The first one is Mille Poetes editions, a Montreal-based, French language publisher. We have the pleasure of hosting the owner and editor in chief, Guy Boulianne, who is also presenting the new project we're working on.

Mille Poetes editions has been created for authors, poets and readers. As mentioned its based in Montreal and mostly publish (in the French language) poetry, but also very open to all genres of literature and publish novels, short stories, essays, children books, biographies, science fiction, historical books and others.

Mille Poets Editions partners with Eco-Libris and dedicate 2% of their monthly sales to planting trees with us to combat deforestation, desertification and poverty.


Hello Guy. What is your green resolution for 2009?
As an editor in chief of editions Mille Poetes, I proposed to Raz and Eylon a collective book project whose 15% of sales will be donated to Eco-Libris. This book will bring together a hundred poets from France, United States, Canada and other countries.

Each text of these writers will be translated and published in English and French and so, will give us a very large readership. The book will be illustrated with many color photos.

Raz and Eylon are very pleased with this project, and we believe that sales of the book will allow us to plant some additional trees.

What's your green wish for 2009?
I hope that people will use their cars less and use more public transport to travel from one point to another. There are really too many petrol cars on the planet and this is now a real scourge.

Any other plans for 2009 you would like to share with our readers?
In the year 2009, we plan to set up a second publishing house in Quebec (Canada). We also wish to create a radio on the internet in which we will interview authors and poets.

Thanks, Guy!

To learn more about Mille Poetes editions please visit their website - http://www.mille-poetes.com. You're also welcome to check out the interview we had with Guy last October. And of course, stay tuned for more updates on the new book project!

So far on "My Green Resolution for 2009":

Patrick Darby of Novel Places

Erica Caldwell of Present Tense

Bart Babek of AboutMyPlanet.com

Angela Wieck of EcoBrain

Author Amy Guth of the Pilcrow Lit Fest and So New Publishing

Dr. Anne Hallum of the International Alliance for Reforestation (AIR)

Surendra James Conti of East West Bookstore

Jennifer Taylor of GreetQ

Bill Roth, author of "On Empty (Out of Time)"

Vonda Schaefer of Valley Books

Madeline Kaplan, author of "Planet Earth Gets Well"

Chris Flynn of Torpedo

Edain Duguay of Wyrdwood Publications

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

My Green Resolution for 2009 - Sammy & Sue Go Green Too!

Today we have the pleasure not only to present you with green resolutions of an author we work with, but also to update on a new collaboration on a new book!

This is the last part of "My Green Resolution for 2009" and we're happy to have it with Suzanne Corso, the author of the upcoming book "Sammy & Sue Go Green Too!" that will be published by Beaufort Books on Earth Day (April 22, 2009).

The publisher, Beaufort Books, and the author Suzanne Corso, are working with Eco-Libris to encourage the readers of this wonderful book to green up their reading and take a step to support the environment by planting a tree with us for their copy. Thanks to the support of Beaufort Books and Suzanne Corso, readers will be able to do so at a special discount on our website
!























What's the book about? here's the synopsis from the publisher's website:

Join Sammy and Sue as they embark on an adventure to help the earth. Along the way they learn all about organic farming, hybrid cars, green cleaning products and even all natural ice cream! Come along with Sammy and Sue to discover how YOU can help the earth too!

The Sammy & Sue Series, based on Sammy and Sue Corso, is an eco-friendly, educational and endearing read for children. “Go Green Too!” is the first book in the series and will lead your children on thrilling adventures while teaching them to value the planet and all of its resources. Join Sammy & Sue to see what you can do too!

Hello Suzanne. What's your professional green resolution for 2009?
To get the word out by helping to save the planet and purchasing more organic foods and eco-friendly products. Start by educating ourselves and reading books that make a difference in our child's lives. The real reason I wrote "Sammy& Sue Go Green Too!" was to be able to enhance a child's eagerness to understand our environment a little bit better.

If you have a personal green resolution for 2009, what is it?
To be better equipped as an adult to better understand exactly what our environment needs. Begin slowly. It's as easy as shutting off the water, less flushes at the toilet and turning off the lights more often. If we all start somewhere, then we all make a difference.

