Spit That Out! by Paige Wolf is going green with Eco-Libris!

We are happy to announce a new collaboration with Paige Wolf to plant a tree for every printed copy sold of her new book:

Spit That Out!: The Overly Informed Parent's Guide to Raising Children in the Age of Environmental Guilt

The author Paige Wolf is an SBN member just like Eco-Libris and we're very excited to partner with her on he first book! Not to mention that as a relatively new parent, I can definitely relate to the issues discussed in the book and find it greatly valuable!

Here are more details about Spit That Out!:

Have you ever stayed up all night scraping lead paint off the walls (only to realize you’ve just made the problem worse)? Googled every toy in the house to make sure they didn’t contain high levels of cadmium or lead? Searched every product in the cabinet for the mere mention of a paraben?

As a new mother, Paige Wolf has been committed to living an eco-friendly and healthy lifestyle. And as an advocate for green living and owner of an eco-friendly public relations company, it has been especially important for her to “walk the walk” and be especially conscious of her choices. But with the flood of constantly changing information, it can become an increasingly impossible task.

Spit That Out! The Overly Informed Parent’s Guide to Raising Children in the Age of Environmental Guilt answers the questions posed by mothers on the verge of a “green mom nervous breakdown.” Parents in the 21st century have to deal with myriad concerns and information overload, the likes of which past generations never imagined. In addition to the age-old daunting task of raising happy, healthy babies, we are constantly bombarded with new and contradictory research concerning environmental toxins, long-term product effects, and the far-reaching impact of every product we purchase and decision we make.

Spit That Out! turns to experts in pediatrics, environmental advocacy, science, holistic health, and humanitarianism to present facts, debunk myths, and help parents stay on a reasonable and responsible course without losing their minds. The mothers themselves also offer anecdotes and advice on staying sane in an ever-changing landscape of conscientious parenting. Chapters include “Green Mom Sanity Tips,” “Dollar-Savvy Sustainability Tips,” and “Parent-to-Parent Pointers” from real moms who have been in the trenches of eco-anxiety.

Real moms confess “eco-sins” and share solutions to everyday dilemmas. In addition to “everyday moms,” comedians, authors, and actresses like Tammy Pescatelli from NBC’s Last Comic Standing; Lisa Landry from Comedy Central's Standup Showdown; Sideways actress Alysia Reiner; Amy Wilson, actress and author of When Did I Get Like This?; Vicki Glembocki, author of The Second Nine Months; and Abby Sher, author of Amen, Amen, Amen: Memoir of a Girl Who Couldn't Stop Praying (Among Other Things) find humor in the journey from overwhelming madness to solace and sanity

Whether they are cloth-diapering, holistic mamas or moms who still can’t give up their designer duds, all modern mothers can relate to the desperation of wanting to do the best for their children — and feeling hopelessly overwhelmed in the process. Spit That Out! feeds an audience of mothers hungry for commiseration, direction, and relief.

Spit That Out! The Overly Informed Parent’s Guide to Raising Children in the Age of Environmental Guilt will be available on Amazon.com and select retailers.

Author: Paige Wolf
Paige Wolf Media & Public Relations, an award-winning, eco-friendly public relations firm offering communications services to a sustainable clientele. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, son, and American Hairless Terrier. Visit www.paigewolf.com and www.spitthatoutthebook.com.
You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Spit That Out! also participated in the Green Books Campaign last Wednesday and was reviewed by the blog shoutthelove.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Green Books Campaign: Co-opportunity by John Grant

This review is part of the Green Books campaign.Today 200 bloggers take a stand to support books printed in an eco-friendly manner by simultaneously publishing reviews of 200 books printed on recycled or FSC-certified paper. By turning a spotlight on books printed using eco- friendly paper, we hope to raise the awareness of book buyers and encourage everyone to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books.

The campaign is organized for the second time by Eco-Libris, a green company working to make reading more sustainable. We invite you to join the discussion on "green" books and support books printed in an eco-friendly manner! A full list of participating blogs and links to their reviews is available on Eco-Libris website.

