Looking for an affordable and unique green birthday gift?

What's the connection between William Shakespeare, actor Tom Welling, action movie star Jet Lee and the comedian Carol Burnett?

They were all born on April 26! 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, 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 present - get yourself a nice green book and plant a tree for it with us!

Happy Birthday,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Plant a tree for every book you read!

Amazon did great on the first quarter. Can it also help the book industry to go green now?

Amazon.com announced yesterday its first quarter (Jan-Mar 2009) financial results and not surprisingly it did very well and even managed to beat Wall Street expectations.

Here are some key figures from Amazon's press release:

Net sales increased 18% to $4.89 billion in the first quarter, compared with $4.13 billion in first quarter 2008.

Operating income increased 23% to $244 million in the first quarter, compared with $198 million in first quarter 2008.

Net income increased 24% to $177 million in the first quarter, or $0.41 per diluted share, compared with net income of $143 million, or $0.34 per diluted share, in first quarter 2008.

So how come other companies both in the book industry (as well as outside the industry of course) are struggling so much and Amazon is doing so well? well, there are couple of good reasons:

1. The Kindle factor - Jeff Bezos, Amazon's CEO is quoted on their press release saying "We’re grateful and excited that Kindle sales have exceeded our most optimistic expectations." Now, Amazon didn't release new sales numbers, but according to a couple of estimations we discussed earlier this year when Kindle 2 was released it can be very substantial. In any event, the Kindle definitely helps to generate a positive buzz around Amazon and generate a positive sentiment.

2. The weakness of Brick and mortar companies - Imran Khan, an analyst at JP Morgan told the New York Times that "Brick-and-mortar companies are going bankrupt and going out of business altogether and that is helping Amazon gain market share".

3. According to Reuters, Bezos also said shoppers enrolled in the Amazon Prime discount shipping program were boosting growth, as they were picking up goods across multiple categories.

I don't know if Amazon actually sold more books on the first quarter in comparison with the first quarter of 2008. Books are part of the media segment, which we know that rose in 7% this quarter to $2.7 billion sales. But we don't know more than it, so we could only estimate and my estimation is that there was probably a modest growth, which is also impressive in the current economic environment.

The last but not least point I wanted to make is regarding the carbon reduction goals of the book industry we discussed here on Wednesday. As Amazon gains a greater importance in the book industry, I thought of an idea that could generate a stronger incentive for the publishers to meet their goals (and I'm leaving the impact of selling more e-books aside for a moment, as this is still inconclusive).

My suggestion is that Amazon will provide better pricing to publishers that will meet certain carbon reduction goals. As the biggest bookstore, a carbon-based pricing can definitely drive publishers to put more efforts into their carbon reduction attempts.

It makes sense if we look at it through the ultimate test of 'creating a shared value' - publishers will gain more profits with better pricing on sales of their books and Amazon can gain by strengthening the green side of its image and attracting more customers that will feel good about being part of such a program and supporting the environment without the need to pay any premium. Looks like a win-win model to me.

I can only hope Amazon will take the challenge of leading the book industry not only by sales, but also with the efforts to reduce the industry's carbon footprint and make reading more sustainable.

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

And the winners on our Earth Day raffle are:

As we announced last week, in celebration of Earth Day we had yesterday a raffle of three great green-themed books between our newsletter subscribers.

And we have three winners!

Amy from New Jersey won a copy of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Organic Living" by Eliza Sarasohn and Sonia Weiss.

Ethel from Quebec, Canada won a copy of "Gardening Eden" by Michael Abbaté.

And Courtney from Minnesota won a copy of "Of Parrots and People" by Mira Tweti.

Congrats to all the winners!!

If you're not subscribed yet to our monthly newsletter, which also includes every month unique offers and giveaways to our subscribers, it's very easy to do it - all you need to do is to add your email address on the box on the right side of the page saying 'Join Our Email List', click on the word 'join' and that's it.

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

Green Options - STATE OF THE WORLD Book Series Pivotal to Understanding our Paths to Sustainability

As part of Eco-Libris' ongoing content partnership with Green Options Media, we feature a post that was originally published by John Ivanko on April 22 on Sustainablog. Today's post is about a book that can change your life and the good part is that you get a new version of it published every year.

