Eco-Nature Care™

I’ve always been an avid reader but I have mixed feelings about the Amazon Kindle and other electronic readers. Industry reports allege that e-readers make up only 1% of book sales but proponents believe that these readers are going to replace traditional paper “pulp” books.

I can certainly see the readers being advantageous if you travel a lot or if your at-capacity Kindle full of 1,500 books would count as the “one book you would bring to a desert island” but I cannot imagine choosing to read from a screen instead of holding the actual pulp book in bed at night or outside in a hammock. Apparently the technology is supposed to counteract glare so you can read anywhere but there is something beautiful in the simplicity of pulp books. Bibliophiles will attest to the sensuality of feeling the pages between your fingers and the comforting scent of old books. No matter how advanced the graphic quality, these tangible qualities cannot be replicated. 

I applaud the effort of preventing deforestation (an argument for said readers) but there are other options besides purchasing all-new material bleached paper books or dropping over $350 (plus at least $9.99 per book).

Option 1: I have seen (and own) books that are made of 100% post-consumer recycled paper. No new trees need to be destroyed and we can still purchase pristine copies of paper books. 

Option 2: We can buy used books (sometimes even in like new condition) from retailers on Amazon.com, Half.com, and Powells Books. In Portland we are spoiled by the largest independently owned book store in the nation (Powell’s City of Books) — so many new and used books, that is several stories high and occupies an entire city block. You can also check them out online at Powellsbooks.com. It’s a great way to reuse and recycle — you can even sell books you no longer want and use the cash to exchange for new titles. 

Option 3: You can only read public domain works on sites like Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page from your computer. You get the experience of e-reading without spending any money or wasting paper but your titles are limited and depending on your computer you have limited mobility. (These titles can also be read on e-readers like Kindle but you need to actually buy a Kindle in order to do this)

Option 4: My favorite solution: the public library. You get the joys of printed pulpy text without spending a dime. My library lets me check out 50 titles at a time. Sure, I can’t simultaneously cart all these titles around in my purse like I could with a Kindle but it’s eco-friendly, gives me the satisfaction of the page, and is FREE! 

Yes, I am biased. I love my library. I have a bumper sticker on my hybrid that says so. I want to eventually study library science in graduate school. Libraries and librarianship are as much about technology as they are books. I am certainly not opposed to technology (I AM writing this in a blog) but I think sometimes we forget about the really obvious solutions that are in front of us. Buying used books and going to the library are great ways to help save the planet and feed your mind without emptying your wallet.

Marissa