Monday's green books series: The Polar Bears' Home (and a great giveaway!)

Last September we announced on our collaboration with Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing in an educational contest - I CAN SAVE THE EARTH!. This was in a celebration of their new line of eco-friendly children’s books, Little Green Books.

During the time of the contest (you can participate until December 1st, 2008 - see more details here) we review the first four books that were published so far. So far we reviewed Little Monkey and Little Panda, and today we have the pleasure to present you with the third green little book.

Our book for today is: The Polar Bears' Home: A Story About Global Warming

Author: Lara Bergen

Illustrated by: Vincent Nguyen

Ages: 4 - 6

Description: Come along on an Arctic adventure with a little girl and her father and learn all about polar bears! This 8 x 8 storybook shows how global warming affects two baby polar bear cubs and their family. Includes tips for kids on what they can do to help slow down global warming. This 8 x 8 paperback book is perfect-bound and will be printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper with soy-ink. The paper is FSC certified.

I enjoyed this book so much that I decided I need to talk to the author, Lara Bergen (see photo below), to learn more about her work on the book, which I find a great combination of text and illustrations that together creates one of the smartest and enjoyable green books for kids I read lately. Lara agreed to share her thoughts with us and here is the full interview with her:

Can you tell us about yourself and what inspired you to write this book?

I've written many books for children, but not a lot of nonfiction. When Simon & Schuster presented me with the idea of writing about an ecosystem in trouble, I immediately thought of the Arctic (I think the movie Arctic Tale had just come out, and the Global Warming crisis's effect on the polar bears' habitat was frequently in the news). And, of course, no one can deny that polar bear cubs make extremely appealing subjects for children's books!

What did you learn about polar bears during the writing process?

I learned so much! I knew that polar bears hunted seals, but I had no idea how. And I had no idea they had to travel such great distances and hunt so much over the course of the winter and are so relatively inactive during the summer (the opposite of most black and brown bears we know).

You managed to write a beautiful optimistic story for kids that is actually a very sad story with no certain happy ending - how do you do it?

Well, what else can you do? Unfortunately, we can't undo the past, we can only look forward--and I really didn't want to scare or depress readers--but more inspire them to try to take care of the Earth and its inhabitants from this point on as best they can.

Unlike many other children's books about the environment, you keep a very realistic tone through all the story which keeps it very real - was it your intention in the first place?

Yes, definitely. I wanted to give the reader a sense of immediacy to the subject matter--and a situation which is all too real.

What is the main lesson you want children to learn from this story?

That the Earth is truly warming up and truly threatening the survival of this wonderful, iconic species--and we simply have to do as much as we can to reverse the trend.

Did you get already feedbacks from children on the book? how do they find it?

No, I haven't.

I like the dad figure: he gives his daughter all the information she needs, portrays reality in a very balanced way, even if when the truth is inconvenient, and doesn't try to 'sell' her a fake shiny description of life. Do you believe all parents should adopt such approach?

Yes, I think they have to. Children are too insightful, and ask too many questions not to. Of course, you don't want to scare them--but parents need to appreciate that with the right approach, children are actually empowered by the truth.

Do you believe kids can make a difference in our world?

I certainly hope so! There was just an article in the Times about children demanding more environmental responsibility from their parents, and taking more upon themselves. Kids can make some difference now...and hopefully a lot of difference in the future!

How important to you was the fact that the book walks the talk, is printed on recycled paper and is part of a wider effort to educate children about green issues?

That's definitely a good start. (Of course, the more locally they can be printed, and the less shipped, the better, too.)

What's your next book is going to be about? are you planning to write more green-themed books for children in the future?

Actually, right now I'm working on an early fictional chapter book series (coming out 2010) - and I have an idea for a green-themed title within it. I hope to do many more!

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!

Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing are giving away one package of the 4 books published so far in the Little Green Books line: Little Panda, Little Monkey, I Can Save the Earth!: One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle and The Polar Bears' Home: A Story About Global Warming.

This is a great prize and firstly we thank Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for it! How do you get a chance to win this prize? please add a comment below with an answer for the following question: do you prefer a realistic tone in a children's story that deals with environmental issues or you're for a lighter tone? if you have stories from your own experience with your kids that would be great.

Submissions are accepted until Sunday, November 9, 12PM EST. We will pick the comment we liked best and the winner will be announced the following day.

