Monday's green books series: Templeton Turtle Goes Exploring (+ free book giveaway)

Today our hero is a young turtle named Templeton. He's young, curious and looking for adventures. He is also the main character in the new children book 'Templeton Turtle Goes Exploring' by Ron Pridmore and Michele-lee Phelan.

I always liked turtles. I didn't have one as a child, but I always admired them when I accidentally found one in the fields, hiding in their shells from the outside world. Our guy, Templeton, is the total opposite: he was just born and is already looking to explore the neighbourhood, which is the big pond in his case.

Templeton is interested in getting to know better the big pond and in making new friends. The story follows his journey around the pond and his encounters with other animals there. I don't want to talk much about the journey, not to ruin it for those who want to read the story. Nevertheless, I can assure you that the journey is full with excitement, joy, disappointment, friendship, fun and all the other great stuff adventures are made of.

The book has an interesting story behind it. Author Ron Pridmore, who grew up in the countryside of California where his love for the outdoors was developed, had one night a dream about a newly-hatched turtle. The next morning, as he recounted the events in his dream, Pridmore grabbed a cup of coffee and quickly wrote down the vivid image and story that filled his head and the story was born.

One part that makes it a great book for children (it's for 4-8 year old kids) is the beautiful illustrations made by the Australian artist Michele-lee Phelan, who has painted the covers of several fantasy novels and is working on her first art book. She did a beautiful job here with the wild animals and especially with our friend Templeton!

If you're asking what's green about this book, my answer would be that this is a story that encourages children to go outdoors, connect with nature, explore it, be curious about their surroundings and leave their computer and room once in a while to see what's going on outside. I believe the connection with nature and the appreciation of wildlife and outdoors are very important for children and have a significant part in their early green/environmental education.

This book also adds the part about the importance of community, which is great and above all it's a fun story, so I'm sure kids would love Templeton and will look forward to have exciting adventures at least like the one he has on the book.

Title: 'Templeton Turtle Goes Exploring'

Author: Ron Pridmore

Illustrator: Michele-lee Phelan

Publisher: Bridgeway Books

Published: July 2008

Pages: 32

GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY

As usual, we will give away our review copy. And of course we'll also plant a tree for this copy and send it to the lucky winner with our "One tree planted for this book" sticker.

How to win? Simply – write a comment below, suggesting another good idea how to connect children to nature and make them excited about the outdoors at least as Templeton is. Good luck :)

Submissions are accepted until Saturday, August 2nd, 12PM EST. The winner will be announced the following day.

Yours,
Raz@ Eco-Libris

Plant a Tree for every Book you Read!

Paranoia is going green with Eco-Libris

I'm happy to announce on another collaboration of Eco-Libris with an author. John author of the new book 'Paranoia' will plant a tree with us for every book sold at his upcoming book signing at The Book Bin, 725 Arnold Ave., Point Pleasant Beach, NJ on 8/9 at Noon.

All buyers of the book at the event will also receive with the book our sticker saying "One tree planted for this book". Also, 10% of Profit from sales of the book will be donated to the Twin Towers Orphan Fund (http://www.ttof.org/)

It's definitely a unique story, as you can see from its description:

Jim went to work on September 11, 2001, thinking that it was going to be another boring day. But then the towers came crashing down, and he, like many of us, lost his ability to live without fear and prejudice. Now, years later, Jim is still suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He’s haunted by the death of his mother, who was buried in the rubble of 9/11, and the departure of his wife and son, who could no longer deal with his inability to move on.

Living on his aunt’s farm in Colorado, Jim tries to find peace, but he keeps remembering the evil deeds of the past. And it’s not just the terrorists who are culpable. After the attacks, Jim became so paranoid that he joined an anti-Muslim group, and he participated in unspeakable acts of violence. Jim sees a psychiatrist in his effort to fend off the demons from his past. He does his best to remember what once made life so beautiful: his wife, his son, and the ability to live without fear.

