Muhammad Yunus is launching his new book in Sweden

Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, came to Sweden for a launch event of the Swedish edition of his new book 'Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism'.

As I mentioned here earlier, More than 5,000 trees will be planted with Eco-Libris in Malawi, Africa by our planting partner, RIPPLE Africa, on behalf of BookHouse Publishing to balance out this edition. Inside the book you can find our logo ('one tree planted for this book') with details on our vision and operations.

You can see below Prof. Yunus at the event that took place on April 19th and together with the Swedish Publisher Jan Lapidoth .

Foto: Mattias Gregor Ridung

Foto: Mattias Gregor Ridung





















If you want to learn more about Prof. Yunus' vision and work, you are welcome to watch an interview that was made with him on the Swedish TV4 (the video clip below is part 1. For part 2, you can click later on HERE)

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

An interview with Jenn Savedge, the author of 'The Green Parent'

Three weeks ago I reviewed here the new book 'The Green Parent: A Kid-Friendly Guide to Earth-Friendly Living' by Jenn Savedge, which is also the first book to be published under the Kedzie Press' Million Tree-A-Thon initiative.

Since I'm going to become a parent myself in few weeks, I wanted to learn more about green parenting and the book. Luckily, Jenn Savedge agreed to answer my questions and I enjoyed learning how green parenting is so much cooler now than it used to be and how being a green parent actually helps you saving money.

How did you come up with the idea of writing a green guide for parents?

Before my daughters were born, I was living a pretty eco-friendly lifestyle. I have always been interested in taking care of the environment, and I had the time, money, and energy to devote to this interest. So I was kind of thrown for a loop after my children were born and I was thrown into a world of disposable, plastic, battery-operated, planet-trashing stuff. And on top of all that, I suddenly had no time, no energy, and a whole lot less money than I had before to devote to making sure I made the most environmentally responsible choices. I went to the bookstore looking for a book that would show me how to raise my kids without trashing the planet and how to get them involved in taking care of the environment. When I couldn't find it…I wrote it.

What was the most interesting part of the work on the book?

I thoroughly enjoyed researching and writing this book. This was exactly the information that I had been searching for, and I was thrilled to finally have it all together in one place and in a format that would be useful and accessible to other parents. My favorite aspect of the research was conducting interviews with green parents around the country. Bill McKibben, my long-time hero, was gracious enough to allow me to interview him, as were other green leaders such as Alan Durning, Timberly Whitfield, Leslie Garrett, and Colin Beavan. It was fascinating to talk with these folks and hear their anecdotes and advice from a green parent’s perspective.

If it makes so much sense to go green and be green parents, how come we don't see more green parents around? is it awareness, time, money or people just don't care enough?

I think there’s a misconception that green parenting is difficult to put into practice, and let’s face it, most parents are not really interested in adding extra work to their already busy schedules. The great news is that most parents I meet really want to go green; they just aren’t sure how to fit it in. So once they realize how simple it is, they are excited to get started.

What's the ability of parents to influence their children green attitudes, when the kids get different signals from their school, community, and other social circles that are probably still far behind?

The kids growing up today hear more about environmental issues, in their music, movies, and even in their video games, than any generation before them. And while not all kids are interested in going green, parents can help their own kids make eco-friendly choices by listening to their kids’ ideas and empowering them to protect their planet. In that sense, green living is not just something that children are being told to do; it is a pathway they are carving for themselves.

Have you noticed any change in green parenting in the last couple of years? are there any specific areas in particular?

Green parenting is so much cooler now than it used to be! When my first daughter was born, I could barely find any information about cloth diapering, and people thought I was a lunatic for wanting to make my own baby food. Now that information is everywhere as green parenting has hit the mainstream. I would say that organic foods and eco-friendly cleaning products have seen the biggest boom in sales because they address parents’ concerns about the health of their families and their planet.

How common is the myth that going green, and especially when it comes to children, is only for wealthy people? do you hope that your book will contribute to change that perception?

I think a lot of parents feel that if they can’t afford to put solar panels on their home or buy the latest model hybrid car, they shouldn’t bother going green. But the beauty of green parenting is that it essentially means using less stuff and being more particular about the stuff we do use. More often than not, that translates into spending less money. Green parenting can save parents a ton of cash on their energy, water, trash and shopping bills each month. And my hope is that parents who are on a budget will read The Green Parent and realize that going green is a very simple way to save money.

