Looking for an affordable green birthday gift?

What's the connection between action movie star Vin Diesel, British entrepreneur Richard Branson, film director Paul Verhoeven and the Nelson Mandela?

They were all born on July 18! If you're also celebrating your birthday today - happy birthday to you too!

We love birthdays and therefore we're happy to remind you of the option to celebrate a birthday of friends, family members, colleagues and anyone you care about with Eco-Libris!

Eco-Libris is offering you now to plant trees to balance out the books of your loved ones who celebrate their birthday. Not only that new trees will be planted to balance out their books, but they will also receive our stickers with a beautiful birthday card made of recycled paper. And we also try to keep it affordable - the added charge for the birthday card is only $1.5.

All you need to do is to choose how many of the birthday person's books you want to balance out on our special birthday gift page (http://www.ecolibris.net/birthday.asp), change the shipping address on the payment page to the address of the gift receiver and we will take care of the rest!

This is also a great green add-on if you're buying a book as a gift for the birthday person, especially if you're buying her or him a green book.

The birthday cards we send are made by Doodle Greetings (see picture above of one of their cards). Not only these cards come with a beautiful design, but they are also eco-friendly - printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper and are made chlorine-free and acid free. Sounds like a good fit with Eco-Libris stickers!

And of course, if it's your birthday and you want to give yourself a green gift - get yourself a nice green book and plant a tree for it with us!

Happy Birthday!
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

My Summer Reading with Edain Duguay of Wyrdwood Publications

This week on our series My Summer Reading we are happy to host Edain Duguay of Wyrdwood Publications.

Wyrdwood Publications is a publisher that works solely online and specializes in the publishing of Pagan and Heathen eBooks. As part of their commitment to the environment, Wyrdwood Publications will plant a tree with Eco-Libris for every 'Green Leaves' eBook sold, such as "The Witches' Course Book", "The Mouse in the Viking's Beard" and "Pagans on the Wildside: Campfire Cooking".

Hi Edain, what are you reading now?
Eldest by Christopher Paolini, True Hearth by James Allen Chisholm and A City Herbal by Maida Silverman.

Any recommendation on a good summer reading?

I would recommend re-reading something you really enjoyed, an old favourite that you like to revisit now and again.

What you are planning to read this summer?
I will be re-reading my old, favourite series again - Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel.

What is your favorite place to read in the summer?
Under a tree, in the shade and preferably by the sound of water running. Perfection!

Thanks Edain!

So far on My Summer Reading series:

Christian Valentiner of the Norwegian publisher Flux

Avrim Topel, co-author of 'My Green Beginnings'

Tania Hershman, author of 'The White Road and Other Stories'

Elisabeth Baines, author of the upcoming book 'Too Many Magpie'

Erica Caldwell of the bookstore Present Tense

Sue Schrader of the bookstore Sources of Hope

Jennifer Taylor of GreetQ

Kathleen Wilson, author of "Rumer & Qix"

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green reading

Green book review week - part 4: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Greening Your Business

Book no. 4 on the green book review week is a guide that should be on the bookshelf in your office and maybe even on your boss' desk (or your desk if you're the boss..).

Our book today is:

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Greening Your Business

Authors: Trish Riley and Heather Gadonniex

Trish Riley is an award-winning environmental journalist and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Green Living as well as articles in many publications, including Hemispheres, Audubon Magazine and the Miami Herald.

Heather Gadonniex is the co-founder of Green It Group, a sustainability advisory firm focusing on sustainable business strategy and implementation, green building, and environmental marketing.

Publisher: Alpha

Published on: June 2009

What this book is about? (from the the book's Amazon webpage) Businesses are always looking to increase their profitability and market share. With rising costs of fuel and consumers targeting environmentally-responsible companies to patronize, businesses have jumped on the green initiative and reaped the financial benefits. The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Greening Your Business provides the most up-to-date, concrete, and practical steps for readers to follow to get rich by going green.

What we think about it?
I like the Complete Idiot's Guide series - these are very practical guides that provide you in a structured and user-friendly way with the basic important information you need to whatever green topic they're covering. And this book is no different. It is practical, structured, informative and easy to understand.

This guide deals not only with the 'how' but also with the 'why' and makes an effort to explain in detail the business case of greening your business, both in general and with specific issues such as your office systems or shipping.