People often ask me: “So what set you on your present course of operating a sustainable business, growing most of your own food organically, working from home, and powering your entire farm and business with renewable energy?” People ask me about that definitive moment where it became obvious that I needed to live and work a different way, a better way that didn’t involve never-ending growth, consumption, and earn-and-spend.

There was no such moment, or crisis, that transformed my life of power suits, lattes, or gotta-have-it-all-now mindset. Instead, my sustainable journey (which very much continues to this day as an evolving journey) resulted from a growing understanding about the issues facing the planet and its inhabitants, both through personal experience and by learning of these changes from other organizations or individuals.

One such organization that serves as a compass for my endeavors is the Worldwatch Institute, a nonprofit organization that produces the authoritative State of the World book series as well as numerous other books and resources to build an ecologically sustainable society that meets human needs. Each year, a new State of the World book is not only jam-packed with interdisciplinary research and analysis that a non-scientific mind (like mine) could comprehend, but organized in such a way to make it both practical and powerful for anyone searching for ways to express a vision for how to live on a planet without destroying it or exploiting its inhabitants.

Each year, the State of the World book series focuses on a particular theme which might address energy, community, food and agriculture, population, health, trade policies and natural resource use, just to name a few. For 2008, their State of the World: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy provides both a timely analysis of how our “free trade” global economy has gone astray and insights into the powerful movements afoot, including localization, a triple bottom line approach to business, microfinance, and the low-carbon economy.

“In response to the grim realities of climate change, resource depletion, collapsing ecosystems, economic vulnerability, and other converging crisis of the twenty-first century, a consensus is emerging among scientists, governments, and civil society about the need for a rapid but manageable transition to an economic system where progress is measured by improvements in well-being rather than by expansion of the scale and scope of market economic activity,” writes John Talberth in his chapter "A New Bottom Line for Progress." I only can hope that a copy of State of the World 2008 is on President Obama’s desk since it’s unlikely that Americans can consume our way out of the present financial crisis. Even if we did, Talberth argues that such consumption will not likely lead to furthering our happiness, but rather to further degradation of the planet.

State of the World is one of those books that helped me change course and better comprehend what is happening to the planet. State of the World 1992 -- which I read in preparation for my self-imposed sabbatical and exit from corporate America -- served as my launch pad for discovering what was happening to the planet and what I could do about it. Life is not a spectator sport for those who want to champion change. The State of the World books provide the global insights from leading thinkers, academics, professionals and analysts who dive into the social, environmental and governmental aspects of how our world functions, revealing ways in which we could, once again, thrive more sustainably.

The State of the World books are not End of the World books; they’re revealing and sobering at times, but they provide numerous pathways to achieve greater sustainability within our culture, society, economy and community.

Not surprisingly, their latest release, State of the World 2009: Into a Warming World, is devoted to the technological and institutional developments most likely to help humanity weather the storm of global warming. Most scientists agree that we have only a few years to reverse the rise in greenhouse gas emissions and help avoid abrupt and catastrophic climate change. As the world governmental leaders come together to negotiate a new climate agreement in Copenhagen in December 2009, State of the World: Into a Warming World can guide our understanding of how a warming planet threatens everyone and everything on Earth -- and what we could do about it.

“A sustainable world is not an impoverished world but one that is prosperous in different ways,” writes Tim Jackson in the chapter “The challenges of Sustainable Lifestyles” from the 2008 State of the World. “The challenge for the twenty-first century is to create that world.”

So, how are you creating that sustainable world?

At Inn Serendipity, my family and I are creating it with renewable energy, local food, and living below our means.

Green news for Earth Day: the book industry is announcing carbon reduction goals

Happy Earth Day everyone!

We wanted to write a special post for Earth Day and fortunately we have great news to report: The Book Industry Environmental Council announced last week it has set goals for cutting the U.S. book industry's greenhouse gas emissions in 20% by 2020 (from a 2006 baseline) with the intent of achieving an 80% reduction by 2050.

This is very exciting news and as the Council pointed out in its press release, this industry-wide commitment is a global first in publishing and hence has tremendous importance.