What's the most difficult practice to implement as a green parent? what's the easiest one?
That answer will be different for every parent. For instance, I have the hardest time remembering to turn off the water when I’m brushing my teeth. I was never taught to do that growing up and so it wasn’t until I was an adult that it even dawned on me how much water I was wasting. Now, even though it is an incredibly simple thing to do, I still forget sometimes because I am distracted or exhausted. So I have to leave myself a little note in the bathroom! What’s easy for one parent may be difficult for another…and vice versa.

I enjoyed very much the interviews in the book, many with known figures whom we know less about their green side as parents (at least I didn't..). Is there any story you've heard during these interviews that made a special impression on you?

Each of the green parents I interviewed for the book made a lasting impression on me and inspired me to be a deeper shade of green. But I think the story that inspired me the most was Alan Durning’s year of living “car-lessly” with his wife and three children. The level of commitment that his whole family showed to the project was outstanding and his honesty and optimism about his car-less way of life was both refreshing and encouraging.

What's the feedback you receive from your daughters on your personal efforts to practice green parenting?

My daughters are still young (they are 5 and 2 years old) so I am fortunate in that they are learning about going green and caring for the planet at a very young age. It’s great because they are very accustomed to things like recycling, turning off the lights, and walking instead of driving whenever possible. In fact, they remind me to do things like grab my cloth tote bag or fill up a reusable water bottle before I leave the house!

But in all honesty, they are still very normal little girls who love all things pink and sparkly and sometimes fawn over these types of products in the stores. Still, they listen when I tell them that these products are not good for them, nor are the good for the birds, bears, squirrels, and dolphins with whom we share the planet. They not always thrilled about it, but they know that if they can’t convince me it’s good for the environment, it’s not coming home with us!

The green world is changing very quickly with new developments coming every day - what would you recommend parents who read the book and would like to stay updated?

My website (www.thegreenparent.com) is a good start. The book gives parents all the information they need to go green and get their kids involved, and the website complements that by providing up-to-date news and information on green living. Another good way to stay informed about environmental issues is to keep track of what is going on in your locally community in regards to things like recycling, public transportation, and pollution.

Thank you, Jenn! The book is definitely recommended to all the parents out who wish to go green, or those who already taken steps in the green direction and want to learn more about green parenting.

Yours,

Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

It's Arbor Day - Hip Hip Hooray!

Today is Arbor Day in the U.S. and we are very excited as this is the day of the trees. For us, who are involved in tree planting operations and in efforts to reduce the number of trees cut down for printing books, every day is about trees and sustainable reading, but when everyone joins to celebrate and honor the trees, even for one day, it really feels great!

So what's Arbor day anyway? It is the nation's oldest environmental holiday, a nationally-celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and care. Founded by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska in 1872, National Arbor Day is celebrated each year on the last Friday in April (in the U.S., in other countries it is celebrated on different dates).

Many people, families, schools, communities and local organizations will celebrate the day in special events and in planting new trees, like RE-TREE WNY (Western New York), a group that was established to reforest the area following the heavy wet snows of October 2006 in Buffalo. RE-TREE WNY will plant today an oak tree in front of a West Side church in Buffalo. More information on events can be found on the Arbor Day Foundation website.

Many businesses and organizations are celebrating Arbor Day with special initiatives as well:

Washington Mutual announced yesterday that it will be making a donation to the The National Arbor Day Foundation to plant a tree in a national forest every customer who chooses to receive their account statements online rather than being mailed a paper statement.

Doubletree Hotels stats an educational initiative - 10,000 students in more than 150 communities will take part in a month-long initiative to raise awareness about the importance of trees through Doubletree Hotels' Teaching Kids to CARE environmental education program. This spring initiative, created in collaboration with the Arbor Day Foundation is taking root in Nebraska, the home state where Arbor Day began. The Teaching Kids to CARE spring initiative will help educate 10,000 elementary school students across the U.S. and Canada during the months of April and May about the important role trees play in our everyday lives and the many benefits they provide.

MillionTreesNYC, a public-private partnership between the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and New York Restoration Project to plant and care for one million new trees in New York City by 2017 announced today on Toyota as a new supporter in its mission to improve New York City's environment. Yahoo! News reports that Toyota has signed a three-year $1.4 million sponsorship with MillionTreesNYC that will support tree planting, public education and community outreach activities - all aimed at getting every New Yorker involved in tree planting and stewardship activities.