I liked the way it helps to clarify complex concepts such as sustainability, carbon offsetting, life cycle assessment and so on. It is very helpful that it is covering every element in the business - from HR to marketing. Still, you have to remember that this book is similar to an introduction course, so for example, when we look at paper usage, we find basic tips such as using recycled paper or printing on both sides, but if you want to further explore this topic, you need to look for further resources (like this article of Neil Tilley) to learn more.

Bottom Line: No matter if you're a business owner or an employee who wants to help greening up your business, this guide a good book to start with. It's practical tips, structure and understanding how real-life business works make it a valuable resource.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green reading

Can barcodes become the secret weapon against illegal logging?

As strange as it sounds, there's a good chance it might happen with a new technology provided by the British company Helveta.

According to an article on Reuters, the company has put already barcodes (yes, just like the ones you have in supermarkets, only in plastic bags) on about million trees across Africa, southeast Asia and South America.

Patrick Newton, Helveta's chief executive officer told Reuters that the computerized system is less prone to fraud than traditional paper records, carries live data and can help governments to collect more timber taxes, Newton said.

How does it work exactly? watch this piece on BBC Oxford News for the details:



In all the barcodes can't prevent criminals from chopping down trees, but the system's promise is to make it hard for them to process, sell or export the wood.

Can this system stop illegal logging? On one side, this "industry" is too lucrative to be stopped only by one measure. Usually innovative solutions against theft generates more innovations on the other side and creates more sophisticated thieves. BUT on the other side, not only this is a much better and secure system than the current paper-based system, it will also make illegal logging more expensive and difficult.

Hence my guestimation is it will become a powerful tool that can decrease illegal logging, and even more it will bring more technology and further innovation into the fight in illegal logging, which will be crucial in winning this fight.

What do you think? I'll be happy to hear your thoughts about it.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green publishing

Green book review week - part 3: A Conservationist Manifesto

Our third book on the green book review week is a very unique book that reminds us of the thing we tend to forget so easily such as the responsibilities we bear for the well-being of future generations. Actually as you'll find out, it's a manifesto.

Our book today is:

A Conservationist Manifesto

Author: Scott Russel Sanders
Scott Russell Sanders, Distinguished Professor of English at Indiana University Bloomington, is the author of 20 books of fiction and nonfiction, including Writing from the Center (IUP, 1995), Hunting for Hope, and A Private History of Awe. Sanders is winner of the Lannan Literary Award, John Burroughs Essay Award for Natural History, AWP Award in Creative Nonfiction, and the 2009 Mark Twain Award. He lives in Bloomington, Indiana.
Publisher: Indiana University Press

Published on: February 2009

What this book is about? (from the the author's website)

A Conservationist Manifesto was published on Earth Day, April 22, by Indiana University Press. The book addresses what I take to be the greatest challenge facing our society, which is to shift from a culture based on consumption to a culture based on caretaking.

What would a truly sustainable economy look like? What responsibilities do we bear for the well-being of future generations? What responsibilities do we bear toward Earth’s millions of other species? In a time of ecological calamity and widespread human suffering, how should we imagine a good life? A Conservationist Manifesto seeks answers to these pressing questions, and more, in writing that’s impelled by a sense of place and a sense of hope.

What we think about it?
This is a warning call, but unlike many others (for example "An Inconvenient Truth"), it's a very poetic one. The call is very much the same call about over-using natural resources and our destructive culture of consumption, but Sanders' writing is unique in the way he is corresponding with traditional American nature world writing of authors such as Henry Thoreau and John Muir, hence providing us with a powerful and unique message that stands out in what the author calls "our cultural cacophony".

His vision of harmony with nature, living more lightly, putting more focus on community and people and less on consumption is not a new recipe for happiness and better life, but his stories and his personal experience provide a fresh and interesting perspective to this belief.

This book is also in many ways the story of the home state of the author - Indiana, where he lives for almost 40 years. It's interesting not only to Indiana natives and residents, but also to anyone who is interested to better understand present conservation efforts, and not only in Indiana but everywhere, as this is a local story but there are many similar stories elsewhere where the lessons here can apply.

Bottom Line: If you're interested in human-nature relationship and/or the future of this planet, this small book that fit nicely into any bag, can be a good company to your next hiking trip or camping vacation.

