Why organic foods wish they were e-Books

The short answer? because this way they'll get a front page coverage every week on the New York Times. The long answer? here we go.

I opened the New York Times this morning and found an article on the front page about books' covers in the digital age (In E-Book Era, You Can’t Even Judge a Cover by Motoko Rich). Now, this was a great article and the subject is very interesting. What's even more interesting is the fact that the New York Times publish almost every week an article (at least one) on the front page of the newspaper or the front page of the business section on e-books.

So it got me thinking , why they write so much on e-books? why not organic foods for example? I mean, I've got nothing against e-books. On the contrary, I see a great potential in them to make the book industry more sustainable. Still, I can show you that if you compare e-books to organic foods, organic foods easily win, just not when it comes to front page coverage on the New York Times.

Now, just to be clear. It's not just the New York Times. If you check searches on Google in the last month, you find that 'e-Books' has received 60,100,000 searches last month (or 127,000,000 if you write it in one word - ebooks). On the other hand, 'organic food' has received 1,020,000 searches, or 442,000 if you write it as 'organic foods'. It's totally clear that everyone is more excited about e-books. So why do I think organic foods should get at least similar attention? check out this comparison I made:

Factor	e-Books	Organic Foods
Relevance	Book readers	Everyone (we all have to eat, right?)
Market share	Less than 2% (2009 figures)	3.5% (2008 figures)
Sales	$240 Million (J.P. Morgan estimate)	$24.6 Billion (2008 figures)
Potential penetration	5.8% of the market / $1.25 Billion (2013 est.)	5-10% of the market (Organic Trade Association, 2006b)
Heroes	Steve Jobs	Chef Jamie Oliver, Michele Obama, Michael Pollan
Interesting stories	The Launch of iPad	New reality show – the Naked Chef wants to save America from its own fatness
Conflicts	Amazon vs. Apple	Big Ag vs. Michelle Obama’s garden
On the radar of VC funds	Not really	Yes (as seen at Agriculture 2.0)
Cool Stuff	iPad	Vertical Farms Project, Greenhorns
Change factor	Change the way we read	Change the way we eat

So, what's missing? how come e-Books still win? I guess the only factor that organic foods are missing is the hype factor. Somehow e-Books are more exciting than organic milk or free-range eggs? or maybe it's just the media pumping up our excitement because they think we think it's cool, so eventually we really think it's cool.. Anyway, no matter what this magic ingredient is, I'm sure the organic foods producers and retailers would love to have it!

What do you think? Why e-Books get so much attention? Feel free to add your comment.

You can read more interesting articles on e-Books vs. physical books and the future of publishing on our website.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting Sustainable Reading!

A great video on the future of publishing

Here's a clever video prepared by the UK branch of Dorling Kindersley Books and produced by Khaki Films. We like it and we hope that you'll enjoy it as well:



Here are some more details about it from its YouTube's page:
This video was prepared by the UK branch of Dorling Kindersley Books and produced by Khaki Films (http://www.thekhakigroup.com/). Originally meant solely for a DK sales conference, the video was such a hit internally that it is now being shared externally. We hope you enjoy it (and make sure you watch it up to at least the halfway point, there's a surprise!).

Read an interview with the creator of the video on the Penguin Blog: http://bit.ly/futureofpublishing. The clip was inspired by a video created by an Argentinean agency, Savaglio/TBWA entitled Truth:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFz5jbUfJbk

If you're looking for more resources on the future of publishing, please check our 'Future of Publishing' webpage at http://www.ecolibris.net/publishing_future.asp, where we share with you some of the most interesting articles, posts, updates and news we find on this issue.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Challenge16 - More biking, more change, more trees!

I am far from being an example when it comes to riding a bike. I wish I would ride them much more and drive a car much less.

I believe that riding a bike is a win-win, getting you healthier and supporting the environment at the same time. That's why I was excited to hear about the new campaign - Challenge16 - Ride the Bike, Drive the Change!

This is a free global biking campaign aiming at making people and the world healthier. It challenges everybody to use their bike in their daily movements in order to save CO₂, and for every 16 new members who join challenge16.com a new tree will be planted with Plant a Tree Denmark, a Danish NGO that launched the campaign.

