Super Eco

Photo credit: Lin Pernille ♥ Photography on flickr

I have always loved collecting and reading books.

I love the smell of them, the tactile sensation of turning the pages, using a special bookmark to mark my place.

Certain books are like old friends to me. I would never give them up.

But the world of reading is changing and it is important to change with it. To blend the old with the new.

There are so many new and old ways available today to green our read:

1. Book swapping is a great way to make our reading greener. Outside of swapping books with nearby friends and neighbors, websites like PaperBack Swap, BookMooch and Swaptree make it easy expand the swapping circle.
2. Shopping for books at used bookstores is a fun eco-friendly way to expand our library.
3. Donating books that we feel comfortable parting with, books we do not plan on reading again, is a great green idea. Local library, VNA and other fundraisers are a great place to bring our used books.
4. Gifting lightly read books at the holidays and for birthdays is also a very green practice. Including a beautiful bookmark and creatively presenting a used book, can make it a very special gift.
5. Sierra Club suggests eco and nature themed books as a way to green our reading.
6. Support authors and publishers who print on recycled paper and do not support the cutting of old growth forests.
7. Buying used textbooks and then recycling them by reselling or donating them is a great economical and green practice for students. Using online textbooks is a great choice as well.
8. Using our local Public Library is a very green practice.
9. There is some question as to how green the Kindle device is and according to this article in The Chic Ecologist "it is if you use it enough".

Happy green reading!