In Paranoia, one man struggles to cope in a new world defined by terrorism in hopes of recovering what made his life worth living in the first place.

An excerpt can be found at http://allthesebooks.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=468

Publisher: iUniverse, Inc

Publishing date: January 30, 2008

About the author:
J. E. Braun graduated from Trenton State College with a degree in literature. Along with countless others, he was devastated by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and he felt compelled to write about how life changes after such an event. A happily married father of two, he is a lifelong resident of New Jersey. This is his first novel.

More links:
A detailed profile of John Braun
An interview with John at BookHuntersBlog.com
John's blog: http://jebraun.blogspot.com/
John's Myspace page: www.myspace.com/jebraun

Where you can find the book?

Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble

So don't miss the signing event at The Book Bin, 725 Arnold Ave., Point Pleasant Beach, NJ on August 9 at Noon.

And finally, this book even has a trailer! You're welcome to watch it right here:



Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

Businesses saving paper, trees and money

Saving paper = Saving trees = Saving money. This equation is maybe one of the clearest examples of how going green will benefit not only the environment, but also your bottom line. More and more businesses understand this equation and try to act accordingly. This week I was happy to read about two more examples:

1. Environmental Leader reported earlier this week that the leading UK food retailer Sainsbury’s has won the European Retail Solutions Best Green IT Initiative Award 2008 for using simultaneous two-sided thermal receipt printers from NCR Corporation in its store checkouts.

Here are more details from NCR news release:

Last year Sainsbury’s became the first European retailer to start using the new printers, which use over 40 percent less paper. Printing on both sides of the receipt simultaneously not only saves paper, but also the energy associated with producing and transporting it. Fewer stoppages are required for paper roll changes. Further, because receipts are shorter, they take less time to print, which means consumers get through checkouts even faster and leave with a more manageable receipt.

Sainsbury’s has received such a positive response from customers and staff that it has more than doubled its order for the new printers from NCR. By the end of 2008, consumers will be receiving the two-sided receipts from 7,000 checkouts in approximately half of Sainsbury’s 823 stores nationwide. This will result in a savings of 502,000 paper rolls per year – cutting receipt paper usage at the retailer by around two-fifths.

The NCR two-sided printer consumes less power than other well known, single-sided receipt printer brands. Sainsbury’s plans to install the printers in the rest of its stores over the next two years. This will play a role in helping the retailer achieve its new target to reduce carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2012.

Kudos to Sainsbury’s for this initiative. I think that receipts are pretty wasteful - you receive a piece of paper, which many times you don't really need and you don't keep. This is especially true in supermarkets, where you may only look for few seconds in the receipt after completing your purchase and then you'll probably throw it away (hopefully to a recycling bin..).

Maybe the next step can be to provide people with incentive not to print a receipt at all, by giving them 5 cents or 10 cents discount, just like many supermarkets do to encourage the usage of reusable bags. I'm sure such an incentive will save A LOT of paper rolls. I hope someone at Sainsbury's or any other big retailer will give it a shot.

2. Our friend, author Michael Kleiner, updated us with the ongoing effort of Citibank to encourage customers switch to paperless electronic statements. The bank provide its customers with a great incentive: "enroll in Paperless Statements today and Citi will plant a tree on your behalf."

And it works. Citi reports that it has planted 1 million trees with the Arbor Day Foundation so far! In this case it's a win-win-win deal as I'm sure most customers find it less annoying to view their statement online than receiving it by mail (at least I do..). It's true that this way you use the computer and consume more energy to read your statement, but still my guestimation is that it's more eco-friendly to read the statement online.

Citi is not the only bank encouraging its customers to go paperless. Washington Mutual, for example, has a similar initiative. More banks realize that paperless statements are good for business, and not only because they save costs, but also because customers appreciate such initiatives and it also generates value to the bank's reputation. So it's definitely a natural step to any bank that wants to enjoy both reduction in costs and happy customers, not to mention the many happy trees it helps to keep alive :-)

Hope to hear more good news like these ones every week!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

'Planet Earth Gets Well' is going green with Eco-Libris!