Their idea is to enable people to act now and to put pressure on politicians at the next COP16 in Mexico. "We wanted to make a simple campaign with great effect. Most people have a bike, and if you jump on your bike instead of getting behind the wheel in your everyday movements, you can actually save some CO₂. At the same time, we plant new trees, and trees absorb CO₂. It is an equation with a pretty good result" says Bjørn Døssing, Information Manager at Plant a Tree, Denmark.

"It is definitely our ambition that Challenge16 spreads across the world” continues Bjørn Døssing. “We are convinced that there is great commitment all over the world to make an effort to fight climate changes. But we have to ensure that the challenge asked is a practicable one. Even small changes, like using the bike instead of the car and planting new trees have a positive impact on both climate and body. We really hope this initiative will spread in ever-widening circles.”

The campaign suggest that every person counts. I couldn't agree more and I join their call to act now! You can read more details on their facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5575149&id=690835338#!/challenge16?ref=ts

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

How to green your Seder?

Today is the time for the Passover Seder, which is a Jewish ritual held on the first night (and in some places also in the second night) of Passover, which is one of my favorite Jewish holidays.

The Seder is a family gathering, sitting together around the table, reading the Haggadah (he story of the Israelite exodus from Egypt), singing the holiday songs and eating the holiday's traditional food. Even President Obama will host one at the White House.

So how do you green your Seder? Yahoo! Joe Laur has some great recommendations on Greenopolis, Ann Bell Muzaurieta adds on the Daily Green tips and recipes to keep your Passover healthy and sustainable, and finally the Huddler's Green Home Community brings you on Yahoo! Green 10 good tips on how to have an eco-friendly and organic Seder.

I haven't found yet an Haggadah from recycled paper, but still there are other many steps you can take to make sure you celebrate the Passover in an eco-friendly style.

Enjoy your Seder and Happy Passover!
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

What is the future of bookstores? More customers like President Obama or death by eBook readers?

President Obama stopped by last week at Prairie Lights, an independent bookstore in Iowa City and bought couple of books for his daughters (and Robert Gibbs' son as well). But although the President seemed to enjoy his visit at the bookstore, it looks like the future of bookstores has never looked so bleak.

Not only that bookstores need to compete with online bookstores and deal with the cheap prices retailers like Wal-Mart are offering, now they also have to face what looks like their biggest challenge: the rise of e-books.

"Are eBook Readers the death of bookstores?" asks Tim Martin on News Blaze and adds that "this has been a question more people are starting to ask, especially with the upcoming release of the Apple iPad coming up on April 3, 2010."

And he is not alone. You can find more and more of these questions and debates over the Internet. Many see the iPad, Amazon's Kindle, the Nook and other current and future eBook readers as the most significant threat on bookstores. Others, on the other side, see it as an opportunity and not just a risk. Bill Harley, for example, wrote recently that "independent booksellers should be rooting for electronic media. Their survival may depend on it."

For us this is more than just a theoretical debate on opportunities and risks. We love bookstores, some of our most great partners are bookstores and we see in them an important part of the book industry today and tomorrow. We believe that the way bookstores will be operate in the future can play an important role in the efforts to make the industry more sustainable.

That's why we follow the discussions on the future of bookstores very closely, and we would like to share with you some of the most interesting articles, like the ones mentioned above.

We collect the posts, updates and news we find on a new page on our website entitled "The Future of Bookstores". This webpage will be updated on almost daily basis and we hope you will find it useful! And of course if you see something we missed, please send us an email (info [at] ecolibris [net]) and we'll be happy to add your input.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Green printing tip no. 39: Do I have any new Green Printing ideas for you?

We are back today with a new tip on our weekly series of green printing tips, where we bring you information on green printing in collaboration with Greg Barber, an experienced eco-friendly printer.

Today Greg is presenting an innovative green printing concept that works for the NFL and can work for you as well!

Do I have any new Green Printing ideas for you?

Tip #39

I am always on the look out for new ways to promote my firm and to recommend these new ideas to other firms. Recently, we did an invitation for the NFL that was printed on SEED paper for their annual meetings (see picture below).