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

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green reading

Green book review week - part 2: What Do You See?: A Lift-the-Flap Book About Endangered Animals

Our second book on the green book review week is an interactive board book that is both entertaining and educational. This is also the latest book on the Little Green Books series.

Our book today is:

What Do You See?: A Lift-the-Flap Book About Endangered Animals

Author: Stephen Krensky
Stephen Krensky has always had a soft spot for underdogs - even when they happen to be bunnies. He is the author of more than eighty books for children, including How Santa Got His Job (an ALA Notable Book) and Big Bad Wolves at School. He and his wife, Joan, live in Lexington, Massachusetts. You can visit him on the Internet at www.stephenkrensky.com

Illustrator: Amy Schimler
Amy Schimler is a children's illustrator and textile designer. You can see her illustration and textile design at www.amyschimler.com.

Reading level: 2-5

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Published on: June 2009

What this book is about? (from the the publisher's website)

I show up bright against the sky.
I swoop and swoosh and flutter by.
What can I be?
What do you see?

Stephen Krensky's clever rhyming text entices young readers to guess which endangered species is hiding beneath each flap! From a panda bear to a butterfly, each spread features text and die cuts which hint at the animal's identity, until finally it is revealed by lifting the flap! Composed of 100% recycled material, this playful and interactive new title is both entertaining and educational!

What we think about it?
This is the latest book on the Little Green Books series of Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing. This is a great series of books, which includes books with green themes that are also made from recycled materials.

So let's start here with the materials - this is a board book and it's made from 100% recycled materials. This is a good start as we love books that walk the talk and demonstrate their commitment to the environment, especially when these are books for kids.

I liked also the fact that it's an interactive book that tries to get little kids to know endangered species in a fun way which they can easily relate to. The only danger is when your kid is too eager to find out the hidden animal and totally rip off the flip.

Amy Schimler's illustrations are beautiful and are a good fit with Stephen Krensky's witty rhyming. At the back cover of the book, the kids (and the parents) can find invitation to visit the Little Green Books' website, which provides further eco-friendly tips, games and activities. Reading the book with your kid and then visiting the website can be a great way to introduce your little one to the green world in a fun, but still educational way.

Bottom Line: We are collaborating with Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, so I might not be objective. Nevertheless, I read it together with my little baby girl (13 months) and we had a lot of fun! She might be a bit too young for this book, but she still enjoyed it very much and we even managed to keep the book in one piece!

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!

We're giving away one copy of the book, courtesy of the publisher, and of course a tree will be planted for the copy!

How you can win? please add a comment below with an answer to this question: what's yours (or your kid's) favorite animal? Submissions are accepted until Tuesday, July 21, 12PM EST. The winner will be announced the following day.

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

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green reading

Green printing tip #6: Is Spot Color printing environmentally friendly?

It's Tuesday and it means it's time for another valuable tip on our weekly series of green printing tips, where we bring you in collaboration with Greg Barber, an experienced eco-friendly printer.

Today Greg is discussing offset printing in general and color printing specifically.

Is Spot Color printing environmentally friendly?

Tip #6

Yes. Custom Pantone®, Spot Color Printing, uses significantly less paper, ink, solvents, and energy, compared to normal four color offset printing. We use vegetable based inks, consisting of Soya, Chinawood and Linseed , which are all renewable products.

Our inks are manufactured locally, without lead, cadmium, mercury, or hexavalent chromium compounds.

While many printing jobs are created in CMYK (4 colors), many traditional clients want their specific corporate pantone color(s). Many of our clients feel that offset printing is better than digital and would never change.

Offset printing leaves a flater color, or no extra shine, than digital printing. That is important to many clients. Offset printing is easier to keep consistent, run to run, as we keep the pantone ink for each client. So, we feel our offset department will continue to be busy, and environmental.

If you have any further questions following our tips, or you have a specific question you want us to address, please email us to info@ecolibris.net .

More green printing tips:

Green Printing Tip #5 - How to avoid being greenwashed when buying printing services?

Green Printing Tip #4 - What does FSC Certified mean? Is it enough?

Green Printing Tip #3 - How you make sure everyone knows you're using green printing practices

Green Printing Tip #2 - How you can make money while printing on 100% recycled paper

Green Printing Tip #1 - Go for a digital job

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

All the tips are archived and saved on http://www.ecolibris.net/greentips.asp (part of our green printing tools & resources page).

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