Green news from the pulp and paper industry in North America

I read two interesting stories this week with a promise for a better future for the forests and the paper industry in North America.

The first story is not all that new, but I read about it only this week, so it was new to me :) It is about Georgia-Pacific (GP), one of the largest wood and paper products companies operating in the Southern United States, which announced that "it will no longer purchase trees from endangered forests and special areas, or from new pine plantations established at the expense of natural hardwood forests."

NRDC, which worked with GP to develop this new policy (together with other environmental groups - Dogwood Alliance and Rainforest Action Network) explained in a press release from last November that "While GP’s new forest policy applies to all of its operations, as a first step in implementing its commitment on Endangered Forests and Special Areas, GP worked with the environmental groups and scientists to identify 11 Endangered Forests and Special Areas totaling 600,000 acres in the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Eco-Region, as well as 90 million acres of natural hardwood forests in the Southern region. Endangered Forests and Special Areas in other regions will be mapped in a similar process, over the coming years."

The South’s natural forests are home to more plant and animal species than anywhere else in North America, yet less than two percent of the region's forests are protected, and the South produces more wood and paper than any other place in the world.

This is an important step - “No other U.S. company has demonstrated this level of initiative in mapping unique forests across such a broad region,” said Debbie Hammel, NRDC Senior Resource Specialist in the NRDC's press release. And as Zacary Shahan of Planetsave that wrote on this story this week said "hopefully, the NRDC, RAN, and Dogwood Alliance can get other companies to follow suit soon."

The second story is definitely new - AFP reported yesterday that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a 278-million-dollar (279-million US) investment to help Canada's pulp and paper industry become more environmentally friendly.

"Speaking in Windsor, Quebec, Harper said Ottawa would namely allocate nearly 25 million dollars to paper manufacturer Domtar Corporation to help its pulp and paper mill "invest in energy-efficient and environment-friendly technologies."

The 24.8-million-dollar (24.9-million US) investment is part of the government's much touted Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program, which seeks to help mills in Canada reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and produce renewable energy from forest biomass. The rest of the investment would go to plants in New Brunswick, Alberta and British Columbia."

Harper is not considered very green and is blamed for refusing to make combating climate change a priority, so it will be interesting to see if he will prioritize the efforts to green up the pulp and paper industry in Canada. He himself said about the new investment in the industry that "I'm well aware of the criticisms. But what we need are concrete measures in order to really meet those targets. And this government has been the first one to take concrete measures such as the one being announced today."

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Green Books Campaign: Canopy is supporting the campaign and presenting their work with the book industry

We're happy to begin the Green Books Campaign's day with a guest post from our friends at Canopy. Based in Canada, Canopy is one of the most important forces pushing the book industry towards greater sustainability in the last decade and we're proud to have it as one of the supporters of the campaign (just like the Green Press Initiative, which we presented here couple of days ago).

Best known for our work to green the Harry Potter series internationally with the support of author J.K. Rowling, Canopy works to protect the world’s forests, species and climate by leveraging market forces to help publishers, printers and paper producers adopt environmental policies and practices that ensure conservation on the ground. Eco-Libris’ Green Books campaign bolsters this movement to include wider consumer engagement. Given that 60-80% of a publisher’s environmental footprint is attributable to the papers it prints its books on, we are excited to work with the Eco-Libris Green Books Campaign to help book lovers save the world’s forests by choosing books that are printed on environmental papers.

Canopy works with more than 700 publishers and printers, including Random House, Scholastic and Lonely Planet, and literary giants such as Alice Munro and Margaret Atwood, to reduce dramatically the impact book production has on our fragile planet. By harnessing the purchasing influence of major publishers and printers, Canopy has been able to broker large-scale conservation agreements such as the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement and the world’s largest conservation initiative, the new Boreal Forest Agreement. It is through such major agreements that real conservation progress is made.

Such progress is thanks in no small part to the remarkable changes we’ve seen in the past decade since starting our work with book publishers. The marketplace has progressed from no environmental book-grade papers being commercially available in North America in 2000, to millions of books now being printed on environmental papers. As a book lover, that’s good news!

Recognizing the critical role that book lovers and retailers play in the industry, Canopy also works with market leaders such Indigo Books & Music to help them not only green their own business practices, but also foster environmental leadership within the publishing industry. Our joint work with Indigo also enables readers to make informed purchasing decisions by transparently providing information about a book’s environmental qualities online and at store kiosks.