The book we review on the Green Books campaign is:

Co-opportunity: Join Up for a Sustainable, Resilient, Prosperous World

Author: John Grant

John Grant was one of the co-founders of St Luke's (the socially aware London ad agency) and is the author of 4 previous bestselling books on new frontiers in marketing, media and innovation. John's sustainable marketing and innovation clients include (the UK Government) ACTONCO2, Cisco, The Co-operative Bank, The Design Council, The Guardian, innocent drinks, IKEA, ING, i-Team (a local government initiative), O2, Philips, The Royal Mail, SSE, Unilever. John is a prolific international speaker, writer, blogger, commentator and is an associate of Forum for the Future, Demos and an Observer Ethical Awards judge.

John Grant's blog is greenormal.

Publisher: Wiley

Published on: March 2010

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

John Grant is back! Bestselling author of Green Marketing Manifesto fame returns to get you involved in creating a sustainable future!

In this book, green business guru John Grant shows how we, when we join forces through co-operative initiatives, can really make changes and work towards a better future.

John uses cases and examples from around the world, from social networks to social ventures, Carrot Mobbing to the Carbon Disclosure Project, to show how a move to greater co-operation via what he calls Co-operative Networks can be a way forwards for all of us to increase the common well-being.

Arguing that a climate for change can be created by engaging rather than alienating people, John also demonstrates ways of ‘relocating dreams’ to allow us to reassess our desires and priorities.

Whether you are a business leader, politician, armchair economist, environmentalist or general interest reader, the inspiration and ideas John Grant provides in Co-Opportunity encourages us all to think again about our individual behaviour and our actions – our ideas of what it is to be human - and to get co-creating to build a better world for all. Sit back and watch, or become part of this grass roots new movement.

What we think about it?

Let me start by saying this is a brilliant book. I read many green- and sustainability- themed books and I find Co-opportunity one of the most important and mind provoking ones I've ever read.

In days where some environmentalists and just ordinary people are in despair as they read about the death of the cap and trade in Washington (was it ever alive?) and see the inability of governments to agree on a global platform for action, this book provides a moment or two of optimism.

John Grant is looking in a systematic way at the things in our life that we might take for granted but are broken and need to be fixed. And he suggests compelling arguments about the way we should fix it: together. His call for changes, as well as suggestions on how we can change both our mindset and behavior is far from being naive. On the contrary, he is very realistic and understands the limits and the compromises of real life. Still, armed with tons of interesting examples he is very convincing in getting you to believe that things can be different if we would only adopt the right approach.

I think this book is a great fit with the Green Books Campaign as this campaign is exactly the type of the many co-operative initiatives described in the book, and our hope is that the joint work of readers, authors, publishers, retailers and organizations that are involved in the campaign will help moving the book forward towards a more sustainable future.

This book is printed using acid free paper, responsibly manufactured from sustainable forestry in which at least two trees are planted for each one used for paper production.

Co-Opportunity for Sustainable Change - John Grant from Sustainable Brands on Vimeo.

Disclosure: We received a copy of this book from the publisher.

If you're looking for other interesting green books, please check out the Green Books Campaign's page at www.ecolibris.net/greenbookscampaign2010.asp .

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Green Books Campaign: Prizes for the bloggers!

The Green Books Campaign includes 200 bloggers that review today at 1:00PM EST 200 books printed on eco-friendly paper. We got some great prizes for them from three publishers: Simon & Schuster Audio, Ghigo Press and Sterling Publishing.

Simon & Schuster Audio are providing the campaign with prizes for the second year! This year they have some great audiobooks for the bloggers:

The Playbook by Barney Stinson and Matt Kuhn. Read by: Neil Patrick Harris

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld. Illustrated by: Keith Thompson / Read by: Alan Cumming.

YOU: Raising Your Child by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet Oz. Read by: Michele Pawk, Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C Oz

Here We Go Again by Betty White. Read by: Betty White

127 Hours Movie Tie- In by Aron Ralston

Read by: Aron Ralston

Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi. Read by: Portia de Rossi

Ghigo Press is giving three 2011 calendars, printed on 100 percent recycled paper with soy ink. The calendars include a Vinifera wine calendar, Spice calendar and Coffee calendar, all part of the publisher's line of Wine, Coffee and Spice education products that will entertain and enlighten the curious gourmet.