The Nature Conservancy launched the “Plant a Billion Trees Campaign” at www.plantabillion.org to restore and plant one billion trees by 2015 in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, one of the greatest repositories of biodiversity on Earth. It is sponsored by few companies, including Sponsored Planet Green and Penguin classics. On the campaign’s website, visitors can learn more about the project, explore the Atlantic Forest through an interactive map highlighting the people, plants and animals of this spectacular region, and of course plant a tree by donating to the campaign – one dollar for a tree.

Toyota has also something for Facebook users - the company partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to create a Facebook application called Tree Planter. According to Environmental Leader, users can send gift trees to their Facebook friends in a cost of $1 and for every gift that is sent, the Arbor Day Foundation plants a tree in one of eleven forests. Toyota is supporting the effort by purchasing $50,000 worth of trees, so the first 50,000 users can send one tree to a friend for free.

And of course, you are welcome to check out our website or go to one of the bookstores we work with, and plant a tree for every book you buy.

Whatever you choose to do in this beautiful day, have fun and remember that trees deserve to appreciated and conserved not only today, but each and every day.

Happy Arbor Day,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

* Picture Courtesy of Sustainable Harvest international

Interview with James “Surendra” Conti, Manager of East West Bookstore

Located at the heart of Silicon Valley in Mountain View, California, East West is a big and beautiful space full of books, and with a quiet & peaceful atmosphere. It is one of the biggest, if not The biggest spiritual/metaphysical bookstores in the United States, and it is also one of the first bookstores that joined our program, letting it's customer plant a tree for every book they buy.

I met James “Surendra” Conti, the store's manager, for a chat at the huge back room of the store. It doubles as inventory space by day, and a beautiful workshops and event space by night.

This interview begins a series of articles about the many wonderful bookstores and booksellers around the country, which we have the pleasure of working with.

Q: So tell me a bit about East West?

A: East West is a metaphysical bookstore. It has been in business since 1980, and has moved to this location in 1996. We've been previously in El Camino Real, and since moving here expanded, so now, while books are still the biggest category of products, they provide only 30% of our business. Still it's way more than any other single category. It's hard to be a bookstore these days, just with books.

Q: What are the other 70%?

A: We have crystals, cards, candles, music, videos, yoga and meditation supplies, jewelry, feng-shui, journals, and a lot of children things. Beauty is important to us. We look for things that work together in term of who we are. Metaphysical, spiritual. Self-help is also a big part of that.

Q: What's a “Metaphysical” bookstore?

A: We're owned by a church. It's The Ananda Church of Self Realization, and it's a synthesis of east and west. It was founded by Swami Kryiananda, who is a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda. There is a lot of eastern, as well as western in it, hence the name “East West”. We support all spiritual paths, and our mission is to guide people to whatever path they resonate with, rather than proselytize for our organization. Having said that, you may also notice that at the front of the store there is a bust of Yogananda, a book section dedicated to him, as well as to Kryianada, and a section about the teaching of our various sages and saints of India in particular. We also have a huge Buddhist section, and really all spiritual paths are represented here. Not only on the bookshelf, but also in the term of the programs we present.

We are more than a bookstore, we are a resource place for a community; a gathering place. People come here for many reasons, as a resource or for enlightening ideas, or for sharing it with others. That is really our purpose more than anything else.

As for future plans, we intend to be here, no matter what happens to the book business, and continue to have available for people the teachings that they are looking for.

Q: Are you part of the Ananda Church?

A: Yes, I am. It's a synthesis of Yoga and Christianity. There are five gurus, or masters, if you will. The story is that Jesus appeared to Babaji 400 years ago, and essentially commissioned him to bring the teachings of Kryia Yoga back into the world; and so the lineage started. Yogananda came to the west in 1920. He is the first Indian master who actually made his home in united states, until he passed away in 1952. He established the self-realization fellowship. Those teachings are are a union of all religions.

Q: And how did you get here to this bookstore?

A: My wife, who is a co-manager here, and I were living in Seattle, and were asked to come here to manage the store after the dot com bust of 2001. The store fell on some hard times, in terms of having too much inventory than was moving quickly. People lost their jobs here and were spending much less money. And to some extent there is a similar downward trend right now that is having an effect on the store, but not nearly as marked as in that time. The store needed new management to pull it out of that more difficult period.