Seed Paper has Wild Flower seeds embedded in the paper, and after the recipient reads their invitation, they can plant it in their garden and Wild Flowers will grow.

Every morning that person will see their Wild Flowers and think about the NFL. Why not think about doing that for yourself or your company?
















Seed Paper is very expensive, but the lasting image of the Wild Flowers, may actually make the printing cost seem reasonable. I am expanding my Seed Paper marketing to include our Eco Circles, found at my website www.ecofriendlyprinter.com. On the left side , click Eco Circles.

I feature Tree Free paper made from the remains of the Mango, Banana, Lemon and Coffee plants, mixed with 100% PCW, and I am now adding Seed Paper to these Social Media Networking Cards.

Seed Paper comes in many different colors. Because the paper is so unique, we recommend printing in 1 or 2 colors. Four color printing is a lot more money. We see use of Seed paper for business cards, and postcards and wedding invitations. Think of a new beginning and think of the beautiful Wild Flowers :)

For additional information, please visit www.gregbarberco.com and www.ecofriendlyprinter.com. You can email Greg at greg@gregbarberco.com.

You can find links to all the tips we published so far on our green printing tips page, which is part of our green printing tools & resources.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing!

One woman's commitment to plastic bag free life inspires millions in the UK (Blogathon post)

This post is our contribution to sustainablog's Pedal-a-Watt Powered Blogathon this weekend. The long-running green blog (and new green shopping site) is publishing for 24 hours straight to raise funds for the Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage in Northeastern Missouri. Go join the fun: read post contributions from around the green blogosphere, leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for some great green prizes, and join in the Tweetchat at #susbppb.

The theme of the Blogathon is "Radical Sustainability, Ordinary People", which got me thinking right away about Rebeca Hosking of Modbury, UK.

Well, you might not have heard of her, but let's start with John Sauven, director of Greenpeace UK, who said about her: "She's changed the national perspective about the issue in a few months. She went as far away as she could get from her town and gave what is happening in the Pacific real meaning and relevance here. She should be prime minister."

So what's the issue? what did she do? She is the woman who in less than a month persuaded all 43 shopkeepers in little Modbury to get rid of plastic bags and replace them with with reusable cloth bags. Hosking did it in March 2007 shortly after filming a BBC documentary about the devastating effect of plastic bags on marine life in Hawaii.

She showed the film to the town's traders. Four weeks of sleepless nights researching viable alternatives followed and in May 2007 Modbury became the first plastic bag free town in the UK (and actually in all Europe as well). It got so much attention and made both retailers and consumers more aware of the damages plastic bags cause.

One thing led to another and at the end of 2008, seven BRC supermarket members voluntarily pledged to reduce the number of single-use carrier bags used by customers by 50 per cent by the end of May 2009, compared with May 2006. The result was almost unbelievable - they actually met this challenging goal: in July 2009, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported on a 48% reduction in the number of bags used by consumers. In absolute numbers it sounds even better: Comparing May 2006 to May 2009, 346 million fewer bags were used by customers in that one month alone.

So you can't say that Rebeca Hosking is responsible to each and every one of these 346 million fewer bags, but her spirit, commitment and willingness to make a difference is definitely behind this achievement. There is no greater symbol of our unsustainable wasteful lifestyle than plastic bags, and although life without them seems a bit radical, Rebeca Hosking, the town of Modbury and all the millions of British consumers that got rid of them prove that it's just a state of mind and willingness to do the right thing. That's all. So we can only hope that more ordinary people like Rebeca Hosking will follow suit and lead us to a plastic bag free planet. Radical? not really. Necessary? Definitely!

Good luck to Jeff and the rest of the participants in the Blogathon!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Join our fans page on Facebook and get a chance to win the new audiobook "Story of Stuff"

Everyone wants to be liked and we're no different! We hope you like us for who we are and what we do, and we invite you to join our Facebook fans page. We also want to show you that love is a two way street with a giveaway of the new audiobook "Story of Stuff"!

