Be it a summer beach read or a classic novel during winter hibernation, books can be great companions. Even if you’re reading “Silent Spring,” however, new books aren’t a great friend to the environment. A study released last year calculated the publishing industry’s 2006 carbon footprint at 12.4 million tons and found that each new book you buy makes your own footprint 8.85 pounds heavier.
Fortunately there’s plenty of ways to read heavily and still tread lightly.
The obvious option is your local library. Borrow, don’t buy! The only thing standing between you and a well-worn copy of Catcher in the Rye is a library card. I know obtaining said card sometimes seems more difficult than applying for a job with the CIA, but usually all you need is proof of residence and the fortitude to withstand the evil librarian glare. Borrowing books is the whole point of the library. Use it.
If you prefer to avoid late fees and have the book all to your very own, try an online book swap site like SwapTree, PaperBackSwap or BookMooch. Each site operates a little differently, but the gist is the same: Just sign up online and post what you have to swap. The service is free; all you pay is the postage.
Once someone requests a trade on PaperBackSwap or BookMooch, you send off your book in the mail and a receive a credit, which you can redeem for whatever book you want. SwapTree facilitates direct one-to-one or three-way trading, so you’ll also need to post what you’re looking for on this site, so its “super smart algorithm” can find you someone to trade with. On Swaptree, you also have the added bonus of swapping CDs, DVDs and video games interchangeably if you don’t have any good books to trade.
If you’re not willing to part with any of your own books, you can always buy a used copy. Visit your local used book store or buy a used book online from BetterWorldBooks. This site sells new and used books to benefit non-profit literacy programs, collects unwanted books from colleges and libraries, recycles any book it can’t sell or donate and offsets the carbon footprint of its shipping. Did I mention they ship anywhere in the U.S. for free? If that site doesn’t have a used copy of the book you’re looking for, eBay or Amazon will probably will, but try to buy it from as local as possible to reduce shipping distance.
As a last resort, if you’re going to buy a new book, try to buy one printed on recycled paper. Currently only 5% of the paper in books is recycled, but publishing houses have committed to increasing that figure, with Random House aiming to print 30% of its titles on recycled paper by 2010.
The bottom line for greening your reading habits is to read used books, and to do it as locally as possible. Don’t swap for a book thousands of miles away when you can borrow it from your library or your neighbor.