I had a medical supplies business, so I had some of the required skills, but had no retail experience at the time. Nor did my wife. We had a good staff in place and they essentially trained us.

Q: Can you tell me a bit about the events in the store?

A: Author events, but not only. We have teachers, psychic readings, workshop leaders, and so on. We tend to have an event almost every evening, and it is a big part of our community appeal.

Q: What do people like most about the store?

A: The environment. For a lot of people this is almost their church. We have a fountain where they come to meditate. We do have meditation sessions throughout the week. It is a very soothing space to be, especially given the hectic pace in this Silicon Valley. People come and tell me that. We also have a lot of things that people will not find anywhere else, or at least not all together in one place.

Q: What is the best selling book right now?

A: Well, right now probably Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth. The book been out for a while, but with the help of Oprah, it is the best selling book. But there are many others. Marianne Williamson has a new book out, Swami Kryiananda's and Yogananda's books always sell extremely well.

Q: What is the all times best selling book here?

A: Probably The Power of Now. Also by Eckhart Tolle, it's been out for 7-8 years now and it still shows up on our bestselling list of 20 books almost every quarter. The other one would be The Autobiography of a Yogi by Yogananda.

Q: What would be your favorite book? It's a tough question, I know.

A: Probably for me it would be Kryiananda's Essence of the Bhagavad Gita. This book is over 500 pages long, and a very readable commentary with a translation of the text. The Gita is one of the two probably greatest scriptures that are available. The teachings are, I don't know even how to say it... the truths are obvious. It's a fabulous story, and it combines story telling with an allegorical way of bringing all the teachings humankind has to know.

Thanks,

Eylon @ Eco-Libris

Plant Trees with Eco-Libris

Getting to Scale: Growing Your Business Without Selling Out – An Interview with Jill Bamburg

Getting to Scale is the second book so far that Swedish publisher Bookhouse Publishing translated and balanced out with tree plantings by Eco-Libris. They are doing great work over there and we encourage all our Swedish speaking readers to check them out.

How to structure your green or mission-driven business, so that you can grow and even possibly sell it one day, without compromising your ideals, beliefs and mission? How to fund your growth without finding out too late that your new investors are not at all interested in what you are doing for the environment or society, but only at the financial bottom line? While Getting to Scale is not a “how to” guide, it describes a wide variety of case studies that illustrates key findings. It is based on extensive in-depth interviewes with dozens of CEOs and founders of mission driven businesses such Ben & Jerry's Stonypoint, American Apparel, and many others.

As a co-founder of Eco-Libris, and someone who spends a sizable proportion of his day involved in the operation of a mission driven green business, I found this book useful and right on. Although it deals with “rich” problems, which I can only dream about having, it did give me food for thought, and also validated some of the things already in place. Will it help us get the millionth tree planted? Time will tell...

However I was thrilled to be able to present author Jill Bamburg, who is also the dean of the MBA program at the Bainbridge Graduate Institute, with questions on this fascinating topic.

Q: “Getting to Scale” was published in 2006, while 2007 was the year that, at least according to some parts of the media, brought the environmental movement to the folds of the mainstream, even if only temporarily (crossing fingers). Do you think there was any fundamental shift in the world of mission driven businesses since the book came out?

A: Great question. There has definitely been a huge upsurge of interest in green business, sustainability, and climate change since the book was published. As you say, these issues have definitely gone “mainstream” – which is to say that they have now been taken up by major corporations around the globe (or at least their PR departments!).

These businesses are now embracing the “business case” for undertaking environmental actions: cost savings, risk management, and revenue opportunities.

At the same time, there is also increased interest in the kinds of businesses I was writing about – that is, those that are fundamentally mission-driven, as opposed to profit-driven – on the part of two important demographic groups: young people who are just beginning their careers in business and mid-career or retiring baby boomers who are looking for ways align their work with their values.

So yes, I do think there has been a shift in the business world since the book came out.

Q: Your book is about the issues mission driven businesses have to deal with when they need to grow, sustain growth and/or sell their business, and you give many examples. Since then there were several high profile business deals that I assume would have made it into the book had they been done previously. For example the sale of Burt's Bees to Clorox, Coca Cola's investment in Recyclebank and JP Morgan acquisition Climate Care, the UK based carbon offset company. Do these recent cases validate your past conclusions, or did things change?