We are always happy to collaborate with authors and especially with an author of a book with such an optimistic title: 'Planet Earth Gets Well'.

The author of the book, Madeline Kaplan, is working now with Eco-Libris to green up this wonderful green children's book. A tree will be planted for every copy sold at the book signing events and at other promotional sales. Readers who will buy the book on these events will also receive our sticker with their book, saying "One tree planted for this book".

So what is this book all about? well, here a short description from the publisher's website (next week you're promised to have a full review and a give away of one copy!):

Readers of all ages will delight in this earthy and wildly fun children's tale that has a big message on the importance of environmental awareness. Moving, vast, and refreshingly candid, Planet Earth Gets Well by new author Madeline Kaplan helps young readers think proactively about their environment and pinpoints how to initiate meaningful change in order to make Planet Earth a healthier place.

When Planet Earth gets the sniffles, Mother Nature challenges each of us to retract our gluttonous ways. She instructs the Planet Earth to take better care of himself which means all humans must make big changes about key issues like global warming, the melting of polar ice caps, deforestation and energy depletion. Once Planet Earth sneezes, Mother Nature listens and helps each and every one of us learn how to be good to our dear, old friend.

This educational reader is wholly unique in the ways that matter-think globally, think green, and act accordingly!

Book details:

Author: Madeline Kaplan

Madeline Kaplan holds a B.A. in English literature and an M.B.A from Baruch College. She has published various business articles, but her three grandchildren inspired the writing of Planet Earth Gets Well, her first children's book. She lives with her husband in New York and Connecticut.

Illustrator: Taillefer Long
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing
Publication Date: April 20, 2008

We are very happy to work with Madeline Kaplan on a book that promotes responsibility and have a positive message that parents can pass onto their children. I hope that the book will inspire both parents and children to go green, especially now when it work with Eco-Libris to green it up! You can find the book on Amazon.com.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

Who's on Plenty Magazine's state-by-state guide to green hotspots?

I always look for a good green guide whenever I am going somewhere so to learn what green hotspots I can visit. Actually, I'm still waiting for the guide that we'll give me updated info on the green places in Chicago, Miami or any other of the major big cities. In the meantime, Plenty Magazine offers its version of state-by-state guide to green hotspots.

Kimberly Fusaro and Madhu Puri brings you several dozen of our favorite spots around the United States, showing you that you don't have to venture far from home to find eco-friendly places to eat, shop, and play.

I was happy to find new recommendations on places I didn't know about. I also found two bookstores on the guide, including our friends at Doylestown Bookshop in Pennsylvania that are taking part in our bookstores program, which also got a mention! (the other one is the Lower East Side Girls Club Fair Trade Gift Shop and Book Store) Here's what's written about Doylestown Bookshop:

Big, bad independent bookstore. Partner with Eco-Libris, which plants trees for books. 16 S. Main St., Doylestown, PA. 215-230-7610; doylestownbookshop.com

So you're welcome to check this guide, add your own recommendations at the end and of course visit and enjoy these great green hotspots. And if you know of any other good green local guides, please feel free to share it with us!

Yours,

Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

Green Options: Is It Green?

As part of Eco-Libris' ongoing content partnership with Green Options Media, we feature a post that was originally published by Jake Kulju on July 16 on EcoLocalizer. Today's post is about a great new green website that provides a unique local service.

Rather, IzzitGreen.com, the new Boston-based web site is asking that question all over the city. Regular columns, reviews and business spotlights give information about how green the places Bostonians frequent really are.

Users can search for businesses by name, or they can search neighborhoods for businesses that are on IzzitGreen's green list. One of the web site's most helpful aspects is its "Guides" page. From pizza places to used bookstores, IzzitGreen posts information about the percentage of green businesses there are in each category, where you can find the ones that are green, and they go for the dirty details...or clean in this case.