Sterling Publishing is giving a set of Ecosystem, a line of 100% Post Consumer Recycled Notebooks. Ecosystem is a fresh line of notebooks with a pulse. With bold design for everyday life and inspired living, the system offers owners a collection of color, size and type combinations to engage any personality. The set includes 3 beautiful notebooks in different sizes and colors.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting green reading!

Green Books Campaign: Canopy is supporting the campaign and presenting their work with the book industry

We're happy to begin the Green Books Campaign's day with a guest post from our friends at Canopy. Based in Canada, Canopy is one of the most important forces pushing the book industry towards greater sustainability in the last decade and we're proud to have it as one of the supporters of the campaign (just like the Green Press Initiative, which we presented here couple of days ago).

Best known for our work to green the Harry Potter series internationally with the support of author J.K. Rowling, Canopy works to protect the world’s forests, species and climate by leveraging market forces to help publishers, printers and paper producers adopt environmental policies and practices that ensure conservation on the ground. Eco-Libris’ Green Books campaign bolsters this movement to include wider consumer engagement. Given that 60-80% of a publisher’s environmental footprint is attributable to the papers it prints its books on, we are excited to work with the Eco-Libris Green Books Campaign to help book lovers save the world’s forests by choosing books that are printed on environmental papers.

Canopy works with more than 700 publishers and printers, including Random House, Scholastic and Lonely Planet, and literary giants such as Alice Munro and Margaret Atwood, to reduce dramatically the impact book production has on our fragile planet. By harnessing the purchasing influence of major publishers and printers, Canopy has been able to broker large-scale conservation agreements such as the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement and the world’s largest conservation initiative, the new Boreal Forest Agreement. It is through such major agreements that real conservation progress is made.

Such progress is thanks in no small part to the remarkable changes we’ve seen in the past decade since starting our work with book publishers. The marketplace has progressed from no environmental book-grade papers being commercially available in North America in 2000, to millions of books now being printed on environmental papers. As a book lover, that’s good news!

Recognizing the critical role that book lovers and retailers play in the industry, Canopy also works with market leaders such Indigo Books & Music to help them not only green their own business practices, but also foster environmental leadership within the publishing industry. Our joint work with Indigo also enables readers to make informed purchasing decisions by transparently providing information about a book’s environmental qualities online and at store kiosks.

So how can you tell if a book is printed on environmental paper? Consumers should look for one of the following:

• An eco-audit at the back of a book, listing exactly what kind of paper each part of the book (pages, cover) contains
• The Ancient Forest Friendly label
• Statements that the book is printed on 100% Post Consumer Recycled paper, or on Forest Stewardship Council certified paper

This information may be included in a number of places in the book, including the back jacket, inside jacket, or the copyright page, directly after the title page.

As the final stop in the supply chain – the demand – readers are of course essential to the success of both individual titles and the overall industry. Know that you can be the tail that wags the dog in a greener direction. Vote with your wallet: purchase books that are printed on environmental papers. Your support of publishers and retailers who are taking environmental leadership and campaigns such as this helps increase demand for responsibly sourced books. And that helps position organizations like Canopy as stronger advocates for the world’s forests, species, and climate.

We want to thank again Canopy for their support of the campaign and assistance in getting the word out! You can find more information about Canopy's work, as well as resources on the impacts of the book industry and available eco-friendly paper options at http://www.ecolibris.net/greenbooksresources.asp

The Campaign's page is www.ecolibris.net/greenbookscampaign2010.asp .You can also follow the campaign on Facebook and twitter.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting green reading!

The green agenda of the Green Books Campaign's publishers - part 8: WSU Press

Less than 24 hours to the launch of the Green Books Campaign (tomorrow, at 1:00 PM), and we continue to present some of the publishers that participate in the campaign and their thoughts on why it's important that books will be printed in an eco-friendly manner.

Our guest is Washington State University Press.

WSU Press is part of Washington State University, located in Pullman, Washington. A member of the Association of American University Presses, we publish in a wide variety of genres, including scholarly and trade monographs, reminiscences, essays, and biographies. We seek imaginative works that tell the story of the West in innovative ways. Currently, we publish 4-6 titles each year. We are proud to be a "green" press.The WSU campus printing facility where most of our books are published, was the first university publisher to become FSC certified.