What’s your green wish for 2009?
My green wish is for all to have more knowledge of the environment and all things around us. To better understand our neighbor and his or her needs, whether environment, being respectful or just lending a hand when needed. Being green is more than just the environment it is a way of life.

If you have any other greetings, please feel free to add them.
I want to say how happy I am that my publisher Beaufort and myself decided to partner with Eco-Libris and tell the world by using my book as a vehicle, about the importance of planting new trees to help save the environment.

Any other plans for 2009?
Yes, my plan is to embrace the change of our great country that my daughter and I call home and to take this new found change and enlighten children all over America via bringing awareness to our ever changing environment. Remember it is all done in baby steps, and believe it or not you get their quicker and that is how you make your mark.

Thanks, Suzanne and good luck with the new book!

To learn more about the Sammy & Sue series please visit their website - http://www.sammyandsue.com. You're also welcome to check out Beaufort Books' website at http://www.beaufortbooks.com. And don't forget - the book will be released on Earth Day! (we'll keep you posted :-)

We want to thank all of our partners who took part in "My Green Resolution for 2009" Series. We wish everyone a green and successful 2009!

So far on "My Green Resolution for 2009":

Guy Boulianne of Mille Poetes editions

Patrick Darby of Novel Places

Erica Caldwell of Present Tense

Bart Babek of AboutMyPlanet.com

Angela Wieck of EcoBrain

Author Amy Guth of the Pilcrow Lit Fest and So New Publishing

Dr. Anne Hallum of the International Alliance for Reforestation (AIR)

Surendra James Conti of East West Bookstore

Jennifer Taylor of GreetQ

Bill Roth, author of "On Empty (Out of Time)"

Vonda Schaefer of Valley Books

Madeline Kaplan, author of "Planet Earth Gets Well"

Chris Flynn of Torpedo

Edain Duguay of Wyrdwood Publications

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

Thursday, January 29, 2009

My Green Resolution for 2009 - Novel Places

Our journey in search of green resolutions for the new year brings us today to Novel Places in Maryland. We have the pleasure to host the owner of this bookstore, Patrick Darby.

Novel Places started 2 years ago by Patrick Darby who has almost 30 years experience in book retail. The store started as an antiquarian online store, but recently, new titles and accessories were added. The books offered by Novel Places can be found online and also at Mayorga Coffee and Green Earth Goods at Clarksburg, MD.

Novel Places is also participating in Eco-Libris' bookstores program, where customers at the store can plant a tree for every book they buy there and receive our sticker at the counter!

Hello Patrick. What is your green resolution for 2009?
My Green Resolution for 2009:
Buy bulk as much as possible to cut down the amount of packaging.

What's your green wish for 2009?
My 2009 wish is for people to reduce travel time by shopping local
(and help me and my fellow businesses succeed).

Other greetings for the New Year?
Instead of greetings, I want to suggest these 2 recently released
books, "Greentailing" and "You are Here", available through Novel Places.

Greentailing and Other Revolutions in Retail: Hot Ideas That Are Grabbing Customers' Attention and Raising Profits
$29.95
ISBN - 0470288582

You Are Here: Exposing the Vital Link Between What We Do and What That Does to Our Planet
A leading environmental journalist travels to the most fragile places on Earth to show how what individuals do at home affects people, places, and things across the globe.
$25.95
ISBN - 0061580368

Any other plans for 2009 you would like to share with our readers?
Plans are continuing (slowly) to build an eco-friendly bookstore.

Thanks, Patrick!

To learn more about the books available at Novel Places, please check their website at http://www.novelplacesusa.com

So far on "My Green Resolution for 2009":

Erica Caldwell of Present Tense

Bart Babek of AboutMyPlanet.com

Angela Wieck of EcoBrain

Author Amy Guth of the Pilcrow Lit Fest and So New Publishing

Dr. Anne Hallum of the International Alliance for Reforestation (AIR)

Surendra James Conti of East West Bookstore

Jennifer Taylor of GreetQ

Bill Roth, author of "On Empty (Out of Time)"

Vonda Schaefer of Valley Books

Madeline Kaplan, author of "Planet Earth Gets Well"

Chris Flynn of Torpedo

Edain Duguay of Wyrdwood Publications

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

A green comment on the rise of self-publishing

The NYT had an excellent article yesterday about self publishing ("Self-Publishers Flourish as Writers Pay the Tab", Motoko Rich), showing that while traditional publishers are struggling with the slowing economy, self-publishing companies are doing very well.