Yes, we'll have a giveaway of this new audiobook (courtesy of the publisher, Simon & Simon audio) next Friday (April 2nd) on 4PM between all the fans that we'll have by then. So if you're already a fan, you're already in, but if you're not, please join the fans page and get a chance to win the Story of Stuff!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Office paper made of Australian wheat - A green solution for the Aussies, and here?

We reported here in the past on the challenging task of establishing wheat straw as an alternative source to paper that comes from trees. One major landmark was the release of the Canadian National Geographic magazine's 2008 June issue, which was printed using 20% wheat straw. Now it looks like another landmark is achieved when 100% wheat straw paper becomes available for office use.

Springwise reports on an Australian company, Nature's Paper, which provides eco-friendly A4-A3 Copy paper made from Wheat Straw. Their promise is very simple:

"Our wheat straw paper looks, feels and performs like standard copy paper and is priced similar to standard copy paper."

Firstly, we have to clarify that when we say wheat we talk about the straw, which is usually considered residue, and not the grains that are typically used for products such as flour and cereal. Nature's Paper collects the wheat straw that is typically gets left in the fields to decompose and converts it to a quality paper pulp.

Why they do it? they explain on their website:

"We looked at our options and we were alarmed at the massive amount of trees cut down to make paper in Australia each year. 17 trees are cut down and wood chipped for every tonne of paper used in Australia and with 1.6 million tonnes of paper per year produced in Australia alone, that’s tens of millions of trees wood chipped in paper production each year.

By producing a high quality product for everyday use in printing emails, reports, flyers, invoices, plans, schedules etc that costs the same or less than you may currently be paying, AND places your business in a more environmentally conscious position, Nature’s Paper hopes to save millions of trees every year without it costing you the earth."

They are definitely right in choosing to focus on wheat, as wheat's carbon footprint is not only smaller from wood-sourced paper, but also from other agricultural residue options. The Canadian organization Canopy, which is committed to promoting the market development of papers using agricultural residue fibers, did a comparison between the carbon footprints of couple of options and found the following results (the footprint is per hectare):

Wheat straw - 0.8-1.2

Wood (Aspen) - 2.3-2.7

Flax straw - 2.3 -2.6

Wood (Spruce) - 3.9- 5.7

With these figures it looks very clear why wheat straw should be considered as an eco-friendly alternative to wood as the source of paper. And if it has the similar quality and pricing as "regular" paper, is there any reason your office shouldn't take it at least for a trial?

Well, if you're in Australia, definitely not. But what happens if your office is in the U.S. or Canada, where you can purchase the wheat straw from their local distributor, Enviro Green? Is the paper's footprint still significant lower after making all the long way from Australia to North America? I'm not so sure about it.

When the special National Geographic issue was printed, Canopy explained that the wheat straw used for it was imported from China because they couldn't find the large volume required for such a project in North America. Nevertheless, they explained that importing the wheat straw from China wasn't a sustainable solution and their vision is to help building the necessary production capacities in Canada and North America. I think the same logic applies to office paper made of wheat as well, so I hope that we'll soon have a local source of 100% office paper made of wheat straw in North America that will be a true sustainable alternative for local offices (at least those who are not paperless yet..).

If such a local source already exists, we'll be happy to hear from you. Please add a comment with the details.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Our blog is taking part in sustainablog’s Pedal-a-Watt Powered Blogathon: March 26-27, 2010

Our friends over at sustainablog are going to be at the eco bed & breakfast The Milkweed Mercantile throwing a blogathon to raise money for Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage. One of the longest-running blogs on environmental issues, they also recently launched an eco friendly products comparison shopping site, selling everything from green cleaning supplies and organic clothing to energy efficient appliances and composting toilets.

The blogathon will raise funds to support residential learning opportunities at Dancing Rabbit in organic gardening, natural green building, and wind and solar renewable energy design and installation. Interested in checking out Dancing Rabbit for yourself, or taking advantage of some of their educational opportunities? Read more here. And consider making a pledge to support this sustainable community's efforts.

We'll be posting this Friday as part of the blogathon, so don't forget to visit our blog then. You can read more details on the Pedal-a-Watt Powered Blogathon at http://blog.sustainablog.org/sustainablog-pedal-powered-blogathon/

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

photo credit: Dancing Rabbit

Beautiful posters for Earth Day by Susan Newman

Earth Day is just around the corner. Some people already working on projects for this special day that this year will be celebrating its 40th anniversary. One of them is Susan Newman.