WSU Press is participating in the campaign with the following books (all printed on FSC-certified paper):

1. America’s Nuclear Wastelands by Max Power

2. An Election for the Ages by Trova Heffernan

3. Finding Chief Kamiakin: The Life and Legacy of a Northwest Patriot by Richard Scheuerman and Michael Finley

4. Greenscapes: Olmsted's Pacific Northwest by Joan Hockaday

5. Making the Grade: Plucky Schoolmarms of Kittitas Country Barb Owen

6. Season of Suffering: Coming of Age in Occupied France, 1940-45 by Nicole Taflinger

7. Shaper of Seattle: Reginald Heber Thomson's Pacific Northwest by William Wilson

8. Slick as a Mitten: Ezra Meeker's Klondike Enterprise by Dennis Larsen

9. Tree Top: Creating a Fruit Revolution by David Stratton

You can read more information on all of these books at wsupress.wsu.edu/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=54

And now to the questionnaire (all publishers were asked to reply the same four questions):

Why do you believe books should be printed on eco-friendly paper?
Books should be printed on eco-friendly paper because it is one way publishers can contribute to preserving the environment. When done responsibly, paper, and by extension, books, can be produced in an economically sustainable way. A key facet of that is to support paper manufacturers who also are committed to preserving the environment all across the supply chain, from the tree to the final product.

What is your policy on using eco-friendly paper?
Our policy is to select eco-friendly paper whenever possible. In March 2008, Washington State University’s in-house printing plant became the first at a higher education institution to be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). WSU Press books do not currently display the logo, but we have plans to change that soon.

Are there other ways you're going green?
Washington State University has been limiting paper use, using soy-based inks, recycling waste products, and purchasing Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified papers for many years. The university has purchased a full-color digital printer, which requires substantially less paper for proofs.

For offset printing, a recent acquisition is equipment that moves directly from electronic files to plates, eliminating the need for the intermediate step of film. Because WSU owns the printing presses, we are able to print, warehouse, and ship our books from our campus location. Our books are manufactured in America and our press operators are paid a living wage.

What's your advice to readers that would like to make their book purchasing more sustainable?
Readers can try to become familiar with the members and logos of organizations like the Forest Stewardship Council, the Green Press Initiative, or the Rainforest Alliance, and look for those publishers and products that have the logos before making purchases.

Thank you WSU Press for your work and your participation in the Green Books Campaign!

The Green Books Campaign's page is http://www.ecolibris.net/greenbookscampaign2010.asp. You can also follow the campaign on Facebook and twitter.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Indigo Partners with Eco-Libris to Promote Green Books

Indigo Books & Music, the largest book retailer in Canada, but also a green leader among book retailers worldwide. And they are also partnering with Eco-Libris on the Green Books Campaign.

Yes, we're very happy to have the support of of Indigo Books & Music, as part of its efforts to draw attention to the need for more environmental paper in book publishing. This is a core goal of Indigo's environmental program and is reinforced by Indigo's industry leading environmental paper policy. You can read more about it on Indigo's environment page.

One of the things I like most about Indigo is that they're the only retailer that actually provides readers with an easy way to find information on books that are printed on eco-friendly paper. It is integrated in their advance search options and it's very easy to use. This is just one part one their sustainable efforts, but has a great significance - otherwise, how readers that want to buy a book online can actually tell if it's printed on eco-friendly paper on not? I can only hope other retailers will follow Indigo's leadership and provide readers with this information.

Last week Indigo issued a press release on the campaign, which is enclosed below:

Indigo Partners with Eco-Libris to Promote Green Books

- Blogger Engagement Campaign to raise awareness of sustainable book publishing -

TORONTO, Nov. 3 /CNW/ - On November 10, 2010, at 1:00 pm EST, Eco-Libris in partnership with Indigo Books & Music is launching a campaign to use the power of the internet and social media to raise awareness of books printed on environmental paper and its significance to forest conservation. Two hundred bloggers will review their selections from 200 books that have been printed on recycled paper and/or are FSC certified. These books will encompass an assortment of mainstream adult and children's titles.

Indigo is pleased to be the only book retailer supporting Eco-Libris in these awareness efforts. Participation in this campaign highlights Indigo's commitment to the use of environmental papers in book publishing, a core goal of Indigo's environmental paper policy which aims to eliminate the use of wood fibre from endangered forests and facilitate a broader sustainability shift in the publishing and paper supply chain.