More relevant links:

I CAN SAVE THE EARTH! contest web page

On Eco-Libris website: http://www.ecolibris.net/littlegreenbooks.asp

Green Little Books' website: www.SimonSaysKids.com/LittleGreenBooks

Review of 'Little Monkey' and 'Little Panda': http://ecolibris.blogspot.com/2008/10/mondays-green-books-serieslittle-panda.html

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

www.ecolibris.net

And the winner in a copy of 'Celebrate Green!' is...

Thank you for all the participants in our giveaway of the book 'Celebrate Green' by by Corey Colwell-Lipson & Lynn Colwell we reviewed last Monday.

We got many comments with great ideas on how to green your holidays and celebrations. I found in these comments not only creativity, but also a lot of satisfaction and fun which are all important parts in making these green steps attractive to all the people who would like to go green on the holidays but fear that it involves a great effort or that it's much more expensive. The same lessons are of course integrated in the book and therefore makes it not only a great guide but also a great gift to family and friends!

And the winner in our giveaway is tiff, who wrote the following:

first, i've been making handmade items to give away as gifts such as knitted scarves, mittens and hats which is perfect for the upcoming winter season. i like to wrap the gifts in recycled newspaper and colorful ads from magazines or even fun sunday comic pages to make it more interesting!

Congrats tiff! As part of the giveaway, Eco-Libris will plant a tree for this book and we'll send tiff with the book our "One tree planted for this book" sticker.

And don't forget that if you buy the book on Celebrate Green! website, you will be offered to plant a tree with your copy of Celebrate Green!.

Yours,

Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

eBooks - A Greener Choice or Not?

Today we're happy to host Angela Wieck, co-founder of EcoBrain (www.EcoBrain.com), 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), and today we have the pleasure to bring you an article of Angela about one of the most interesting issues in the book industry - eBooks vs. paper books: which option is greener?

eBooks - A Greener Choice or Not?

Lately there has been quite a bit of debate about whether eBooks really are greener than paper books or not. This surprised me because I thought it was obvious. However, the more I read, the more I wanted to learn. My conclusion is that yes, eBooks are greener. Read on to find out why.

One big variable is whether or not you use an eBook reader. Some companies that offer eBook readers require that you buy the eBooks from them as the file type is proprietary. So if you buy a Kindle, you must buy the associated eBook for the Kindle from Amazon. From a profit perspective this is understandable. However, as a consumer this smells of monopoly to me. It also raises the question of whether the ebook reader’s production and eventual disposal make ebooks a less green option.

The debate about eBooks being a greener choice gets radically simplified if we take eBook readers out of the equation. Let’s do that. because you don’t need one anyway. As a consumer you can choose to purchase a file type that does not require a dedicated eBook device that may be expensive and one day end up in a landfill. For example, at EcoBrain.com the majority of our files are PDFs - you can read them on whatever computer you already have. Removing eBook readers from the equation makes this much easier.

I already own a computer. Don’t you? You probably wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t. So for someone who already owns a computer, the green choice of buying and eBook over a paper book is clear. Don’t get me wrong - I love paper books and enjoy relaxing with a great novel. However, those I get from the library. For the majority of books to own, eBooks are clear winners.

Think about the following facts from Conservatree:

24 trees are required to produce a ton of printing paper for books

12 trees are harvested for a ton of newsprint

up to 35% of books printed for consumers are never read - they are returned to the publisher to be destroyed

A mature tree can produce enough oxygen in a year for 10 people to inhale in a year. Never mind that forests are a place of majesty where precious ecosystems exist. eBooks are created electronically and no trees are cut down to produce them, no ink is used, no fossil fuel to run the printing presses or to deliver them. eBooks don’t need heated or cooled warehouses to store them. eBooks are delivered to you electronically. They are disposed of by using your delete key. They will never take up landfill.

The pollution put out by the pulp and paper industry is another consideration. With the increasing trend towards overseas printing, many books are now printed in Asia, shipped to a local port, trucked to a distribution center and then shipped to a store or to your home if purchased online. Even if the paper for the book was sourced locally, pulp and paper is the third largest industrial polluter to air, water, and land in Canada and the United States, releasing well over 100 million kg (220 million pounds) of toxic pollution each year. While many publishers are making positive strides to produce recycled books, the bottom line is that there is still a huge environmental cost.