According to the article nearly 480,000 books were published or distributed in the U.S. Alone, up from close to 375,000 in 2007 (figures are from the industry tracker Bowker).

So POD self-publishing companies such as Blurb, Author Solutions, LuLu and others are flourishing, which is great news, but is it also good news for the environment?

Well, the basic answer is that POD is an eco-friendly printing system in comparison with the regular printing system that produce a lot of waste - in 2006 more than 1 billion books, or 25% of the books produced, weren't sold and some of it ends eventually in landfills, not to mention all the wasted resources (as well as costs). When you print on demand, there's no such thing and you always sell what you print.

Self-publishing is a a small niche - according to the article, Author Solutions sold a total of 2.5 million copies last year, which is a fraction of the total number of books sold (around 3 billion books). Still, it's a growing niche (Author Solutions represented according to the article 19,000 titles in 2008, nearly six times more than the number of titles Random House released last year) and a one that will get more and more attention, and therefore we hope to see more and more self-publishers who go green and adopt eco-friendly practices, including greater use of recycled paper.

It's true POD is not for everyone and it also has its disadvantages, but all in all I'm happy to see it growing and I think it benefits the whole industry by making publishing a more open and creative industry. I also hope to POD will contribute to make publishing more eco-friendly.

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

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

My Green Resolution for 2009 - Present Tense

Today we visit a great independent bookstore in our search for green resolutions and greetings for 2009. We're happy to have with us Erica Caldwell, the owner of Present Tense.

Located in Batavia, NY, halfway between the cities of Buffalo and Rochester, Present Tense is a locally-owned independent bookstore that serves as a center for reading, writing, and the arts in Western New York.
Present Tense is also participating in Eco-Libris' bookstores program, where customers at the store can plant a tree for every book they buy there and receive our sticker at the counter!

Hello Erica. What is your green resolution for 2009?
Our green resolution for 2009 is to keep looking for ways to reduce our business's impact on the environment. We carry a lot of local products, which reduces transportation needs. We also carry several lines of eco-friendly products, which we hope to expand this year.

We've made other changes too, like using only biodegradable, compostable beverage cups during store events, giving our paper (and we generally have lots of it!) to the local school to recycle as part of their fundraising program, and switching our cleaning products to environmentally friendly brands. This year, we hope to continue these small changes and if we are thinking green, I'm sure we'll find more areas were we can implement eco-friendly practices into our business.


This year, Present Tense is co-sponsoring the second annual Earth Day Art Contest, which encourages people of all ages in our community to write, draw, sculpt, knit, or otherwise craft a piece of art that reflects the spirit of Earth Day. We have prize categories for different types of media, ages, and use of recycled materials in the artwork. Last year we had over 100 entries in our first year of holding the contest, and we are looking forward to this year's entries as well!


Thanks Erica!


For more information on Present Tense please visit their website at
www.presenttensebooks.com. You're also welcome to read the interview I made with her last September.

So far on "My Green Resolution for 2009":

Bart Babek of AboutMyPlanet.com

Angela Wieck of EcoBrain

Author Amy Guth of the Pilcrow Lit Fest and So New Publishing

Dr. Anne Hallum of the International Alliance for Reforestation (AIR)

Surendra James Conti of East West Bookstore

Jennifer Taylor of GreetQ

Bill Roth, author of "On Empty (Out of Time)"

Vonda Schaefer of Valley Books

Madeline Kaplan, author of "Planet Earth Gets Well"

Chris Flynn of Torpedo

Edain Duguay of Wyrdwood Publications

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

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Bad news from Indonesia

We read on MONGABAY.COM that
Indonesia has reversed a ban on paper and pulp companies from harvesting wood from natural forests.