Susan Newman is an a graphic & award-winning website designer and a very and talented one if I may add. We were firstly presented with her work when she designed for us the logo for the green books campaign we had last November. And now she has designed some beautiful posters for Frogs Are Green that we want to share with you.



















This is also the opportunity to let you know that Frogs Are Green are sponsoring an Earth Day contest (open to all ages). They ask you to send them one simple practical idea by April 19th that we can all use to help the environment or reconnect with nature, guided by these words:

RENEW

REBUILD

RECONNECT

RETHINK

It doesn’t have to be a grand or complicated idea. For example, maybe someone can think of a way for people to remember to bring reusable grocery bags to the store. The winner, announced on Earth Day, will receive either the poster above or below (printed on FSC certified paper) or a 100% cotton t-shirt or onesie, made and printed in the U.S (their choice). You can find more details on their website.

You're also welcome to visit her website and see more of her creative posters at www.susannewmandesign.com/portfolio_posters.php

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Better World Books was awarded the 2009 WasteWise Gold Award by the EPA

Better World Books is one of the most exciting, innovative and socially responsible initiatives in the book industry. And now they also get a formal recognition for their outstanding achievements by no other than the EPA!

Yesterday, The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized Better World Books for its accomplishments in waste reduction and recycling by awarding the company with its 2009 WasteWise Gold Award in a ceremony that was held in Arlington, VA.

To those of you who are not familiar with their work, Better World Books collects and sells new and used books online, donating a portion of each sale to help literacy initiatives worldwide. Books that cannot be re-sold or re-used are recycled. When it comes to waste reduction, the company has successfully diverted more than 32 million books from landfills. In the process, it has also raised $7.6 million in funding for literacy and education initiatives worldwide through the sale of those books.

Photo: Better World Books' warehouse. Credit: Better World Books

On their press release announcing the award, Better World Books CEO David Murphy explained that "Every year, almost a million tons of books are thrown away. We’re proud of our company’s accomplishments reducing that tremendous and unnecessary waste. By moving discarded books out of landfills and back into the reading cycle, we’re not only helping the environment, but also raising money for good causes and promoting literacy. We are honored to be recognized by the EPA and to receive this WasteWise Gold award.”

Kudos to Better World Books for their award! We hope this recognition of their achievements will inspire others to follow suit and find sustainable win-win solutions in the book industry.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

We have a winner of the Story of Stuff audiobook's giveaway!

Last week we presented Annie Leonard's new audiobook The Story of Stuff . This great audiobook, released by Simon & Simon Audio, is as Juliet Schor described it: "an eye-opening, humorous, and highly readable account of how our seemingly innocuous lifestyles are part of a larger system of destruction and dysfunction."

We had a giveaway of a copy of this audiobook, courtesy of the publisher, Simon & Simon audio. We asked you to to retweet this post on twitter with the hashtag #storyofstuff, and we got 45 retweets (a new record for this blog!). And we have a winner.

The winner is Derrick Maines, aka @enviralmentalst .Congrats, Derrick! We hope you will enjoy this great audiobook. Thank you also for all the rest of the participants!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Green printing tip no. 38: Can Hip-Hop "GO GREEN"?

We are back today with a new tip on our weekly series of green printing tips, where we bring you information on green printing in collaboration with Greg Barber, an experienced eco-friendly printer.

Today we have a great column written by SpazeCraft, who is a pioneer of the Hip-Hop "education" movement, and is collaborating with Greg on an innovative project that combines the hip-hop tradition with green printing.

Can Hip-Hop "GO GREEN"?

Tip #38

YES, Absolutely!

Hip-Hop music at its core aggregates sounds from many sources to create its unique & ever-permeating music. In essence, it "recycles" sound from both popular & obscure past recordings, bringing new life to the sound bytes in a fresh, new context, composition & form. (it's no wonder it's thrived as a major international art platform through Dance, Music, Rap/Poetry, Visual Arts, Fashion, Philosophy & Education).

