5 Ways to Promote Sustainable Reading

By Courtney Phillips

Reading is a gift that many people take for granted and the availability of books for the masses is something that wasn’t always the norm. Over the course of many years, the book industry has made a significant dent in forests the world over. Although it may be considered a noble cause, there are a few things you can do to help repair the damage or make sure that you aren’t adding to the problem.

Donate to Ecolibris

Over the course of your life, you have no doubt read hundreds of books and periodicals. Ecolibris can help you by taking your donations to help repopulate forests so that we have renewable resources with which to print more books in the future. We cannot keep taking without giving back. Each dollar that you donate helps plant one tree—and you can track the progress of the saplings planted by fellow donors on the blog.

Buy Used Books

Whether it’s at your local used bookstore or online at Amazon or Half.com, there are millions of books out there just waiting to find a good home. Often, people simply read the books once (or not at all) and sell them for a fraction of the price or donate them. Places like Goodwill and the Salvation Army have books as well, and the proceeds go toward helping people in your community.

Trade

With meet-ups becoming the newest segue between the web 2.0 and the real world, there are many groups forming regarding books. From discussion groups to trading circles, people are getting together because of books. Check in your community for meet-up spots and other boo-related groups. You don’t always have to trade for good, but be willing to share and you may find something new that suits your interests as well.

Libraries

Remember those places filled with nooks that are increasingly empty because of the web? Libraries tend to carry the latest books and are usual full of classics and hidden treasures. In larger cities, branch libraries abound and there are many adventures to be had among the stacks. Some libraries sell old or donated books as well. Go get your card renewed and start checking out what’s available.

EBooks

Everything else is available on the internet, and books are no exception. Downloading eBooks is easy, less expensive than a first-edition hardback, and doesn’t use any paper whatsoever. Amazon.com even has an eBook reader called a Kindle that is low-glare and supposedly just as easy as reading a book. While eBooks may not have the same aesthetic qualities, they certainly do contribute to sustainability.

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