According to the report "t
he decision by the forestry ministry to reverse the ban signals a shortage of wood from forest plantation projects for the pulp and paper industry. Last year plantation companies apparently delayed new plantation projects and over-harvested existing plantations."

This is very bad news. There's no doubt that this move move will add further pressure on Indonesia's natural forests.
Already, according to Greenpeace, Indonesia had the fastest pace of deforestation in the world between 2000-2005, with an area of forest equivalent to 300 soccer pitches destroyed every hour. One reason for these unbelievable rates of deforestation are the rapidly expanding palm oil plantations, partly driven by ambitious plans for biofuels.

Deforestation (and also the forest fires) is also one of the main reasons that Indonesia is among the world's top three greenhouse gas emitters, together with the US and China.

This decision also presents the campaign Indonesia initiated in November 2007 to plant 79 million trees in one single day (November 28, 2007) in a different light and brings questions regarding the government's direction. We can only hope that the Indonesian government will cancel this decision and find another way, more sustainable, to support its straggling economy.

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

Monday, January 26, 2009

My Green Resolution for 2009 - the team of AboutMyPlanet.com

Our journey in search of green resolutions and greetings continues today with the team of the AboutMyPlanet.com, who created one of the leading green voices throughout the internet.

Last month we announced on our collaboration with AboutMyPlanet.com that released in December two books: "Go Green Revolution: My Life" and "Go Green Revolution: My Office Handbook".

These books focus on specific areas of your life and what you can do to go green and save money on your energy bill. A tree is being planted with Eco-Libris for every package of these e-books sold (also - for the 50 first packages of e-books sold we matched the purchase and plant one more tree for each one of the packages).

We asked Bart Babek, fo
under of AboutMyPlanet.com, to share with us their green thoughts for the upcoming year.

Hello Bart. What are the green wishes and resolutions for 2009 of AboutMyPlanet.com?

At AboutMyPlanet.com our daily life is green, we strive in leading eco-friendly lives and leading by example.

We have had an amazing past year, our readership has doubled and we have launched 4 new websites to be able to cover more green topics in greater detail.

Our resolution for 2009 is to reach and educate even more people, while writing green tips and news is a great way to teach people about the environment we think there are even more engaging ways to get everyone involved.

This week we have launched a new service called "Green QuestionVille", it's a new section on our website where members can submit green Questions, Answers and Votes in the community.

We hope you can join us at "Green QuestionVille" and submit a question or an answer today!

Our one wish this year is that the new President of the United States doesn't encounter much resistance in greening America. We believe that this is a pivotal point in the history of civilization and we wish him all the luck in the world.

We wanted to thank Eco-Libris for partnering up on our green tip "Go Green Revolution" book launch. We were able to plant 480 trees, remember the partnership continues and for every book still sold we will plant one tree. If you're interested in making a difference in your life and on the environment then you can find out more information here.

Thank You for reading, we wish you a warm and happy new year and hope that all your wishes come true.

Team at AboutMyPlanet.com

Thanks to Bart and the rest of the AboutMyPlanet.com's great team! For more information please visit their website at www.aboutmyplanet.com

So far on "My Green Resolution for 2009":

Angela Wieck of EcoBrain

Author Amy Guth of the Pilcrow Lit Fest and So New Publishing

Dr. Anne Hallum of the International Alliance for Reforestation (AIR)

Surendra James Conti of East West Bookstore

Jennifer Taylor of GreetQ

Bill Roth, author of "On Empty (Out of Time)"

Vonda Schaefer of Valley Books

Madeline Kaplan, author of "Planet Earth Gets Well"

Chris Flynn of Torpedo

Edain Duguay of Wyrdwood Publications


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

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Mixing creativity with Swiss cheese design to create the world's first eco-friendly font!






After the eco-friendly alternatives to paper and ink were created (see for example the paper used for President's Obama Inauguration), it was only a question of time before we'll reach the next level - eco-friendly font. And this time has finally arrived!

I was very happy to read an update on Springwise newsletter about the new Ecofont.