So how can the "Hip-Hop" make a difference? The basic steps still apply, don't litter & teach your kids not to, It always starts with the adults in society & educating the community is always a great start.

In the 1970's, Pioneering leaders of the Hip-Hop movement like "Afrika Bambaataa" & "DJ Kool Herc" brought the "GOOD" into the "HOOD", encouraging & inspiring creativity & non-violent expression to get away from the gang influences of the day. Environmental responsibility is an extension of that work. The idea of keeping ones neighbor-hood "clean" leads to keeping ones mind "clean" & works to project this concept further. Hip-hop music from the 1980's-mid' 90's are exemplary of this commitment. Lyrics were fun, educational, full of peace & community spirit, whilst still having the playful competition of skills building show through.

In the 90's, the norm for printed fliers for events were large, over-sized & glossy (& usually with the same exact information on both sides, littering the streets & the clubs). Now event producers are much more aware of their impact, and much promotion is done on the Internet to go viral & cut costs. With the advent of eco-friendly digital printing, we now have better choices for our printing & this also makes us more aware of "who" & "where" we market our performances & products.

As a promoter, If you have all your event information set on the front side of your flyer, why not donate the back of your flyer to a cause you support? or better yet, place information that can educate your reader in the process of promoting your events.

If you set the tone & be the example, others will follow.



Graffiti & Urban artists are always looking for the best ways to publish their works w/ the least impact to the environment.

Designer & hip-hop educator, SpazeCraft of Soh Nup Ink has created an eco-health project called "Hip-Hop(e) for Healing" that educates the masses on Health awareness, Disease prevention & Eco-impact using Hip-Hop Arts as the catalyst.

Soh Nup Ink partnered with Greg Barber to release a series of (business cards sized) eco-health tips that are simple, easy ways to make real impact in your own lives right now. Take these tips with you grocery shopping to make excellent choices in produce selection (especially when "Organic" is not an option).

SpazeCraft is a pioneer of the Hip-Hop "education" movement & is committed to bringing best practices in environmental advocacy & health awareness to the hip-hop community & linking the experts with the masses. for more information on how to become a Responsible Partner in your community: sohnup@gmail.com & for updates in the hip-hop & urban arts community go to: http://blog.sohnup.com


For additional information on eco-friendly paper options, please call Greg Barber at (973) 224-1132, or email greg@gregbarberco.com.

Also, if you have any questions you would like us to address in future tips please email us to info@ecolibris.net .

You can find links to all the tips we published so far on our green printing tips page, which is part of our green printing tools & resources.

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

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing!

Sushi? Tofu? Vegan? Dessert? You can choose - it's free!

This is not an invitation to give us a call the next time you go to a restaurant. This is a reminder of all the great books you can get for free on our green gift giveaway!

Yes, we have a book on sushi (Sustainable Sushi), another one on tofu (Tofu Cookery), Vegan (well, that's actually for your dog - The Simple Little Vegan Dog Book) and one on Desserts (Raw for Dessert). Not only that these are great and valuable books, but they're also printed on recycled or FSC-certified paper!

So what is this giveaway exactly? Well, for over two years Eco-Libris has been offering eco-conscious readers the opportunity to balance out their books by planting trees. At the same time our company has worked to promote sustainable reading, and reduce books' impact on the environment. Now we're combining the two, with a special giveaway that rewards customers with green gifts that promote green reading, from gift cards for Strand Bookstore and BookSwim to free "green" books, which participated in our green books campaign.

And how do you get a free book? It's very simple - if you balance out 50 books by planting 50 trees, you can choose one of these “green” books as a gift. Just choose a book from the list below and Email us its name after you complete the purchase on the take action page on our website, or enter it in the comments box during the payment process. If you want to, you can also give it to someone as a gift and we'll be happy to send it to them on your behalf!

Here are some more details on the "green" books you can choose from:

Raw for Dessert: Easy Delights for Everyone

Author: Jennifer Cornbleet

Now you can have your cake and eat it too! You can stay vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, kosher, or just plain health-conscious and still eat delicious cakes, pies, compotes, crumbles, custards, sorbets, ice creams, cookies, and candies. All raw!