So how can you tell if a book is printed on environmental paper? Consumers should look for one of the following:

• An eco-audit at the back of a book, listing exactly what kind of paper each part of the book (pages, cover) contains
• The Ancient Forest Friendly label
• Statements that the book is printed on 100% Post Consumer Recycled paper, or on Forest Stewardship Council certified paper

This information may be included in a number of places in the book, including the back jacket, inside jacket, or the copyright page, directly after the title page.

As the final stop in the supply chain – the demand – readers are of course essential to the success of both individual titles and the overall industry. Know that you can be the tail that wags the dog in a greener direction. Vote with your wallet: purchase books that are printed on environmental papers. Your support of publishers and retailers who are taking environmental leadership and campaigns such as this helps increase demand for responsibly sourced books. And that helps position organizations like Canopy as stronger advocates for the world’s forests, species, and climate.

We want to thank again Canopy for their support of the campaign and assistance in getting the word out! You can find more information about Canopy's work, as well as resources on the impacts of the book industry and available eco-friendly paper options at http://www.ecolibris.net/greenbooksresources.asp

The Campaign's page is www.ecolibris.net/greenbookscampaign2010.asp .You can also follow the campaign on Facebook and twitter.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting green reading!

Indigo Partners with Eco-Libris to Promote Green Books

Indigo Books & Music, the largest book retailer in Canada, but also a green leader among book retailers worldwide. And they are also partnering with Eco-Libris on the Green Books Campaign.

Yes, we're very happy to have the support of of Indigo Books & Music, as part of its efforts to draw attention to the need for more environmental paper in book publishing. This is a core goal of Indigo's environmental program and is reinforced by Indigo's industry leading environmental paper policy. You can read more about it on Indigo's environment page.

One of the things I like most about Indigo is that they're the only retailer that actually provides readers with an easy way to find information on books that are printed on eco-friendly paper. It is integrated in their advance search options and it's very easy to use. This is just one part one their sustainable efforts, but has a great significance - otherwise, how readers that want to buy a book online can actually tell if it's printed on eco-friendly paper on not? I can only hope other retailers will follow Indigo's leadership and provide readers with this information.

Last week Indigo issued a press release on the campaign, which is enclosed below:

Indigo Partners with Eco-Libris to Promote Green Books

- Blogger Engagement Campaign to raise awareness of sustainable book publishing -

TORONTO, Nov. 3 /CNW/ - On November 10, 2010, at 1:00 pm EST, Eco-Libris in partnership with Indigo Books & Music is launching a campaign to use the power of the internet and social media to raise awareness of books printed on environmental paper and its significance to forest conservation. Two hundred bloggers will review their selections from 200 books that have been printed on recycled paper and/or are FSC certified. These books will encompass an assortment of mainstream adult and children's titles.

Indigo is pleased to be the only book retailer supporting Eco-Libris in these awareness efforts. Participation in this campaign highlights Indigo's commitment to the use of environmental papers in book publishing, a core goal of Indigo's environmental paper policy which aims to eliminate the use of wood fibre from endangered forests and facilitate a broader sustainability shift in the publishing and paper supply chain.

Michelle White, Director, Sustainability at Indigo Books & Music said, "Indigo has a strong forest conservation mandate and we believe that physical books printed on environmental paper are a sustainable choice. We commend Eco-Libris for reinforcing this message and engaging readers to take this issue into consideration when purchasing books. In fact, Indigo provides information online and though in-store kiosk that allows consumers to make informed decisions about where the paper content of their book comes from".

"The Green Books Campaign celebrates sustainable reading, presenting booklovers worldwide with great options in books that are printed using eco-friendly paper. Although there's so much hype today around e-books, books printed on paper remain dominant in book retailing and it is important to us all that they will be as environmentally sound as possible," says Raz Godelnik, CEO of Eco-Libris. "We are happy to collaborate with Indigo in this campaign as not only they are a green leader in the book industry, but they are also the only book retailer that actually provides readers with an easy way to find information on books that are printed on eco-friendly paper."

To learn more about Indigo's environmental program, please go to chapters.indigo.ca/environment.

About Indigo Books & Music Inc.

Indigo is a publicly traded Canadian company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:IDG). As the largest book retailer in the country, Indigo operates in all provinces under different banners including Indigo Books & Music; Indigo Books, Gifts, Life; IndigoSpirit, Chapters, The World's Biggest Bookstore, and Coles. The online division, www.chapters.indigo.ca, features books, eBooks, toys, music and DVDs, and hosts the award winning Indigo Online Community. In 2008, Indigo launched Pistachio, an eco-aware lifestyle store featuring stationery, gifts and home décor, and apothecary.