This innovative font was developed by the Dutch creative communications agency SPRANQ, which was looking for ways to reduce the environmental costs of printing.
SPRANQ found out after extensive testing with all kinds of shapes that the best results were achieved using small circles.

Their idea came from the no other than cheese design, and as they explain "after Dutch holey cheese, there now is a Dutch font with holes as well."
The new font according to SPRANQ uses up to 20% less ink. Very impressive!

Gerjon Zomer, the co-founder of SPRANQ, told AP that the font isn't beautiful, but it could be adequate for personal use or for internal use at a company. I actually really liked the font and I think that Zomer will be surprised eventually how many will use it especially when it's free to
download and free to use.

AP also reported that SPRANQ is inviting developers to improve the Ecofont further under a free, open-source model, and Zomer says Arabic and Hebrew versions are already under development. As someone who also writes in Hebrew I'll be waiting for it!


Kudos to SPRANQ for their innovative idea. This is a great example of how small and simple ideas can create a win-win model, helping you to support the environment while saving money.


For more information please check Ecofont's website at www.ecofont.eu.

Yours,

Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

Saturday, January 24, 2009

My Green Resolution for 2009 - Angela Wieck of EcoBrain

Our quest for 2009 green resolutions and greetings in going online today. We're very happy to have with us today Angela Wieck, co-founder of EcoBrain, an independent eBook distributor and the only online retailer of eBooks dedicated to the environment and environmentally friendly living.

We partner with EcoBrain, which offers its customers to plant trees with Eco-Libris.

Hello Angela. What is your green resolution for 2009?

1. Get tough with garbage - I am trying hard to think about what I put into the garbage and see if there is a way to reuse the item. It is so easy to throw stuff away. I’ve started keeping a pile that can be donated or given to someone in need. And using old stuff to make a craft pile that the kids can use. They find great fun making things with old bits of yarn, buttons, cardboard, and so on.

2. Use green products at home - Over the past year I have eliminated a lot of toxic chemicals that had been in use in my house. I didn’t realize that most laundry detergent is a petroleum product! So this journey continues.

3. Educate my children about green living - They remind us when we lapse because they have great memories and want to do the right thing. I left the water running between veggie washing and my son kindly reminded me to turn it off. Children make great coaches.

4. Continue to educate about the benefits of eBooks - We all know that books come from trees, but it goes much further when you add in trees being cut down, pollution to create the paper, fuel to deliver and so on. If we choose to read a few eBooks per year rather than buy paper books the difference we can make would be enormous.

What's your green wish for 2009?
World peace of course! Read eBooks! And another wish for 2009 is that manufacturers will produce less packaging; and that we consumers will not want it. A few years ago I was in
Germany and noticed that at the drugstore most bottles do not come in a cardboard box. When I asked about this I was told that manufacturers are charged extra if they provide a product with unnecessary packaging. They are way ahead of us on that!

Other greetings for the New Year?
EcoBrain would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy 2009. Let’s continue to make this world a better place.
.

Any other plans for 2009 you would like to share with our readers?

EcoBrain continues to offer great eBook titles at great prices to our customers. We love to hear feedback, so let us know what you think and if there is something you’d like to see. Happy New Year!!!

Thanks, Angela!

To learn more about the eBooks offered at EcoBrain, you are welcome to visit EcoBrain's website at http://www.ecobrain.com


More articles related to EcoBrain:

The eBooks that will help your business go green!

eBooks - A Greener Choice or Not?

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


So far on "My Green Resolution for 2009":

Author Amy Guth of the Pilcrow Lit Fest and So New Publishing


Dr. Anne Hallum of the International Alliance for Reforestation (AIR)

Surendra James Conti of East West Bookstore

Jennifer Taylor of GreetQ

Bill Roth, author of "On Empty (Out of Time)"

Vonda Schaefer of Valley Books

Madeline Kaplan, author of "Planet Earth Gets Well"

Chris Flynn of Torpedo

Edain Duguay of Wyrdwood Publications


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

New green eBook is published today by Wyrdwood Publications























We're happy to update you on a new eBook that is released today by Wyrdwood Publications: The Mouse in the Viking's Beard by R. Phillip Prince.

