Recommended book on Kickstarter: Yeti Leaves Home

Kickstarter is a great place to fund interesting new products and projects, including books. Great books. So we decided we want to help spread the word on book projects we like on Kickstarter and every weekend we'll share one with you.

Today's Kickstarter book is Yeti Leaves Home, a children's book on a Yeti leaving home by by Jennifer Campbell & Troy Harris.

Goal: $5,000

Pledged so far: $1,227 (32 backers)

Still missing: $3,773

Days left: 28 days (until April 1)

Here's a description of the project:

What’s the project low-down?

Yeti Leaves Home” is a self-published, hand-illustrated storybook. It is a book for kids, adult versions of kids, and parents to read to their kids.

At some point in our lives, the place and people we grew up with are not ours to call home anymore. “Yeti Leaves Home” tells the tale of one young Yeti's travels, as he sets out to make a new home for himself. The book also relates to those moments in children’s lives when the act of growing up requires their independence and confidence. Join Yeti through his many trials and triumphs and share the joy of all the friends he meets along the way. Will Yeti find a place to call his own?

Why do you need my pledge?

Donations for this project will be put towards the printing costs of the book. $4000 of the Kickstarter funds raised will go towards a beautiful, full-color, hardbound, square format book printed on high-quality matte paper. The remainder of the budget will go towards production, packaging and shipping of the rewards to our supporters!

The Story So Far

The book is halfway done! The original illustrations from the book will be exhibited at Practical Art Gallery in Phoenix, Arizona for the month of May. It is our goal to have the book printed in time for the opening reception on Friday May 11th 2012.

Last week's Kickstarter recommendation - Ballad of a Bottom Feeder- A love story

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

Paige Wolf, author of Spit That Out! is going on a mini book tour!

Spit That Out!, a book by Paige Wolf is one of my favorite books. Not only a tree is planted with Eco-Libris for each sold copy, but it is also a valuable book with great advice to parents, or as Babble.com described it - a must read for eco-concerned parents.

And now the author Paige Wolf is having a mini book tour, which is a great opportunity to meet her and learn more about the book and get a signed copy if you live in or nearby Philly, NY or Spring Lake Heights, N.J.

Here are more details on the upcoming book tour from the author Paige Wolf:

March is shaping up to be a mini-book tour for Spit That Out! As I visit a few wonderful places in Philly, New Jersey, and New York. First, I'll be speaking to Philly Mompreneurs March 1st, at 7:30 p.m., at Ali's Wagon, 2017 Fairmount Ave. I'm honored to be a part of the Eat, Drink and Be Mommy series at the Museum of Motherhood in New York City. On Friday, March 2 from 1-3p.m., I'll be signing books at this groundbreaking new space with a mission to support and celebrate all mothers.

I'll also be doing a book signing at Nature's Corner in Spring Lake Heights, N.J. on Sunday, March 25, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you live near Monmouth County, this is a great opportunity to check out this amazing natural foods market.

Paige Wolf, Green Living Expert Media Reel from paige wolf on Vimeo.

For more details on the book please visit http://www.spitthatoutthebook.com/buy.php

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

Top 100 book apps: Chimps Should Be Chimps Storybook

We believe in the digital future of books as a way to reduce eventually the footprint of books, which means we also believe in apps. Book apps are integral part of the digital age of books and we want to share with you some great book apps we find and thus we are assembling a list of the top 100 book apps.

In order to get into our list apps need to both book/ebook related and affordable - we choose only apps that are either free or cost less than $2.

So every week we update you with a new app on out list of top book apps. Today we're happy to introduce you a special app for kids that comes directly from the zoo!

Our app today is Chimps Should Be Chimps by the Lincoln Park Zoo’s Project ChimpCARE and Manning Productions. This app is for iPad and is free.

Here are more details about the Chimps Should Be Chimps Storybook app:

Chimps Should Be Chimps is a FREE iPad interactive storybook presented by Lincoln Park Zoo’s Project ChimpCARE and Manning Productions. Check out the trailer and behind-the-scenes videos at www.chimpsshouldbechimps.com.

Meet Poe and Lulu, the zoo’s oldest chimp and his granddaughter. Curious Lulu knows Poe didn’t always live in the zoo -- what was life like when he was a tyke? As Poe traces his history, he reveals the hidden hardships of his childhood in entertainment and shares the joy he finds in his new home. The story celebrates the delights of swinging, climbing trees, being with family, and following Poe’s motto: above all, chimps should be chimps.