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!

The Society of Graphic Designers of Canada adopted sustainability principles

Design is an important part in every work and especially in print productions. That's why I was happy to read good the news (on Environmental Leader) that the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC) adopted sustainability principles.

The GDC's website brings the details:

Unanimously endorsed at the annual general meeting of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC) held from 24-25 April 2009 in Winnipeg, the working definition states:

Sustainable communication design is the application of sustainability principles to communication design practice. Practitioners consider the full life cycle of products and services, and commit to strategies, processes and materials that value environmental, cultural, social and economic responsibility.

The definition is supported by a statement of values and principles to guide the GDC and its members’ actions. If you go over these principles, you see the full commitment of the Canadian designers to change. I'm especially happy to see that they refer to all major aspects of their work - environmental, social, economic and cultural. I believe that this comprehensive approach is the key to succeed when developing a sustainable strategy and therefore I think the GDC is in the right direction.

I hope the GDC will follow its promise to "collaborating with other design organizations worldwide to promote and develop best practices for sustainable communications design", so this great initiative won't be limited only to Canada, but will inspire graphic designers worldwide to commit to sustainability.

I also hope the U.S. will be next. Actually there's a good chance for the adoption of these principles here if your think of the fact that, as we reported last month, the graphic arts trade association - Printing Industries of America is providing now its members with a new tool for those who wants to go green: The Green Guide for Graphic Communications. If they already encourage their members to go green, wouldn't it be only natural to go one step forward and encourage members to adopt a comprehensive sustainable practices?

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing!

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

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

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

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

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

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing

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

We are very excited to update you on our joint campaign with Raincoast Books, a leading Canadian book company, which is taking place this month for the second year in a row: 'Buy a Book, Plant a Tree'.

Here are the details:

Raincoast Books is best known in green circles as the Canadian publisher of the green editions of the latest Harry Potter books. Currently its provides full-service Canadian representation to a wide range of publishers from the US, the UK and Canada, had a wholesale division (BookExpress) that is dedicated to supplying bestselling frontlist and backlist titles to bookstores and retailers across Canada and owns Publishers Group Canada, which distributes titles from over 100 independently owned book publishing houses from all over the world.

Following our successful partnership last year, Raincoast Books signed up this year Canadian retailers who will be selling a wide range of environmentally themed books starting this month. These books come with Eco-Libris stickers stating that one tree will be planted for each one of them. Participating bookstores include independent bookstores located in British Colombia, Nova Scotia and Ontario (a full list can be found at http://raincoast.com/green).

This year we have 257 new trees that will be planted following this joint campaign! And all together our partnership with Raincoast Books has resulted so far in 4,776 new trees that are planted on behalf of Canadian readers with our planting partners in Central America and Africa.

This project is part of an ongoing effort by Raincoast to work towards being a greener company. Here's some more information about these efforts from the company's website: Raincoast has joined Markets Initiative (CDN) and Green Press Initiative (USA), organizations working with publishers, printers and paper mills to reduce the environmental impact of the publishing industry.

Until the closure of the publishing program in January 2008, Raincoast published fiction, non-fiction and children’s books. Over 95% of Raincoast’s text-based books are printed on ancient forest friendly paper. In June 2003, Raincoast printed the Canadian edition of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on 100% ancient-forest-free, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer recyled paper. To date, Raincoast has saved over 75,185 old-growth trees.

Raincoast was awarded the 2003 Ethics in Action Award and the 2004 Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Award.

We are very excited to be continue our joint work with Raincoast Books and look forward to many more years of promoting together green-themed books and the need to make a positive impact on the earth.

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

A new collaboration with Aaspirations Publishing, a proud green publisher!

We are very happy to announce our new collaboration with Aaspriations Publishing of Toronto, Canada. A tree will be planted for every copy of the new titles published henceforth, which will also carry our logo ‘One tree planted for every book’.

Aaspirations Publishers is a proud green publisher that decided to go green as much as they can. As you can see from the steps they have taken their move represents a true commitment to the environment.

So what does it mean for Aaspirations Publishing to be a green publisher? Here's a summary of the measures they take:

Local Print On Demand

Firstly, their books are printed within 24 hours when an order is generated and are shipped directly to the customer, straight from the printer – thus reducing the distance traveled and resulting in the smallest carbon footprint, possible.