Because of the importance of this move and its implications for the book industry, we thought it's important to take closer look at it and analyze it from strategic and operational points of view. Hopefully later on we'll also bring you an interview with one of the Council's leaders.

So let's start with our analysis, which will be presented as a series of Q&A:

What is the Book Industry Environmental Council (BIEC)?

The council, coordinated by the nonprofits Green Press Initiative and the Book Industry Study Group, includes representatives from more than 40 publishers, printers, mills and other stakeholder companies that together account for about 60 percent of the market share. The council is currently focusing on three priority areas: Tracking environmental progress of the book industry, setting an industry wide goal for greenhouse gas emissions reduction and establishing a label to identify publishers that are leading the way in reducing environmental impacts.

What is the baseline of the new goals?

The baseline is the 2006 figures of 12.4 million metric tons CO2 equivalent. This baseline was established in the report 'Environmental Trends and Climate Impacts: Findings from the U.S. Book Industry' that was published on March 2008 by The Green Press Initiative (GPI) and The Book Industry Study Group (BISG).

Why now?

Why not? actually the timing is great with first steps taken in Washington to formulate climate regulation, growing awareness of both companies and customers of the environmental impacts of the industry, growing sense of urgency, and an understanding that if approached now, climate change can become an opportunity for the industry instead of a risk.

And what about the economic recession? Well, with the right strategy companies can build solutions that not only will reduce their carbon emissions, but also lower their costs and create more business opportunities (finding the way to reduce the number of returned books is just one example), so it can become a win-win model that will also benefit the bottom line.

Is it doable?

The targets and their time frames are certainly reasonable. Nevertheless, there are two elements that are crucial to the success of the Council's initiative:

1. Strategic approach - publishers and other companies involved in the industry should approach their carbon reductions strategically and systematically - that's the only way to make sure they will gain the most out of it by creating a shared value - meaningful benefit for the environment that is also valuable to the business. This win-win model is crucial to ensure the success of this initiative. We'll review the process in the next answer.

2. Federal carbon regulation - without putting a price on carbon emissions, whether it is through a carbon tax or a cap and trade system, I don't think there are sufficient economic incentives for publishers to implement climate change policies in accordance with the Council's goals. Fortunately, we see it coming with the first step taken by the EPA last week.

According to the EPA's estimations, carbon prices will range from $13 to $17 per ton in 2015, and rise by about 5 percent a year, reaching $17 to $22 per ton by 2020. It means that we're talking about potential saving of 50-60 million for the industry. This figure may not sound too impressive, but in a growing competitive business environment, these savings can certainly make a difference for many publishers and increase their incentive to act faster and better to reduce more carbon emissions and hence reduce costs.

So what companies in the industry should do?

The Council recommends three major goals: 1. Increasing average PCW recycled content in books from 5% to 30% for all paper types 2. Reducing the portion of books returned from 25% to 20% and 3. Reducing the portion of books in landfills by 30%. These are definitely good goals but it's not enough.

The Council is defining here a market shift and such a shift is involved with both risks and opportunities, especially when each company needs to decide on the action plan required to implement these goals. In order to know how to best utilize the opportunities and avoid the risks, companies need not only goals but also a road map that will enable them to make the most out of this shift.

One example for such systematic approach that can take companies safely throughout this shift is the methodology that was developed by Prof. Andrew Hoffman of the University of Michigan and include 8 steps to build a climate change strategy. Here's a short description of the required steps:

Step 1: Asses emissions profile - what kinds of direct and indirect GHG emissions are being created, from what sources and in what quantities?

Step 2: Gauge risks and opportunities - what risks are posed by emissions from operations and GHG-intensity of products and services? What opportunities can be found to take the company forward?

Step 3: Evaluate action options - what options are available for reducing emissions? Are there any "low-hanging" emission-reduction opportunities? how can climate-related strategies enhance top-line and bottom-line objectives?

Step 4: Set goals and targets - by how much can the company reduce its impact? how can targets be connected to business strategy?

Step 5: Develop Financial Mechanisms - what financial instruments are available to suport GHG reductions? What are the pros and cons of emissions trading for the company?

Step 6: Engage the organization - How can buy-in from the workforce be achieved? how can resistance overcome?