Michelle White, Director, Sustainability at Indigo Books & Music said, "Indigo has a strong forest conservation mandate and we believe that physical books printed on environmental paper are a sustainable choice. We commend Eco-Libris for reinforcing this message and engaging readers to take this issue into consideration when purchasing books. In fact, Indigo provides information online and though in-store kiosk that allows consumers to make informed decisions about where the paper content of their book comes from".

"The Green Books Campaign celebrates sustainable reading, presenting booklovers worldwide with great options in books that are printed using eco-friendly paper. Although there's so much hype today around e-books, books printed on paper remain dominant in book retailing and it is important to us all that they will be as environmentally sound as possible," says Raz Godelnik, CEO of Eco-Libris. "We are happy to collaborate with Indigo in this campaign as not only they are a green leader in the book industry, but they are also the only book retailer that actually provides readers with an easy way to find information on books that are printed on eco-friendly paper."

To learn more about Indigo's environmental program, please go to chapters.indigo.ca/environment.

About Indigo Books & Music Inc.

Indigo is a publicly traded Canadian company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:IDG). As the largest book retailer in the country, Indigo operates in all provinces under different banners including Indigo Books & Music; Indigo Books, Gifts, Life; IndigoSpirit, Chapters, The World's Biggest Bookstore, and Coles. The online division, www.chapters.indigo.ca, features books, eBooks, toys, music and DVDs, and hosts the award winning Indigo Online Community. In 2008, Indigo launched Pistachio, an eco-aware lifestyle store featuring stationery, gifts and home décor, and apothecary.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

10 things you can do tomorrow on the Green Books Campaign

The Green Books Campaign is almost here!

Tomorrow, November 10, at 1 p.m., 200 bloggers will simultaneously publish reviews of 200 books printed on environmentally-friendly paper. By turning a spotlight on books printed using greener methods, Eco-Libris aims to raise consumer awareness about considering the environment when making book purchases.

The 200 books to be reviewed are in a variety of subjects including cooking, poetry, travel, green living, and history, and come from 56 publishers from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the U.K. that are participating in the Green Books Campaign.

Full list of participating books and bloggers is available at http://www.ecolibris.net/greenbookscampaign2010.asp.

Join us tomorrow to a great celebration of green books! How you can participate in the campaign? Here are 10 ideas:

1. Check the reviews of books on the campaign's list that look interesting to you and add your comments to their reviews.

2. Tweet the campaign (you can also follow it on twitter).

3. Post it in your Facebook status update and join the conversation on the campaign's Facebook page.

4. Learn more about the green agenda of some of the participating publishers on Eco-Libris blog.

5. Update your green and lit LinkedIn groups about the campaign.

6. Find a book on the campaign's list that you already read and loved? Write a review on Amazon mentioning the green aspect of the book.

7. Post it on literary websites and social networks, like BookMooch, Goodreads, LibraryThing, BookRabbit and others.

8. Check out the unique search feature of Indigo Books & Music that enables you to identify books that are printed on recycled or FSC-certified paper.

9. Learn more why it is important to print books on eco-friendly paper by visiting the campaign's resources page (will be operating by Wednesday)

10. See a book on the campaign's list that you would like to read? Buy it for yourself or as a green gift to someone you care about. You're also invited to look for it on your local library!

Have more ideas? Please add a comment and share them with us.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

The green agenda of the Green Books Campaign's publishers - part 7: Leap Books

We still have some time left before we begin with the Green Books Campaign on Wednesday, Nov 10, at 1:00 PM, and we continue to present some of the publishers that participate in the campaign and their thoughts on why it's important that books will be printed in an eco-friendly manner.

Our guest today is Leap Books.

Leap Books is a fresh voice in fiction for teens and tweens. Our books take you on a journey into the unknown, into love, into discovery, into new worlds. So read them, and LEAP...