No books printed on virgin forest paper

All books published by Aaspirations Publishing use a certain percentage of recycled paper and no papers are sourced from endangered old growth forests, forests of exceptional conservation value or the Amazon Basin. All papers used in printing are FSC – The Forest Stewardship Council; SFI – The Sustainable Forestry Initiative; PEFC – The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification or GREEN-E.

Green fax, Recycling and Switch Off when not in use Programs

They have a new Green Fax, which sends faxes straight to their email. Confidential, secure and most of all amazing savings on paper, toner and electricity. Add to that a switch off if you don’t need it program and comprehensive recycling programs and you can see they mean business. Aaspirations Publishing even want to recycle iPods to deliver education to children in India and elsewhere -–see The Laptop Project for more details.

And last but not least - a collaboration with Eco-Libris to plant a tree for every book published

All new titles published henceforth will also carry the logo ‘One tree planted for every book’, following their partnership with Eco-Libris to reduce the environmental impact of book publishing, by planting one tree for every book sold.

Anjali Sondhi, publisher and CEO of Aaspirations Publishing, explains in a press release they initiated that even though she believes she is doing the right thing, both in environmental and social terms and in business terms, it's not that easy to go green as a publisher:

“Yes! It is a gamble. We are trying to reinvent the publishing wheel. Of course this leaves us with much smaller margins to operate on but we have the satisfaction of knowing that our books are as green as can be. Will customers appreciate it? Will they reach out for our books? Time will tell”

We are positive that this move will generate value for Aaspirations Publishing and will prove that it's not easy to be a green publisher but eventually it is worthwhile!

For more information on Aaspirations Publishing please check out their website: http://www.aaspirationspublishing.com

Want to support their move? Check out their catalog of books and order one of the great books they publish: https://aaspirations.infusionsoft.com/cart/store.jsp?view=1&i=1&navicat=1

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Plant a tree for every book you read!

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

Raincoast Books is partnering with Eco-Libris in a new campaign: 'Buy a book, Plant a tree'

Big news from Canada! We've got a new partnership going on with Raincoast Books, a leading Canadian publisher and distributor, in a joint environmental campaign: 'Buy a Book, Plant a Tree'. Here are the details:

Raincoast Books, which is best known in green circles as the Canadian publisher of the green editions of the latest Harry Potter books, has signed up 80 Canadian retailers who will be selling a wide range of environmentally themed books through April 2008. These books come with Eco-Libris stickers stating that one tree will be planted for each one of them.

Participating independent bookstores, located from cost-to-coast, have purchased over 4,500 books with the Eco-Libris sticker, and hence over 4,500 trees will be planted on behalf of Canadian readers with our planting partners in Central America and Africa.

This campaign is part of Raincoast's ongoing efforts to go green. They have already taken significant steps - In 2004, they won an Ethics in Action Award for being the first publisher to use 100% Ancient Forest Friendly, 100% Post-Consumer paper in the creation of the Canadian editions of Harry Potter. Also, over 95% of the text-based books Raincoast published were printed on ancient forest friendly paper.

We are very glad to be part of this campaign, especially since the Eco-Libris stickers are being used on the covers of great books about the environment, sustainability and living a greener life, such as: Organic Baby by Kimberly Rider, Dry Spring by Chris Wood, Off the Grid Homes by Lori Ryker, and dozens of other green books.

You can find the full list of the books and bookstores that participate in the campaign right here http://raincoast.com/green/.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

'Garbage - The Revolution Starts at Home' - interview with the director of the film, Andrew Nisker

One of the problems with Garbage is that we don't see it after we throw it away. What happens with it afterwards? What are the environmental impacts of our garbage? And actually how many garbage we produce? Tough and important questions, but unfortunately we rarely ask ourselves these questions. Now a new film helps us to get some answers.

Andrew Nisker, a Canadian director, decided to check what happens when you don't throw the garbage away and leave it at home. His good friends, the McDonald family volunteered to keep the garbage at home for 3 months and keep track of their garbage. The result of this fascinating experience is the film 'Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home'.

This film was released three months ago and already gets a lot of media attention and already was seen by many people all over the world, and even more important - it moves many people to think about their garbage and take action!

I wanted to learn more about the film and its vision and interviewed the creator and director of the film, Andrew Nisker -

How did you come up with the idea to the movie?

There was a garbage strike in 2002 and I walked through a park where the trash piled up and started to think about all the waste we generate. I started to wonder what would happen if the garbageman stopped picking up my trash. Would that have a profound impact on my consumption habits?