Step 7: Formulate Policy strategy - what are the best ways to influence climate change policy at the state, national or international level?

Step 8: Manage external relationship - what external constituents are important to the success of the climate-related strategies? how should they be engaged?

These steps can of be adjusted to fit each company's operations, and as you can see from the example of IBM it may work even if you don't go through all the steps, but one lesson companies hopefully will learn here is about the need to approach climate change systematically to achieve the best results.

Can it work on the industry level or only on a company level?

I believe the logic of the Council is that an industrial effort, in which some of the big players are involved, is the best and most feasible way to shake the industry and move it forward in the right direction. It definitely makes sense, but one thing that should be taken into consideration is that the Council's move is quite unique - most voluntary climate change initiatives are presented by companies, because they see carbon strategy in terms of competitive positioning - an element that will add value to their unique value proposition. When this initiative is shared by all the competitors, then the competitive element is weakened, unless companies look at these goals as the minimum and not as a cap and will try to excel and move further to meet bolder goals.

What's missing?

1. I didn't see any reference to electronic content or in other words e-books. I know that this is a relatively small part of the whole industry and we still need to gather more information on the carbon footprint of e-books, but this is fast-growing niche that should be taken into consideration this way or another. Publishers should have more information about the implications of using more content electronically in terms of carbon emissions and evaluate whether this is a desirable path or not.

2. It will be interesting to learn more about the commitment of the big players in the book industry to these goals - are they all see it eye to eye and are fully committed to these goals?

All in all this is very good news and we'll continue to follow the developments in the industry closely and bring you updates and analysis to get a better understanding of the big picture.

Happy Earth Day!

Raz @ Eco-Libris

www.ecolibris.net

A new great book from Flux, 'The 5th Step' is going green with Eco-Libris

We are a proud partner of the Norwegian publisher Flux and already worked with them on couple of great books, including the Norwegian translation of Ken Wilber's "The Integral Vision" and "Deep Joy: Arne Næss on deep ecology."

Today we're happy to update you on a new book published by Flux that we're working on with them to plant trees for the printed copies. And it's not just a book, but one that its reading experience is described (by John Peter Collett, Professor in modern history, University of Oslo ) as "an overwhelming experience."

This book is "The 5th Step" by Dag Andersen. Here are some more details about the book:

Dag Andersen has written a spectacular, controversial and eye-opening book about our way to the future, discovering the laws of emotionality. The contents of this book may change the world.

Emotional energy is the driving force of history

Sooner or later, the content of this book will change the world. Whether the time is now, or whether subsequent books will lead to a breakthrough, remains to be seen.

The book about the 5th Step is an optimistic vision of the future. It points to new, positive goals and opportunities towards which we can all work. This is to do with science and technology but, most of all, it is to do with increased consciousness in each and every one of us.

At the same time, it gives a clear and profound analysis of our own age. It suggests a diagnosis for modernity’s final phase.

The book is controversial as it is meant to be. However, the basic analysis on which the vision of the future and contemporary diagnosis is founded, is both clear and verifiable. Dag Andersen does not ask us to believe in anything now or in the future. He invites us to join in the discovery of understanding and builds on this. The new, wider picture of reality is verifiable for everyone willing to accept the effort involved in investigating something new.

The book spans most of the 10,000-year history of western culture and ranges across every subject. However, as the writer points out in his foreword, the major systems are often simpler than the lesser ones. As a system, NATO is less complex than the brain of one of its soldiers. Historically, cultural trends lasting thousands of years have been easier to extrapolate than short-term economic cycles.

What is most surprising about the book is the discovery for which it shall be remembered: the discovery of the laws of emotion. They are just as important as the laws of physics. It is emotional energy that is the driving force of history - energy that builds families, wealth and empires – and which then breaks them up. It is emotional energies that get us to start wars and make peace. The first ones to consciously use these energies will soon leave the rest standing – and most people will rush to follow.

The 5th Step is a big book, and a rich one too. After it was first published in Norwegian, many people read it two or three times. Company bosses used it as a basis for developing their companies. Professor in Modern History, John Peter Collett, writes that, “Seldom in Norway has such an expansive and intellectually inclined reasoning been put forward in such a lively and fascinating way.”