Now, to be completely fair, even eBooks used on your existing computer consume some energy. We should assume you run your computer longer in order to read the eBook. I found an excellent analysis of the energy consumed written up by Pablo Päster. It reads:

“My laptop uses about 30 watts (more during start-up). In the time it takes to read a page (8.5 x 11), let's say two minutes, the computer will use 0.001 kWh (kilowatt-hours) of electricity. For a 100-page document this adds up to 0.1 kWh of electricity, costing you less than 2 cents on your electricity bill. The generation of electricity creates about 1,000 pounds of greenhouse gases per MWh (megawatt-hour), or 1 pound per kWh, depending on where your electricity comes from. This means that reading a 100-page document on your laptop causes about one-tenth of a pound of greenhouse gas emissions. Pretty small. But how does that compare to paper?”

He goes on to find that it is much better than paper. For the full details go to: http://www.salon.com/env/ask_pablo/2008/09/08/printers/

And with an eye to the future, isn’t it easier to generate renewable electrical power sources than to try to make the paper industry pollution free? Is the latter even possible?

So save trees, reduce pollution and breathe easier. I don’t see a downside. Do you?

The main obstacle left is to win over consumers. Given the clear green choice perhaps more consumers will give eBooks a try. If each of us choose to purchase 4 or 5 eBooks a year versus paper books, the impact would be huge. Americans alone buy 3 billion books a year. Imagine the trees we could save. Choosing an eBook is another conscious choice we make, much like choosing to use a canvas bag when we shop and say no to petroleum based plastic bags. Together, we can make a world of difference.

For those who haven’t tried an eBook, here are some additional considerations that focus on the eBook experience:

Portability - You can own an entire digital library of books on your laptop or computer. No space is taken up on shelves and you can take them all with you!

Convenience - eBooks download instantly. You can read them anytime, anywhere!

Ease of Use - Click to turn pages, find what you are looking for fast by searching, use the built-in dictionary, bookmark pages, and so on. Super easy to use!

Great prices - Most of our eBooks are about 30% below the MSRP.

Now until November 11, 2008 at EcoBrain.com new customers get a $5 site credit. There are lots of books for under $5, so give EcoBrain and eBooks a try. We also have a freebie (and paper free) available on the home page. So try an eBook for free. See what you think. I bet you’ll find it easier than you thought. Maybe you’ll even choose to buy one over a paper book and help green our world.

By Angela Wieck - angela@EcoBrain.com
Vancouver, BC, Canada

Eco-Libris is collaborating with Bookswim in an holiday campaign!

We are happy to announce on a collaboration with BookSwim (http://www.bookswim.com), the premier online book rental service!

BookSwim, established June 2006, is the first full-service online book rental service lending you paperbacks and hardcovers, Netflix-style, directly to your house, without the need to purchase. Whether it's new releases, bestsellers, or classics, they have something for everyone, with free shipping both ways! Read your books as long as you want — no late fees! Even choose to purchase and keep the titles you love!

Now BookSwim is offering virtual gift cards which are the perfect gift for those who love to read. A tree will be planted with Eco-Libris in honor of every gift purchased. We had done it with BookSwim last year and we're happy to partner again this year to green up their gift cards.

BookSwim are also giving incentives to customers to purchase gift cards between now and December 31, including a $5 gift card to be used by you for every $50 gift card purchased. Similarly, for every $100 gift card you buy, you will receive your own $20 gift card. Additionally, 2 lucky winners will receive a $299 Sony Blu-Ray Disc Player. One entry for every gift card purchase. Check it out at https://www.bookswim.com/gift.html

BookSwim is a great service and as a rental service it also has green qualities, similar to those of libraries due to the fact that it helps to maximize the use of every copy that is already printed. You can read more on BookSwim and the environment here: You can read more at: http://www.bookswim.com/media_kit_vision.html#theEnvironment

So don't forget to check out BookSwim's gift cards - it's a great affordable (and green!) gift for the holidays for every book lover.

Yours,

Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More posts relevant to this issue:

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

Will the new international fund save the Amazon?

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

Merrill Lynch is investing in forest protection


* Picture Courtesy of Sustainable Harvest international

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Plant a tree for every book you read!

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

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

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

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

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

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