So instead of subjecting myself to self imposed garbage strike, I found some willing victims (the Mcdonald family) who were willing to succumb to my experiment and keep their trash for three months. I figured if I could document the process and share it with audiences they too might start to think about the impact their lifestyles is having on the environment. The film is not just about garbage its about all the waste a typical household creates by driving, cleaning, eating…

What was the thing that surprised you the most during the making of the film about garbage and its environmental impacts?

I realized that we create a lot more trash then we think we do and how easy it is to cut that trash output. Anybody can take a pollution audit and say “ what can I do to change and create less pollution?”.

When I clean my house, can I get rid of those chemical cleaners and use more natural ones? When I buy take out food, can I bring my own container? Can I drink tap water instead of bottled water? When I get a new car can it be more fuel efficient or better yet can I get rid of it all together?

Aren't you afraid that by focusing on the environmental impacts of individuals, you're giving companies and governments the legitimacy to continue in their acts? shouldn't we first demand from companies and governments to make changes because of their ability to significantly influence our lives?

I say do both. Demand but lead by example. The only way governments and business big and small are going to change is by pressure from below. By voting and voting with your pocket book, governments and corporations will have no choice but to change. Every vote counts and every choice you make during the course of the day matters, as far as the environment is concerned. The most important thing is to realize you have the power to make a difference. Take it as a personal challenge and have fun making the changes you believe are important.

I saw your interview with Fox News, where you explain that the film doesn't try to make people abandon their modern lifestyle, but rather than that, just wants people to reexamine their lifestyle and start thinking about things differently. Do you think that we can really achieve significant results from taking small steps (like stopping using plastic bags)? don't you think we need a more radical change in the way we live and consume?

Radical change would be nice but its not realistic. Underwhelming not overwhelming people with the issues at hand will lead to positive results. Like the title of the film says, THE REVOLUTION STARTS AT HOME. Taking small steps at home, as I point out in the film make huge difference.

How did the film changed the McDonald family? are they still good friends of yours?

Yes, they are good friends and they have gotten rid of one their SUV’s. Stopped drinking bottled water, using plastic bags and are much more environmentally aware of the impacts of their lifestyle. They avoid over packaged goods. Have gotten rid of chemical cleaners. Simple steps that over the course of a year add up to a big savings for the environment.

You want the film to be more than just a film - you want it to make a difference and you try to distribute it in a very unique way that is using social networking to spread the word about the film. How is that working for you? how many people have already seen the film? can you give us few examples how the movie inspired other people to make a difference?

Since the release of Garbage! a mere 3 months ago over 70 communities have screened the film world wide, 20,000 visitors have come to our website at www.garbagerevolution.com , over 2000 people have joined our mailing list, Super Channel licenced the film for nation broadcast in Canada, it has been programmed for the 2008 Hot Doc’s film festival , sold over 1000 dvd’s through the online store and at local screenings and over 100 schools, universities and colleges have bought the film throughout the English speaking world.

We don’t want people to just see Garbage! we want our audience to take action and join our online community and help us have our film screened world wide by hosting screening parties.

We also want viewers to upload videos that inspire others to change. Tell us what you are doing to reduce your environmental impact.

Here are some example of how the film has inspired our audience…

Tappening – is a movement to put an end to bottled water. It was inspired by Garbage! They have over 1.9 million pages view on their site thus far and have sold ten of thousands of reusable water bottles.

Catherine Porter a reporter for the Toronto Star who interviewed me about the film was inspired by the west Virginia coal story and went down to Coal River Valley, Wv and wrote an expose for the paper.

Fleming college held a coffee cup garbage audit to reduce coffee cup waste after viewing Garbage!

A group of students at a local high school where the film was screened is now pressuring their cafeteria to get rid of disposable plates.

There are more examples with video on our website at http://www.garbagerevolution.com/

What would an acceptable "garbage footprint" be for a family like the McDonald family?

I don’t know. Everyone is different and its not for me to tell others what is acceptable.

If people do the best they can to decrease their trash"garbage footprint" - what's next? what would you recommend they do further?

Get others to do the same. Host a screening party and share you experience.

You end the film with an optimistic message and a sense that we can change things. I actually finished watching your film and felt very gloomy after seeing all environmental damage that we're doing without noticing it. How did you manage to stay so optimistic?