Features include:
⋆ Explore 16 vibrant, full-page illustrations and a rich, rhyming story
⋆ Tap to uncover secret surprises and sound effects
⋆ Collect all ten Chimp Facts hidden inside the zoo
⋆ Jump straight to your favorite scene from the “Pick a Page” menu
⋆ View the full collection of Chimp Facts at a glance
⋆ Learn more about Project ChimpCARE and the story’s background in “About the App”

Visit www.chimpsshouldbechimps.com to watch videos, learn more about Project ChimpCARE, read our behind-the-scenes blog, or contact us with questions or support requests.

The Story Behind the Story:

Chimps Should Be Chimps is intended to entertain, engage and educate. Recent studies show that seeing chimps dressed up for movies and advertisements gives people the wrong impression that wild chimpanzee populations are healthy and safe. To make matters worse, chimpanzee “actors” are often separated from their mothers at a young age, mistreated on set and abandoned once they are too old to control. Our primary goal is to raise awareness of the problematic issues surrounding chimpanzees in entertainment. We hope to explore these complex issues in an age-appropriate way while shaping a lifelong respect for these fascinating, endangered animals.

“The inspiration from the book came from trying to talk to my own kids about chimpanzees. The story aims to relate how chimpanzees deserve to be free from these antiquated practices of being dressed up for human amusement. But perhaps just as importantly, it conveys to kids the importance of being yourself and believing in what comes naturally to you.”
-- Steve Ross, Director of Project ChimpCARE

Please note that Chimps Should Be Chimps is designed as a read-aloud experience for parents and children to share. Read-to-Me mode is not available at this time.

Last book app - Free Books

You can check top 100 book apps at http://www.ecolibris.net/bookapps.asp. As you'll see, this list is in work, but we promise to update it every week until we'll have all 100 book apps.

You're also welcome to check our list of 100 green apps.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

Fast Company magazine is sharing its experience in moving to recycled paper

Fast Company apparently is now not only one of the most interesting business magazines, but also a greener magazine, using recycled paper (yes, they're still printing the magazine...).

Here's an interesting video clip with Fast Company's Managing Editor, Allegra Lagani, who shares how Fast Company transitioned to recycled paper and the obstacles and opportunities she discovered during this journey.



Here are some more details from Better Paper Project:

Allegra commented, "Sustainability is one of the core areas that Fast Company focuses on, so in order to practice what we preach, we need to use recycled paper." Their decision to use recycled paper sets Fast Company apart from over 97% of the magazine industry that still uses virgin paper.

The process of switching to recycled paper taught Fast Company that the myths about recycled paper being lower quality than virgin paper are no longer true. As Allegra said, "I think a lot of the limitations are from years ago before the world of recycled paper had been explored."

Frank Locantore, the Director of Green America's Better Paper Project said, "Fast Company sets a terrific example for the rest of the magazine industry. Sustainable publishing is an integral part of twenty-first century publishing."

If the entire North American magazine industry included a minimum of 30 percent post-consumer recycled paper in their publications, we would save over 10 million trees, 7 billion gallons of wastewater and over 1.5 billion pounds of CO2 (the equivalent of removing over 160,000 cars from the road).

"Fast Company: Obstacles and Opportunities" is an excellent resource for publishing industry executives to learn how major titles, like Fast Company, have overcome minor obstacles in order to use recycled paper and distinguish itself as a responsible and sustainable publication.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

5 Best Tips to Make Green Office

Guest column by Rubela Jhonnie.

There has been a lot of hoopla around sustainable living lately. To give a push to this eco friendly drive, one must adopt green living diktats on a larger scale. This can be done by taking on green living fundamentals not only at home but also in office. Countless items such as newspapers, magazines, tissues, cartons, eatables and cutlery are used in offices daily along with resources like water and energy. A few tricks to pare down excessive usage of consumables in offices are given below.

1. Cut back on paper consumption

There are so many ways to economize the use of paper in offices. Recycle stacks of newspapers, magazines and official documents or give them out to a charity. Make new objects like dustbins or table mats from them. To minimize the scores of printouts taken, read from soft copies as far as possible. If you cannot do without a printout, then take it on both sides of the sheet and choose a smaller font size so that lesser amount of paper is utilized.