For example, if you own a business in Boston, chances are that IzzitGreen has found out what kind of lightbulbs you use, whether or not you recycle any of the materials your business or your employers use and will have a comment on what working conditions are like. And that's just the beginning of the list.

A lively discussion forum will soon be debuting on the site. For now, all registered users are listed under the People section with varying levels of contact information.

Monday's green books series: Paper Trails: From Trees to Trash - The True Cost of Paper

Our book this week on Monday's green books will take you on a trail that we find one of the most interesting and significant ones in our life: the paper trail.

Our book for today is:

Paper Trails: From Trees to Trash - The True Cost of Paper

Author: Mandy Haggith

Mandy Haggith is a freelance writer, researcher and activist. She has spent the past decade campaigning for the world’s forests, including lobbying at the United Nations, working as a consultant for Greenpeace and WWF and writing articles for Pulp and Paper International and Resurgence magazine.

Publisher: Virgin Books

Published on: July 3, 2008

What it is about (from the publisher's website): Paper charts the course of our lives, from the medical sheets in maternity wards to our death certificates. We write on it, package things in it, use it as currency and blow our noses on it. Yet our dependence on this seemingly ‘green’ product is damaging our planet and creating mountains of unnecessary waste.

Join Mandy Haggith on a journey to the heart of the global paper industry, travelling from the pristine forests and managed plantations of Canada, Russia and Indonesia to the pulp mills and paper factories of China and Britain, and the end users in businesses, governments, schools and homes throughout the world.

Pursuing the paper trail from forest to landfill, she uncovers the origins, multiple uses and disposal of this everyday product and gives a fascinating new perspective on the paper industry’s dirtiest secrets, from environmental devastation to human rights abuses. You’ll discover the truth about the paper we use every day and the simple, practical steps you can take to minimise your own paper trail.

Why you should get it:
Mandy Haggith took on herself a very important quest: connecting the dots. She wants to get people to better understand the connection between the paper we use and its origins - forests, many of them ancient and endangered ones.

In a way, our perception of paper today is very similar to the perception of cigarettes 30-40 years ago, when people didn't know the consequences of smoking and saw it as a habit and natural part of their life. Hence, I see Hagith like the people who made the connection between cigarettes and cancer publicly known.

It's not that we don't know that paper come from trees. That's not the problem. The problem is that many don't have the full picture in front of them and that's where Haggith's book tries to fill in the void, providing readers with ALL the information about the way the paper do before it gets to your printer or the copy machine at the office.

I believe the importance of the book stems from three main factors:

1. Her research is not based only on reading books at the library and sitting in front of the computer, but mainly on the journeys to forests all over the world, from China and Russia to Canada and Indonesia. I think that her research and activism capabilities create the perfect match for such a mission.

2. It brings many facts and helps to clarify misconceptions and false perceptions people and businesses have which influence the way they think and act. She explained one example to the Independent lately: "No one likes to think of trees being felled, but many of us have a cosy image in our heads that it all comes from recycling or "sustainable" woodlands growing in neat rows, perhaps somewhere in Sweden. It's a myth. Globally, 70 per cent of the 335 million tons of paper the world uses each year comes from natural, un-farmed sources. In Canada, the UK's biggest source of pulp, 90 per cent of its output comes directly from its ancient forests."

3. Haggith not only present the problem, but also solutions, from reducing the usage of paper as whole to increasing the usage of recycled paper. And the bottom line is optimistic - we can change our habits and get over the long addiction to virgin paper.

In Eco-Libris we deal with these issues on daily basis in our fight to make reading more sustainable, and therefore I think it's great to have a book such as this one that can become an important tool in the long fight to reduce impacts of paper production and make sure that we can enjoy the advantages of paper without destroying our forests.

If you're looking for other interesting green books, you are invited to check out our green books page on our website's green resources section.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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