Leap Books is participating in the campaign with the following books (all printed on FSC-certified paper):

1. For the Love of Strangers by Jacqueline Horsfall will be reviewed on Melody's Reading Corner.

2. Freaksville by Kitty Keswick will be reviewed on Frenetic Reader.

3. Island Sting by Bonnie J. Doerr will be reviewed on Curling Up by the Fire.

4. I Was a Teenage Alien by Jane Greenhill will be reviewed on Book Reading Gals.

5. Under My Skin by Judith Graves will be reviewed on Cafe of Dreams.

And now to the questionnaire (all publishers were asked to reply the same four questions):

Why do you believe books should be printed on eco-friendly paper?
As the publisher of tween and teen books, Leap Books cares deeply about the audience we serve. We aim to produce books that encourage teens to read, enlarge their world, help them cope with life challenges, and provide pleasurable experiences. Because we care about teens, we want to ensure that they grow up in a clean, healthy world, one with plenty of trees and natural resources. Leap Books is committed not only to using eco-friendly paper, but to supporting environmental efforts in any way we can.

What is your policy on using eco-friendly paper?
We are committed to using eco-friendly paper for all our books and materials. We also participate in programs to plant trees to replace the paper we use for our books because we believe it’s important to renew any resources we deplete.

Are there other ways you're going green?
Leap Books opened with the intention of being as green as possible. In addition to contributing to environmental efforts, we also publish books with green themes. The first title we published, Island Sting by Bonnie J. Doerr is an eco-mystery about saving the endangered Key deer from poachers. The main characters in the book form a “green-teen” environmental group, Keys Teens Care, which works to clean up pollution and go green. Each of Doerr’s books in the series deals with saving an endangered animal as well as an environmental clean-up project. We’ve been told that the book has sparked “green-teen” groups around the country.

Author Bonnie Doerr also reports on teen efforts to go green on her blog, Bonnie Blogs Green, and a portion of the proceeds from this book have been donated to environmental groups. Another book we’re publishing, Jacqueline Horsfall’s For the Love Strangers, has a strong theme of caring for the world around us. Jacqueline is also the author of Play Lightly on the Earth.

In addition to promoting the replanting of trees, Leap Books uses recycled products in our offices. Promotions and press releases are done via the Internet as often as possible. We do small print runs to prevent remaindering, provide free “Exclusive” reads on our website rather than printing them, offer pdfs of our book group discussion guides and curriculum materials, publish our catalog online, give reviewers the option of reading ARCs as e-books, and have begun offering some of our titles as e-books.

What's your advice to readers that would like to make their book purchasing more sustainable?
Try to purchase books from publishers that use eco-friendly paper, are committed to recycling, and support environmental programs. Consider donating to companies that are replanting trees or saving rain forests. Also, if you can, think about purchasing e-books to save paper.

Thank you Leap Books for your work and your participation in the Green Books Campaign!

The Green Books Campaign's page is http://www.ecolibris.net/greenbookscampaign2010.asp. You can also follow the campaign on Facebook and twitter.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

The green agenda of the Green Books Campaign's publishers - part 6: HOPS Press

less than 48 hours have left to the Green Books Campaign and we continue to present some of the publishers that participate in the campaign and their thoughts on why it's important that books will be printed in an eco-friendly manner.

Our guest today is HOPS Press.

HOPS Press, LLC publishes six books and six videos by author, builder, wilderness survival instructor, and conservationist, Thomas J. Elpel, providing practical hands-on skills to restore our connection with nature.

Two of Elpel’s books are included in thee campaign. Participating in Nature (to be reviewed on raganella) is a book of wilderness survival skills, enabling the reader to discover nature through the process of using it to meet the basic needs for shelter, fire, water, and food. Living Homes (to be reviewed on Beth's Book Reviews) provides nuts-and-bolts construction advice for building high-efficiency homes on a shoestring budget. Both books are printed on 100% recycled paper.

And now to the questionnaire (all publishers were asked to reply the same four questions):

Why do you believe books should be printed on eco-friendly paper?
With my background as a wilderness survival instructor, I am accustomed to getting by with scarce resources. In wilderness survival, one simply cannot afford the luxury of waste. I’ve applied that survival mentality to life at home and work as well, building high quality houses out of scavenged materials, paying cash to avoid paying interest on a mortgage, and installing solar panels to zero-out our electric bill.

I am shocked every time I drive by the community dumpster and see all the valuable resources that have been discarded. As a country, we are burying our wealth in landfills, and it is not remotely sustainable. Most of my books are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper to help close the loop on waste. It is pretty exciting to hold a new product that was made without harvesting new resources.