Not only that this is a great eBook, but o
ne tree will also be planted with Eco-Libris for every copy sold.
Last month we reported here on our new partnership with Wyrdwood Publications, a publisher that works solely online and specializes in the publishing of Pagan and Heathen eBooks.

As part of their
commitment to the environment, Wyrdwood Publications is planting a tree for every 'Green Leaves' eBook sold (and you can learn more about the Green Leaves Policy at http://www.wyrdwoodpublications.com/greenleaves.htm).

Our collaboration started with the great eBook "The Witches' Course Book" by Raven Blackmoor and continues now with another great eBook -
The Mouse in the Viking's Beard by R. Phillip Prince.

The Mouse in the Viking's Beard is A whimsical bed time tale of high adventure and camaraderie set in the lands and Myths of the Old Norse. A time when man, myth and legends lived side by side.... It's a wonderful bed time tale and it's available now on Wyrdwood Publications' website in a great price - only $4.99.

For more details on Wyrdwood Publications and the eBooks they publish please visit their website - www.wyrdwoodpublications.com

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Plant a tree for every book you read!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Did you mooch some books on 2009 already?










BookMooch is a very cool book-swapping community and a dear partner, so a new year is a good excuse (not that we need one) to remind you of our collaboration with them and how you can benefit from it!

BookMooch is based on a very simple and user-friendly points system, where every time you give someone a book, you earn a point and can get any book you want from anyone else at BookMooch.


With more than 74,000 members from all over the world and 500,000 available book titles, there's always a good book you can mooch. Once you've read a book, you can keep it forever or put it back into BookMooch for someone else, as you wish. And yes, it's totally free. You only pay for mailing your books.

BookMooch and Eco-Libris have partnered last year to offer Green Mooching, a special incentive to BookMoochers to balance out their books, and to Eco-Libris fans to start mooching some books.

For every 10 books you balance out you will receive a free BookMooch point you can then use to mooch a book online for free. If you don't have a BookMooch account yet go get one :)

The process is very simple – email us your BookMooch username after you make a purchase on Eco-Libris, or enter your BookMooch username in the comments box during the payment process. We will credit your BookMooch account accordingly.

As we wrote here before, we believe that book swapping is a great concept: you can find books you are looking for at no cost, give books you want others to enjoy and of course benefit the environment. It's very similar to the concept of a library - maximizing the usage of every printed book minimizes the need to print new ones and saves many trees from being cut down.

Don't get me wrong - we don't want people to stop buying new books, but as long as books are printed mostly from virgin paper, we would like to see maximum usage for each printed copy. Therefore, we support the concept of book swapping and communities such as BookMooch.

No only that - from some data gathered it appears that the free swapping actually stimulate new book sales, as well as bring more people to read more books, so all in all it's this model is also beneficial for the book industry as well. You actually don't need this data to get to this conclusion with the growing free content that is provided by authors and publishers online to promote their books' sales.

For more information please check BookMooch website - www.bookmooch.com

Enjoy your mooching,

Raz@ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

My Green Resolution for 2009 - author Amy Guth of the Pilcrow Lit Fest and So New Publishing

Inspired by the new President, our search of green resolutions for the new year takes us today to Chicago.

Our guest today on "My Green Resolution for 2009" series is Amy Guth, author of Three Fallen Women (So New Media Publishing, 2006), founder and director of Pilcrow Lit Fest in Chicago and
the new managing editor at So New Publishing. And yes, she also lives in Chicago.

Amy Guth has also a forthcoming second novel entitled "Light of Waters". Previously, she has written for The Believer, Monkeybicycle, Ninth Letter, Four Magazine, Bookslut, The Complete Meal and Outcry, among others.

As we mentioned above she is the newly-appointed managing editor at So New Publishing. She is also an assistant fiction editor at 42 Opus and hosts the monthly Fixx Reading Series in Chicago.
You're welcome to read more about Amy on her website (http://guthagogo.com) and blog (http://www.bigmouthindeedstrikesagain.blogspot.com).