2. Green tagged supplies

Buy clean and green products for your office. Chuck the disposable cups for ceramic ones and avoid drinking bottled water to reduce the amount of litter generated. Soaps and cleaning products should be biodegradable and free of chemicals. Office paraphernalia like pens, pencils, envelopes, printer cartridges and folders should be purchased from companies selling eco friendly merchandise. Even tea, coffee, biscuits, chips and other victuals for offices should be purchased from companies vending organic and Fair Trade certified eatables. Try to procure office supplies in bulk to reduce packaging and waste created during shipping.

3. Eco-chic layout

Go green while furnishing your office by doing up the place with chairs, desks, conference tables and drapes made from recycled and reclaimed material. Buy second hand furniture from thrift stores. Bulbs burn up a lot of energy and should be swapped with energy saving gadgets like florescent lights and LEDs. Indoor plants, which can purify air, should be added in and around the office. Towels, table covers and coasters made from bamboo, jute or recycled cloths are a great pick.

4. Conserve resources

Make sure you do something about the oodles of water and energy used in offices. Unplug appliances like printers, scanners and microwaves that are not used all day. Tune energy saving settings on your computer and shut down the workstation when you are at a meeting, out for a lunch break or leaving for the day. Install large windows that keep the interiors well lit and airy to reduce dependence on lights and air conditioners. Do not leave taps running and fix all leaky faucets.

5. Green commute

There is no need to burn the fast depleting fossil fuels by driving your car to office everyday when you can opt for greener modes of transportation like public buses and trains. If your office is nearby then try biking or walking. If you have colleagues living nearby then try carpooling. Use a motorbike, hybrid auto or electric vehicle instead of your gas guzzling car.

People spend a lot of time at their offices; even more than they spend at home. Therefore, society just cannot do without embracing green living at the workplace. Expanding the green movement to offices is definitely a good thing for everyone.

About the author: Rubela is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on technology and luxury. Beside this she is fond of gadgets. Recently an article on cloud seeding attracted her attention. These days she is busy in writing an article on bathroom ideas.

Photo credit: Good

100 green apps - inBloom (Buy What You Believe In)

We are creating a list of the top 100 apps that will help you go green as part of our effort to promote a more sustainable lifestyle. Apps become an integral part of our life and a valuable tool and we believe we should also take advantage of them when it comes go greening up our life.

Every week we bring you a new app from the 100 green apps list, and today we're happy to introduce an app that helps you find organic, environmental, and sustainable businesses near your current location.

Our app is inBloom from Andy Ross and Eytan Oren. This app is for iPhone and iPad and is free.

Here are more details about inBloom App:
inBloom finds organic, environmental, and sustainable businesses near your current location. Just press the button to 'See Goodness Nearby' and get a list of positive businesses, with ratings, maps, and more.

This first version is built for NYC's five boroughs as well as members of Musician's Energy Conservation Alliance (MECA), with additional cities to be added throughout 2012.

The app can be easily customized for your specific dietary and eco preferences, and will show you the nearest businesses that are Organic, Locavore, Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Paleo friendly, Raw, and environmentally friendly. The app has hundreds of listings for restaurants, farmers markets, grocery stores, CSAs, green hotels, biodiesel and electric charging stations, green supply stores, clothing stores, and retail businesses powered by renewable energy. The information for each listing is extremely detailed, well-researched, and designed to help even the most discerning consumers.

inBloom is built by two musicians-- Andy Ross of OK Go and Eytan Oren of Eytan and The Embassy- who first started the project as a way of making it easier for bands to tour more sustainably.

inBloom App (NYC Edition) from inBloomApp on Vimeo.

You can check top 100 green apps at http://www.ecolibris.net/greenapps.asp. As you'll see, this list is in work, but we promise to update it every week until we'll have all 100 green apps.

Last week's green app - Locavore.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

A great animated version of Food Rules by Michael Pollan

Check out this great animation created by Marija Jacimovic in the context of the RSA/Nominet Trust film competition. If you liked it, please vote for us at thersa.org/film-competition!

"Food Rules" by Michael Pollan - RSA/Nominet Trust competition from Marija Jacimovic on Vimeo.

Here are more details about the animation:
Based on Michael Pollan's talk "Food Rules" given at the RSA, this animation was created in the context of the RSA/Nominet Trust film competition. Using a mixture of stop-motion and compositing, our aim and challenge was to convey the topic in a visually interesting way using a variety of different food products. We made a little table top set up at home and worked on this a little over three weeks.

Here are some photos of Food Rules in the making
flickr.com/photos/horror_vacui/sets/72157629336379435/

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Plant trees for your books!