My son represents the future for me and I can only be optimistic about the world he about to inherit. It’s not easy knowing what I know but I know we are finally starting to change. Remember when I started this film in 2003 green ideas were dismissed by mainstream media. 2007 was the year the Green revolution arrived and it is here to stay.

How did the making of this film influenced you (and your garbage) personally?

I have curbed my drinking of bottled water by 95%; I purged my home of chemical cleaners; I use my car less and walk more. I think about everything I buy and choose products based on packaging and how they are manufactured.

What's next? I saw you're already thinking about a sequel - Garbage 2! can you elaborate about your plans?

Garbage 2 is going to be a film made up of user generated content submitted to our site. A film by the people for the people so I encourage everyone to take action and tell us what you are doing to change your world. The best pieces of content we will put together in a video mash that
will hopefully inspire others to change the lifestyle for the sake of future generations.

Thank you Andrew!

You are welcome to check out the film's website for further information, and of course - watch the film! Awareness is always the base for action and 'Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home' is a great way to increase the awareness on garbage, its environmental and social impacts and what changes we can do in our life style do reduce the amount of garbage we produce.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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Coach House's Top Five Valentine Books

Valentine's Day is almost here (five more days, I checked..), and I'm happy to bring you few recommendations of Evan Munday, a publicist from Coach House Books (a Canadian publisher and printer of high-quality innovative fiction and poetry since 1965) on how to celebrate Valentine's day with your loved ones a unique literary way:

We know that day of forced romance is soon upon us, so if you're infatuated with a lover of great Canadian literature, we guarantee you'll be able to woo your Canlit casanova with one of these sigh-worthy Coach House titles:

1.) Pulpy and Midge: Our titular couple spends their evenings ice-dancing, and their lunch breaks talking on a food court pay phone. Will Pulpy and Midge's happy marriage disintegrate when tyrannical office boss Dan and his lascivious wife Beatrice enter their lives?

2.) The City Man: The City Man is a darkly funny romance between a newspaperman just recovering from a breakdown and a member of a Kensington Market pickpocket ring. It'll steal your heart faster than a stall can pinch a poke.

3.) All My Friends Are Superheroes: Shelia Heti (The Middle Stories, Ticknor) said it best: 'This book is like a kiss in the afternoon sun ... I expect this story will replace boxes of chocolates and flowers in courting rituals to come.' The future is now, people.

4.) Age of Arousal: Corsets burst with unbridled desire and petticoats are raised with much relish in this lavish, sexy play set in 1885, after the advent of the suffragettes and the typewriter.

5.) Nellcott Is My Darling: Who hasn't fallen in love with a boy who works at a record store, smokes too many cigarettes and is just wrong for you? That's why we're sure you'll love this novel, which was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award.

Check out these and other Coach House titles, as well as our February events - including David McGimpsey in Toronto, Cara Hedley in Vancouver, a launch for Reel Asian: Asian Canada on Screen and more - at http://www.chbooks.com.

Thank you Evan for these great recommendations. If you want to get future updates from Evan, you are welcome to join Coach House Books Facebook group.

And if you missed yesterday's post, I remind you that if you are anywhere near Soho Square in London on Valentine's Day, Do The Green Thing invites you to come to be there at 1.30pm and become a part of the world's first Body Warmth Flash Hug.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

Canada's oldest bookstore will be closed in 8 weeks

I'm sorry to bring you gloomy news two days in a row, but this is an important story - Canada's oldest bookstore is about to be closed in 8 weeks.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif reported earlier today in MyNews.in that The Book Room, a bookstore in Halifax, Nova Scotia that was founded in 1839, is expected to clear out inventory and close its doors for the final time at the end of March 2008.

The president of the book room, Charles Burchell explained in a news release the reasons behind this step: "Changing times and market conditions have necessitated our decision. The coming of big-box-bookstores with their large inventory at discount prices; the expansion of books into grocery and drugstores; the ease of ordering books at discount prices over the internet and the dual pricing of books with higher selling prices in Canada than in the United States have made operating a profitable independent bookstore in Canada extremely difficult."

It's very sad to see any bookstore that needs to close its doors, needless to say a 169 years old bookstore, which as Mr. Butchell said became an institution in Nova Scotia. I think that the lesson we can learn here is the urgent need to support local independent bookstores, which are a vital part of any local economy, supporting both cultural life and regional sustainability. We cannot afford to lose more institutions and I truly wish that eventually we won't need to lose this one as well.

You can read the articles and the farewells of readers on the book room website. Your can also take a look at the store in this video from The Daily News in Halifax:



Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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