We collaborated with Amy on the Pilcrow Lit Fest last year and plan to do it again this year (the festival will take place on May 17-23, 2009 in Chicago. Check out the fest website for more information - http://pilcrowlitfest.com).

Hello Amy. What's your green resolution for 2009?

Every year, one of my resolutions is always the same, and that is to do everything a bit better, greater, larger than I did it the year before. That includes maintaining the existing level of green-living I practice in my home, diet, work, lifestyle and home office, but also to look for ways in the new year to improve in each area, which I mostly do by staying abreast of developments in sustainability, environmental issues and product development.

What's your green wish for 2009?

In 2008 I founded Pilcrow Lit Fest, a small press festival based in Chicago and took steps from the beginning to make the festival as eco-friendly as possible.

Near the end of the year, I also stepped into the role as managing editor at So New Publishing, the press with which my own first novel was released. In 2009 I want to not only give Pilcrow Lit Fest and So New my very best, but also foster as sustainable and low-impact environment as possible in both.

Thanks, Amy!

So far on "My Green Resolution for 2009":

Dr. Anne Hallum of the International Alliance for Reforestation (AIR)

Surendra James Conti of East West Bookstore

Jennifer Taylor of GreetQ

Bill Roth, author of "On Empty (Out of Time)"

Vonda Schaefer of Valley Books

Madeline Kaplan, author of "Planet Earth Gets Well"

Chris Flynn of Torpedo

Edain Duguay of Wyrdwood Publications

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

A new collaboration with Zinerrific







Today there was a big celebrations in Washington and we followed the Inauguration of President Obama with excitement, joy and hope for a better and greener future to come now.

We also have a small celebration of our own with a new collaboration we're happy to announce on. Eco-Libris is partnering with Zinerrific, an online magazine subscription retailer. Zinerrific will be offering their customers the option to balance out any subscriptions they buy through Zinerrific with an Eco-Libris tree-planting! To show their commitment to sustainability, Zinerrific will match every Eco-Libris tree planting purchase with a second tree!

Here's some information on our new partner - Zineriffic sells magazine subscriptions at the lowest prices allowed by publishers (in most cases) and they have an inventory of over 1400 magazine titles available for sale through their site.

Zinerrific pride themselves on their large selection of magazines, ease-of-ordering, fully honoring customer privacy, and readily-available customer service through email or their toll-free telephone number (1- 877-262-7641).

You're invited to check out their offers at http://www.zinerrific.com

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

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Green films on Sundance Film Festival 2009

Sundance Film Festival is a great film festival. This year it's also very green. Maybe greener than ever.

As Michelle Meyers
reports on CNET News, many of the films presented at this year's festival have a green theme. Meyers reports that five out of the 32 documentaries competing at this year's festival fall squarely in the category of environmental films and that that's just a small fraction of the number of such films submitted to compete at the festival.

With a record of great green films that had their premiere at the festival, such as Who Killed the Electric Car and of course An Inconvenient Truth, there's definitely a lot of expectation around these films.

And there also green parties at Sundance! Michael Cieply reported on the NYT that today in the evening evening, green.msn.com and Self magazine plan to join Greenhouse, a New York City nightclub using environmentally sustainable materials, in sponsoring what they called a big, “ecofriendly” party for “Crude” at the Sky Lodge in Park City.

Here is a little taste of some of the green films that you can see in the festival, which runs until January 25 in ark City, Utah (descriptions of the films are taken of their web pages on the festival's website):

No Impact Man by Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein

Author Colin Beavan and his family are pictures of liberal complacency—sophisticated, takeout-addicted New Yorkers who refuse to let moral qualms interfere with good old-fashioned American consumerism. Then Colin turns things upside down. For his next book, he announces he's becoming No Impact Man, testing whether making zero environmental impact adversely affects happiness. The hitch is he needs his wife, Michelle—an espresso-guzzling, Prada-worshipping Business Week writer—and their toddler to join the experiment. A year without electricity, cars, toilet paper, and nonlocal food isn’t going to be a walk in the park. Or is it?