The book is translated to English Neil Howard.

Flux website: www.flux.no

Happy Earth Day!

Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

Monday's green books series: 'Gardening Eden' by Michael Abbaté

Today on our Monday's green books series we have a book with a special call: Save God's Earth.

It is a call directed specifically at the faith community, but especially now with Earth Day that is coming and with the growing need to fight climate change, it's time for both believers and non-believers to hear it (or read it in this case..).

Our book for today is:

Gardening Eden: How Creation Care Will Change Your Faith, Your Life, and Our World

Authors: Michael Abbaté
A nationally recognized expert in “green” development strategies, Mike Abbaté is a founder of GreenWorks, an award-winning landscape architecture design firm. He frequently speaks to students and leaders about practical ways to minimize the impact of building and landscape design on natural resources. Abbaté’s work has been featured in national magazines such as Metropolis and Landscape Architecture and in many local newspapers and trade publications. He and his wife, Vicki, have two adult daughters and live near Portland , Oregon .

Publisher: WaterBrook Press

Published on: March 2009

What it is about (from the publisher's website):

Before the snake,
the apple,
and the Ten Commandments,
God created a garden…

“Spiritual environmentalism” did not start out as an oxymoron–it was an invitation. Yet today, many believe God’s first job description for humankind has been replaced by other “worthier pursuits”. Why has this simple instruction become so controversial? How does one sort through all the mixed messages? Is changing our lives to save the world really our responsibility–or even possible?

Gardening Eden invites you to consider a new, spiritual perspective to practical environmentalism. The question is not whether our souls find expression and inspiration in our incredible planet, but how best to preserve that fundamental connection.

Green living is no longer a fad - simple lifestyle solutions are now available to everyone. Discover creation care as an act of worship and a call to deeper harmony with our Creator, our fellow gardeners, and our living Earth. Gardening Eden is the primer in how this shift will transform not only our world, but your very soul.

Why you should get it:
Building a bridge between environmentalism and religion makes so much sense to me, given the fact we're talking about what the faith community see as god's creation. And in times when even Pope Benedict XVI is showing great concern about the environment, talking about about "the unbalanced use of energy" in the world and the Vatican city is going green, it should be easier than ever to connect between the dots. But in reality it ain't necessarily so.

Why? Michael Abbaté tries to provide his perspective in his new book and show believers (especially conservative Christians) why the spiritual and the physical should go together. As a Christian and a green expert in the field of green development Abbaté looks like the right person to build this bridge. When he talks about the relationship between god, humans and nature, he is able to combine the two hats he wears and offer a pragmatic and clear vision that is relevant not only to conservative Christians, but to believers worldwide.

This is a very important book, and not only because of its unique perspective, or the 50 great tips on how to "become gardeners of Eden" it includes, but because if spiritual environmentalism will work and will find the key to believers' mind and heart, it can make a real difference for the environmental movement and transfer it into a much more mainstream movement.

So all in all this book is recommended not only to Christians or to believers but to anyone who cares about of our own Eden.

What others are saying about the book?
"For Christians wondering why we should care for God's creation and how to get started, Mike
“Evangelicals will be well informed and morally challenged to tend the garden without being throttled. And, progressives will be thrilled to hear the Christian call to care for the earth. Where was this two decades prior? I give my evangelical and progressive, two green thumbs up!”
–Rev. Leroy Hedman, Georgetown Gospel Chapel, Seattle

“Michael Abbate’s book, Gardening Eden, offers a sound, compelling and practical approach to ‘Creation Care.’ As people seeking to become better ‘gardeners’ ourselves, we appreciated Michael’s style and approach and wholeheartedly recommend this book!”
–-Mike & Danae Yankoski, authors of Under the Overpass


WANT TO WIN A COPY OF THIS BOOK?

On Earth Day, April 22, we will have a special raffle between all of our newsletter subscribers of three great green-themed books, including "Gardening Eden".

The winners will be announced on our blog on April 23. If you're not subscribed yet to our monthly newsletter, it's very easy to do it - all you need to do is to add your email address on the box on the right side of the page saying 'Join Our Email List', click on the word 'join' and that's it.

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
www.ecolibris.net