What is your policy on using eco-friendly paper?
I ask our printer for 100% post-consumer recycled paper stock, if available. If 100% post-consumer recycled paper is not available, I’ll take the best we can get for the job.

Are there other ways you're going green?
I wear many different hats over the course of a year, and one of my favorite activities is teaching wilderness survival skills to public school kids. I take the local junior high kids out camping for three days and two nights every year, teaching them skill such as: how to start fires by rubbing sticks together, how to make their own plates, bowls, and utensils, how to cook a stir-fry dinner with hot rocks in a bark pan, how to stay warm and dry without a sleeping bag or a tent, and so forth, as documented in my newest video, Classroom in the Woods: Primitive Skills for Public Schools.

What's your advice to readers that would like to make their book purchasing more sustainable?
Support publishers that print on 100% recycled paper. Enjoy a good read, then pass the book along to a friend or library to get the most use out of it.

Thank you HOPS Press for your work and your participation in the Green Books Campaign!

The Campaign's page is http://www.ecolibris.net/greenbookscampaign2010.asp .You can also follow the campaign on Facebook and twitter.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Green Books Campaign: Green Press Initiative presents the progress made so far in the book industry

Some people asked me about the importance of the Green Books Campaign in the era of e-books. Well, for us it's very simple: Although there’s so much hype around e-books, books printed on paper still dominate the book market, and we want them to be as environmentally sound as possible.

Their share is still relatively small, but you can find a growing number of books printed responsibly and we hope this initiative will bring more exposure to such books. Through this campaign we want to encourage publishers to increase their green printing options and readers to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books.

One of the important forces behind the progress made so far in the book industry and the growing number of books that are printed in an eco-friendly manner is Green Press Initiative (GPI).

GPI is supporting the Green Books Campaign and we asked our friends at GPI to tell us about their work with the book industry and the progress the industry has made in the last decade. Their website is also a great resource to learn more about the environmental impacts of the book industry and the solutions and we included some links you are welcome to look at below.

Green Press Initiative (GPI) is a non-profit program committed to reducing the environmental impacts of the book industry. For nearly 10 years, GPI has worked collaboratively with book publishers and their suppliers to reduce pressure on endangered forests, protect forest dependent communities and minimize greenhouse gas emissions.

As a result of the efforts by Green Press Initiative and leaders in the book industry, there has been significant progress as is outlined below:

- Approximately 50% of publishers (by market share) have environmental policies in place

- Nearly 230 publishers have endorsed the Book Industry Treatise on Environmentally Responsible Publishing or developed a policy with similar goals

The Book Industry Environmental Council has established an industry-wide goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 20% below 2006 levels by 2020 with a long term target of an 80% reduction by 2050.

- Post-consumer recycled fiber in book papers has increased from 2.4% in 2004 to 13.3 percent in 2007.

- Many publishers have been able to significantly increase their use of recycled fiber or FSC certified paper without significant cost premiums.

- Nearly 50 new paper grades with strong environmental attributes have been developed in response to the demand from publishers with environmental policies.

GPI has played a leading role in helping to educate book industry stakeholders about the social and environmental impacts of the book industry as well the solutions that can help reduce these impacts. Towards this end, GPI has worked with publishers, book printers and paper manufacturers to increase the use of recycled fiber and paper that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council which guarantees that it is sourced from well managed forests.

Green Press Initiative has worked with nearly 230 publisher to develop environmental policies or endorse The Book Industry Treatise on Environmentally Responsible Publishing, which outlines environmental goals for the book industry. This treatise has also been endorsed by six paper manufacturers and nearly 30 printers.

In another efforts to catalyze progress in the book industry, GPI founded and now coordinates the Book Industry Environmental Council (BIEC). The BIEC consists of many of the largest book publishers, book printers and paper suppliers as well as a number of nonprofit organizations that have a focus on the book industry.

The BIEC provides a multi-stakeholder forum to discuss and implement plans to track and reduce the environmental impacts of the book industry, including setting an industry wide greenhouse gas reduction target, developing a plan to reduce the number of books that are landfilled, and developing a system to annually track key environmental metrics of the industry.