No Impact Man website

Dirt! The Movie by Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow

Inspired by William Bryant Logan’s acclaimed book Dirt, the Ecstatic Skin of the Earth, directors Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow employ a colorful combination of animation, vignettes, and personal accounts from farmers, physicists, church leaders, children, wine critics, anthropologists, and activists to learn about dirt—where it comes from, how we regard (or disregard) it, how it sustains us, the way it has become endangered, and what we can do about it.

Benenson and Rosow find answers everywhere: in tiny villages that dare to rise up to battle giant corporations to trendy organic farms; from prison horticultural programs to scientists who discover connections with soil that can offset the damage from global warming. The fresh and generous spirit of Dirt! The Movie is simple and energizing. You may walk into the theatre on asphalt, carpet, and cement, but you will likely walk out with a rekindled connection to the living, dark, rich soil that lies beneath you and a mind set on cultivating a new future.


Dirt! The Movie's website

Earth Days by Robert Stone

Director
Robert Stone concocts an inspiring and hopeful work in Earth Days, a feature documentary that recounts the history of the modern environmental movement from its beginnings nearly four decades ago.

Environmental activism really began with the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, and precipitated an unexpected and galvanizing effect on the national psyche.
Told through the eyes of nine very divergent witnesses, including a secretary of the interior, Stewart Udall, who actually cared about the environment; a biologist, Paul Ehrlich; a congressman, Pete McCloskey; and an astronaut, Rusty Schweickart, Earth Days is a visually stunning, globe-spanning chronicle of watershed events and consciousness-changing realizations that prompted a new awareness: the post–World War II American dream of a future world created by scientific progress, new technology, and economic expansion was rapidly changing into a nightmare.

The End of the Line by Rupert Murray

Based on the book by Charles Clover, The End of the Line explores the devastating effect that overfishing is having on fish stocks and the health of our oceans.With Clover as his guide, Sundance veteran Rupert Murray (Unknown White Male) crisscrosses the globe, examining what is causing the dilemma and what can be done to solve it.
Industrial fishing began in the 1950s. High-tech fisheries now trawl the oceans with nets the size of football fields. Species cannot survive at the rate they are being removed from the sea.

Add in cofactors of decades of bad science, corporate greed, small-minded governments, and escalating consumer demand, and we’re left with a crisis of epic proportions. Ninety percent of the big fish in our oceans are now gone.
Murray interweaves glorious footage from both underwater and above with shocking scientific testimony to paint a vivid and alarming profile of the state of the sea. The ultimate power of The End of the Line is that it moves beyond doomsday rhetoric to proffer real solutions. Chillingly topical, The End of the Line drives home the message: the clock is ticking, and the time to act is now.


The End of the Line's website


Crude by Joe Berlinger

Photo Credit: Juan Diego Pérez

Can 30,000 plaintiffs from five Indigenous Ecuadoran tribes find justice from Chevron, one of the world’s largest oil producers? Who is responsible for the unconscionable dumping of 18 billion gallons of toxic oil waste in the Ecuadoran Amazon, poisoning the most biodiverse place on the planet?

Filmmaker Joe Berlinger’s latest documentary picks up the thread of the infamous ""Amazon Chernobyl"" case, a 13-year-old battle between communities nearly destroyed by oil drilling and development and one of the biggest companies on earth. In a sophisticated take on the classic David and Goliath story, Berlinger took three years to craft a cinema vérité portrait centering on the charismatic lawyers in the U.S. and Ecuador who have doggedly pursued the case against all of the forces a corporation can bring into courts of law.

Though the Ecuadorans and their perspective receive the lion's share of screen time, the film makes a concerted effort to show the case from all sides: from the scientists and lawyers employed by Chevron, to Ecuadoran judges, to celebrity activists and humanitarian organizers, to the role of the media, to the dramatic intervention of Rafael Correa himself, the first Ecuadoran president to sympathize with the Indigenous perspective. In a tale that spans the globe, Crude looks beyond compassion for the disenfranchised and the corruption of those in power to ask how justice itself is being defined in the twenty-first century.


The film's website

An interview with the director, Joe Berlinger, on indieWIRE


Enjoy!

Raz @ Eco-Libris

www.ecolibris.net