A: Another good question. In this case, I don’t think things have changed much -- with one exception, which I’ll talk about in a minute.

The reason I wrote the book initially was that I observed a disturbing pattern in the sale of socially responsible businesses to larger financially driven firms. I was concerned that there might be something inherently wrong with the model of socially responsible businesses that was causing these sales to happen. I set out to find out whether that was true by looking at socially responsible businesses that had grown successfully without selling out to larger players.

The most recent wave of sales is simply a continuation of what I observed in the earlier period. The one exception is that the mainstream market for “green,” organic and “alternative” products has grown, making these more attractive acquisition targets for mainstream players.

Q: Another relatively new development that we begin to see with such businesses discussed are mergers, such as the case of Zipcar and Flexcar. Do you see it as growth or more of a survival mechanism? How do mergers fit the models you present in the book?

A: I think that the Flexcar-Zipcar merger, and others like it, are both growth and survival strategies stemming from very traditional business imperatives. Both car-sharing companies needed capital to grow and expand their market coverage. Rather than seek to stay independent and fight head-to-head in the marketplace, or be acquired by larger, better capitalized firms in other businesses, they chose to join forces and develop the US market for car-sharing.

Many other businesses that seek to grow (or survive) don’t have the luxury of a merger with another like-minded company. The circumstances have to be right and the size of the final entity has to be large enough to meet the challenges of distribution and competition.

Q: These days it seems that there are more and more “green business” networking events, forums and circles. Although these places are a great place for mission driven businesses to interact and support one another, one can't help but also feel a certain buzz that sometimes looks like entrepreneurs creating green businesses with the idea of being bought out by a mainstream brand like Clorox as a goal in mind. Is your book also suitable for such entrepreneurs?

A: I think that some of the ideas in my book will apply to people who are building businesses to sell, but they are not my target audience. I wanted to help the business owners who are trying to remain independent and in control of the values of their companies.

Q: Is it now more easy or more difficult for a mission driven business, compared to the previous periods?

A: There are a couple of things that may make it a little easier than it has been in the past: 1) a shift in the mainstream market interest toward greener, healthier products and lifestyles; 2) an increase in the talent available to make these businesses successful; and 3) some new thinking in the area of hybrid corporate forms that may better support mission-driven businesses.

On the other hand, the fundamentals of business have not gotten any easier. It’s hard to build a successful business of any sort – and it’s harder still to build one that is as committed to environmental and social values as it is to financial success.

Q: Many of our readers are involved in the book industry, either as authors, booksellers or in publishing. Do you have any insight into the book business from a green or mission driven perspective? Any advice on how to navigate the market?

A: Just some great examples from the North American marketplace: Berrett-Koehler (my publisher), New Society Publishers on Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Chelsea Green in Vermont, and Raincoast Books in Vancouver, British Columbia (my Canadian distributor).

Once again, it’s hard to be successful in business. It’s even harder to be successful in the book business. And harder still to be successful in the mission-driven book business. All the companies I’ve mentioned have great lists, great values, and inspiring stories.

Q: What has been the feedback for the book so far from the business community or from Bainbridge students and graduates?

I’ve gotten good feedback on the book from a lot of people who have read it. They find the stories inspiring and the insights useful. No millionaires to report yet, however.

The same is true at the Bainbridge Graduate Institute, where I serve as Dean of the MBA Program. Our program is providing adult students with an MBA in Sustainable Business that will give them a leg up on aligning their work with their values. We’re six years into the venture. Still no millionaires, but a lot of successful change agents in business.

Title: Getting to Scale: Growing Your Business Without Selling Out

Link: http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9781576754160

Author: Jill Bamburg

Swedish Publisher: Bookhouse Publishing

American Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Publication Date: August 1, 2006

Pages: 174 pages

Yours,
Eylon @ Eco-Libris

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

Green Options - Paper and Books: Tips from Xerox

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 April 17th on Ecopreneurist. Today's post include tips from the VP of Environment, Health and Safety at Xerox on how to green your office when it comes to printing, paper use, and the energy costs.

Most of my discussion last week with Patty Calkins, VP of Environment, Health, and Safety at Xerox, focused on her company's efforts in the realm of sustainable business... so, not necessarily "ecopreneurial" material. As "document management" is a concern for any business owner, small or large, I made sure to address entrepreneurial issues with her. Specifically, I gave her a scenario: I'm the owner of a green start-up, and want to implement as many sustainable practices as possible while watching costs. How do I balance these priorities in terms of printing, paper use, and the energy costs that come with them?