To learn more about Green Press Initiative or solutions to reduce the social and environmental impacts of the book industry please visit www.greenpressinitiative.org

We want to thank again GPI for their support of the campaign and assistance in getting the word out!

More links on their website:

The impacts of the book industry:

1. On endangered forests

2. On climate change

3. On people

Solutions - Responsible paper

The Book Industry Treatise on Environmentally Responsible Publishing

Book Publishers toolkit for responsible paper use

The Campaign's page is www.ecolibris.net/greenbookscampaign2010.asp .You can also follow the campaign on Facebook and twitter.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting green reading!

The green agenda of the Green Books Campaign's publishers - part 5: Five Mile Press

6 days are left to the Green Books Campaign and we continue to present some of the publishers that participate in the campaign and their thoughts on why it's important that books will be printed in an eco-friendly manner.

Our guest today is Five Mile Press.

The Five Mile Press is an Australian publisher specialising in children’s books, adult non-fiction, Australiana and stationery lines. Founded in 1991, the company quickly became known for its high quality, innovative product and has been building on that reputation ever since. The Five Mile Press is one of the strongest children’s mass-market publishers in Australia. Today, The Five Mile Press publishes in excess of 200 new books each year and sells to countries all around the world.

Many of their popular children’s books, including those by leading artists such as Shirley Barber, Trace Moroney and Robyn Johnson are published in many foreign languages as well as English language editions. We currently publish books in over 27 foreign languages supplied to over 30 different language markets. In addition to this, when world rights to a title are licensed for a particular language, another 20 or so countries are added to our distribution list.

Five Mile Press is participating in the campaign with the following books (all printed on recycled paper):

1. Ranger in Danger: Diablo's Doom by Sean Willmore and Alison Reynolds will be reviewed on 4 the LOVE of BOOKS.

2. Ranger in Danger: Erik's Enigma by Sean Willmore and Alison Reynolds will be reviewed on LitLad.

3. Ranger in Danger: Hernando's Labyrinth by Sean Willmore and Alison Reynolds will be reviewed on BabyMac.

4. Ranger in Danger: King Cobra's Curse by Sean Willmore and Alison Reynolds will be reviewed on Jennifer Howard's blog.

5. Ranger in Danger: Rapscallion's Revenge by Sean Willmore and Alison Reynolds will be reviewed on Reading Upside Down.

And now to the questionnaire (all publishers were asked to reply the same four questions):

Why do you believe books should be printed on eco-friendly paper?
Like everyone around the world, we are trying to do our best to conserve our resources and in the publishing industry we are very conscious of the large amount of paper we use. If we use eco-friendly paper, then we are at least doing our best to conserve the forests and ecosystems around the world for the future generations.

What is your policy on using eco-friendly paper?
All the paper we use comes from sustainable forests. We decided to print the Ranger in Danger series on recycled paper with the McPhersons Printing Group in Australia because they are ISO 9001 Environmental accredited, and they also have a number of environmental initiatives that support the printing of their books.

The decision to print on recycled paper came at the request of one of the authors, Sean Willmore, who is the director of the conservation organization The Thin Green Line. The Thin Green Line Foundation’s mission is to share the stories of park rangers from around the world and in doing so support conservations projects, and the families of rangers killed, whilst protecting wildlife in their selfless fight for conservation globally. Sean felt very strongly that recycled paper was the way to go for this series, and we agreed.

Are there other ways you're going green? We all try in our various ways. We car pool, we recycle, we turn off lights and use natural light whenever we can, and we limit our water use within the office. We have a large water tank that supplies water for our toilets and gardens. Our production department is always looking for ways to make our company more green.

What's your advice to readers that would like to make their book purchasing more sustainable?
Look out for the FSC, recycled logo or sustainable information on the cover or imprint of the book so you can sure that all the paper has been sourced from environmentally friendly organizations. Look for quality when you are buying books – this usually means the publisher cares about their products, and therefore about the environment. At The Five Mile Press we are very aware of quality and publish to the highest and most environmentally friendly production standards.

Thank you Five Mile Press for your work and your participation in the Green Books Campaign!

The Campaign's page is http://www.ecolibris.net/greenbookscampaign2010.asp .You can also follow the campaign on Facebook and twitter.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!