Eco-Libris' Bookstores Series: interview with Erin Thompson of Black Bear Books

Eco-Libris' bookstores program keeps growing and currently includes 24 bookstores in the U.S., Ireland and Canada. On our bookstores' series we present you with the bookstores that are taking part in the program and the people behind them.

Today we have the pleasure to present you with Black Bear Books of Boone, NC and Erin Thompson, the store's owner, whom we interviewed here.

When Black Bear Books was established? Where’s the name coming from?

Black Bear Books has been around since 2004, when we moved to our current location. Prior to that the store was called The Book Warehouse, a name given to it by a previous owner. Moving to our present location really gave us the opportunity to make the store into what we wanted it to be, and we thought it deserved a new name. The name Black Bear Books came from all of the Black Bears that live in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and in particular from the bear that lives on the mountain where my parents live.

What's the most special characteristic of Black Bear Books?

Definitely our customers! We get a really great mix of locals, people who live here in the spring and summer months, and visitors to the area. There’s nothing better that having a job where you get to talk about books and authors all day to all sorts of different people. Outside of our customers, I would say that a really great feature of our store is how eclectic it is. We’ve got sections dedicated to regional literature, a re-vamped kids section, and of course our green living section, which is always a big hit!

How long you are with the store?

I’ve been with the store for just over a year, when I moved to the area to pursue a master’s degree. Moving from a big city to Boone was a big change, but definitely a positive one. The High Country is so eco-conscious and they do a great job of making local living a priority, which for small stores like ours, is really important. The great outdoor activities and amazing views don’t hurt either!

Your store is a family business and I'm sure it has seen and went through changes over the years - can you mention the ones you find most interesting?

My dad is the head-honcho at the store, and I’ve loved being able to work with him and learn from him – he’s a pretty smart guy, despite what I thought when I was a teenager! There have been a lot of changes at the store; probably one of the biggest has been adding the espresso bar and the wireless café. We get quite a few people to stop by to check their e-mail or study and have a cup of coffee. Owning an independent bookstore is a tough business to be in – even though people love to comment on how having a bookstore in the mountains is their dream job (it’s definitely mine!), so we try to change things often to draw people back into the store.

What do people like most about the store?

I think people really enjoy the hunt for the perfect book. We carry a lot of remainders and our booksellers have great taste, so you never know what you’re going to find. We’ve got a staff that has superhero powers when it comes to finding the next book you want to read, even if you’re not sure what that is.

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

We host a lot of local and regional authors, although attendance is always disappointingly low, so I try not to schedule people unless I know they’ll be a big draw. We have an exciting event coming up though! Diana Gabaldon, the author of the NYT best-selling “Outlander” series is visiting the store during the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, so we’re having an evening reception and also a booth out at the Games.

Are there any relationship between the store and the local library/ies?

Somewhat. We give people directions to the library a lot! We work pretty closely with a local writing group, who is based out of the library, so we support them indirectly through that. We also work with them on prizes that they give to their different contest winners.

What is the best selling book right now? What is the all times best-selling book?

Actually, our best-selling book right now (outside of the High School’s summer reading) is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. I was so excited when I looked it up and it was a green book! Kingsolver is a regional author as well, and has a restaurant based on the book’s principles about an hour away in Abingdon, VA. This book has been on my Staff Rec’s shelf for about two months now, and I guess it shows! The all-time best selling book is a children’s book by another regional author, Jan Karon, called “Miss Fannie’s Hat”.

What would be your favorite book in the store?

That’s a tough question – I don’t think I can answer that one! Probably the book I recommend most (and my copy is certainly well-read) is “March” by Geraldine Brooks, about John March from “Little Women”. Brooks does a fantastic job of taking some of literature’s most beloved characters and telling the rest of their story.

Any special message you want to send to book lovers in Boone, NC?

I want to thank them! I know it’s always easier to jump online to order a book, but by staying loyal they’ve taken advantage of our special-ordering discounts, reduced their carbon footprint, and kept us in business!

So if you're anywhere near Boone, NC you're invited to visit the store. You won't regret it! And of course, if you're purchasing a book from the 25,000 quality hand picked new and discount books at the store, don't forget to check at the counter the opportunity to balance it out by planting a tree with Eco-Libris and you'll also receive our sticker on spot.

Black Bear Books
Address: 2146 Blowing Rock Rd., Boone, NC 28607
Tel.: 828.264.4636

Past guests on our series:

Marva Allen of the Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe (New York, NY)

James “Surendra” Conti of East West Bookstore (Mountain View, CA)

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

Green Options: Want Your Family to go Green? Read Eco-Friendly Families

As part of Eco-Libris' ongoing content partnership with Green Options Media, we feature a post that was originally published by Jennifer Lace on July 24 on Eco Child's Play. Today's post is a review of a new guide for families that want to go green.

Many of our readers come to our website looking for ways to start their families down the green path to eco-friendliness. Help is on the way for these families in a complete guide for families. Eco-Friendly Families, written by Helen Coronato, is designed to "guide your family to greener living with activities that will engage and inspire...from toddlers to teens." This new guide will be released on August 5, 2008.

Eco-Friendly Families is filled with many simple tips, such as watering your houseplants with rainwater and hosting a neighborhood toy swap, as well as explains the bigger issues and how our actions affect them. By targeting families, this guide helps families raise the next generation with green values. Saving the planet is a family affair!

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!