It turns out (fortuitously ... I didn't know this up front) that Xerox was planning to release a series of tips on this topic this week in anticipation of Earth Day. That information was released today:

• Cut paper use. Make two-sided prints and copies using the “duplex” function, print multiple images per page, and print only the quantity you need at the time you need it. Saving paper also saves energy: Environmental Protection Agency estimates say it takes 10 times more energy to manufacture a piece of paper than to create another print or copy.


• Recycle the paper you use, and use recycled paper. Install bins in several office locations to make it easy to collect paper for recycling or for reuse as notepaper. And commit to purchasing recycled paper – it can meet the same performance specifications as non-recycled paper.

Earth Day options for green readers

Happy Earth Day, everyone! This is very exciting - around the world hundreds of millions of people will take part in green celebrations and events, discussing concerns about environmental issues and making a pledge to pursue a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

And what's happening on our field of green reading? we collected some of the options offered today for all the eco-conscious readers out there:

Breeni Books - Sabrina Williams of Breeni Books (http://breenibooks.blogspot.com/) is posting today a review and article by the author for the book 'Go Green: How to Build an Earth-Friendly Community' by Nancy H. Taylor. There's also going to be a giveaway so check it out!

Island Press - Visit Island Press’s Earth Day page: http://www.islandpress.org/earthday. Island Press are an environmental nonprofit dedicated to bringing vital environmental issues to the public. They just launched a new website complete with podcast interviews featuring several of our authors discussing topics that include green building, climate change, animal migrations, environmental health, oceans, and animal conservation. Some of the podcasts include interviews with Bill McKibben and Jay Inslee discussing global warming, and Callum Roberts discussing the fate of the world’s oceans.

Cody's Books - Cody's books (http://www.codysbooks.com) is the latest bookstore that joined our bookstore program, where bookstores offer their customers the option to plant a tree and get our sticker at the counter. We are very proud to partner with this great independent bookstore, which was opened in 1956 and became throughout the years a Berkeley institution.

Cody's Books will host on Thursday, April 24 at 7:00 p.m. an event with author James Howard Kunstler, who visits the future in his book WORLD MADE BY HAND.

In his previous book, The Long Emergency, celebrated social commentator James Howard Kunstler explored the age of globalization, the availability of cheap fossil fuels, the perils of climate change, and the coming trauma of our post-oil future. With WORLD MADE BY HAND, an astonishing work of speculative fiction, Kunstler makes an imaginative leap into the future, a few decades hence.

For the townspeople of Union Grove, New York, the future is not what they thought it would be. After the catastrophes converged - the end of oil, climate change, global pandemics, and resource wars - they are doing whatever they can to get by. Transportation is slow and dangerous, so food is grown locally at great expense of time and energy, and the outside world is largely unknown. There may be a president and he may be in Minneapolis now, but people aren't sure. A captivating, utterly realistic novel, WORLD MADE BY HAND takes speculative fiction beyond the apocalypse and shows what happens when life gets extremely local.

Store's address: 2201 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley CA 94704 (Phone: 510-559-9500)

Raincoast Books - our joint campaign with Raincoast books is still going on and you are welcome to check any of the 80 Canadian retailers who are participating and selling a wide range of environmentally themed books emblazoned with Eco-Libris stickers. The list of participating independent bookstores, located from cost-to-coast, is available on this page - http://raincoast.com/green/. Te bookstores have purchased over 4,500 specially stickered books and hence over 4,500 trees will be planted on behalf of Canadian readers.

Bookmooch - today is the last day of our green books promotion with BookMooch, and the book introduced today is 'Big Green Purse' of Diane MacEachern. You can find more details on the promotion and the nine green books that take part in it on bookmooch blog.

Swaptree - In honor of Earth Day this Tuesday, Swaptree.com (http://www.swaptree.com/), the website where you can trade the books, DVDs, CDs, and video games you have, for the ones you want, for free, will be donating $1 dollar for every trade made on Earth Day to The Sierra Club. So if getting a free book, DVD, video game or CD was not enough, now by signing up and doing a trade, you will also be donating to America’s oldest and largest environmental organization on Swaptree’s dime!

Whatever you choose to do today, have a green and wonderful Earth Day!
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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