Here are Jennifer's favorite no-bake, no-guilt treats. You'll learn to avoid white sugar, white flour, dairy products, trans-fats, saturated fats, and processed foods. And you'll be able to make easy-to-follow recipes for a reasonable amount of money, in a reasonable amount of time.

Some of the delectable desserts perfect for every occasion are: Summer Berry Compote, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Chocolate Cupcakes, Crème Brulée, Lemon Tart, Pumpkin Pie, and Knockout Brownie Sundae. Gorgeous color photos provide all the inspiration you need.

Sustainable Sushi: A Guide to Saving the Oceans One Bite at a Time

Author: Casson Trenor

Sustainable Sushi answers the question on the minds of millions who enjoy eating fish: how can we indulge the desire to dine well while keeping our health and the health of the oceans in mind? With painstaking research found in no other book on the market to date, this pocket-size guide profiles dozens of the most common fish and shellfish one might encounter at a sushi bar, details where and how they are caught, whether or not they are safe, and how they figure in the current fishery crisis.

Written by a fishery and sustainability expert who was himself netted long ago by the allure of Japanese cuisine, Sustainable Sushi offers simple, clear explanations of such topics as mercury and PCB levels, overfishing, and species extinction. In a storm of seafood shortages and frightening statistics, Sustainable Sushi shows readers how to enjoy the sushi bar without guilt.

Greening Your Small Business: How to Improve Your Bottom Line, Grow Your Brand, Satisfy Your Customers - and Save the Planet

Author: Jennifer Kaplan

The ultimate resource for small business owners who want to go green without going broke. Greening Your Small Business is the definitive resource for those who want their small businesses to be cutting- edge, competitive, profitable, and eco-conscious. Filled with stories from small business owners of all stripes, Greening Your Small Business addresses every aspect of going green, from basics such as recycling, reducing waste, energy efficiency, and reducing the IT footprint, to more in-depth concerns such as green marketing and communications, green business travel, and green employee benefits.

For companies too small to hire consultants to draft and implement green policies and practices, this guide is designed for easy use, featuring:
• Simple ways to make the workplace greener
• Two plans of action for going green (divided into two levels)
• Definitions for green terminology and jargon

The Simple Little Vegan Dog Book, Cruelty-Free Recipes for Canine

Author: Michelle Rivera

The Simple Little Vegan Dog Book by animal rights advocate Michelle Rivera shows how your companion canine can become a satisfied omnivore. This compendium of nutritious, plant-based recipes provide the nutrients your dog needs in order to maintain good health as well as the flavors they love according to the enthusiastic response from pets being fed this diet.

Although vegans will now be able to extend their lifestyle to include what they feed their dogs, you needn't be a vegan or vegetarian to profit from this information. Most dog owners are concerned about the quality of ingredients in commercial dog food.

Sweet Utopia, Simply Stunning Vegan Desserts

Author: Sharon Valencik

Sweet Utopia shows how to create the luscious flavors and familiar textures of traditional desserts without the use of eggs or dairy. These easy-to-make, yet sensational, desserts are all lactose- and cholesterol-free and perfect for vegans, anyone allergic to dairy or eggs, those who need to watch their intake of saturated fat, and last, but not least, lovers of sweets everywhere.

These recipes cover a wide array of goodies including cakes, cookies, pies, puddings, and other treats and are accompanied by over 130 full-color photos that provide inspiration and anticipation.

Tofu Cookery (25th Anniversary Edition)

Author: Louise Hagler

TOFU COOKERY 25th Anniversary Edition celebrates a quarter of a century of helping people prepare delicious dishes featuring tofu. Since then, tofu has become a household word, the health benefits of soy have been validated by thousands of scientific studies, and a goldmine of soy products can be found in supermarkets nationwide.

The best tofu dishes, however, can still be made at home. Soy-foods pioneer Louise Hagler expertly shows how easy it is to add a little tofu to both your favorite comfort foods and gourmet fare. To reflect today's tastes and trends, new recipes were added and the original recipes revised to use less salt and smaller amounts of more healthful fats. The latest cooking methods preserve nutrients as well as flavor.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!