As an avid reader and conscientious consumer, I am interested in aligning my book-buying habits with environmental values. What is the most eco-friendly way to read books?
Asked by Lucia Constantine, '10, Palo Alto, Calif.
I am the ultimate bookworm. Whole rooms in my basement are full of them, and I love libraries with their seemingly endless supply of new reading material. But books are made of paper, which as you probably already know, comes from trees. And cutting all those trees down definitely has a negative environmental impact. E-readers seem to offer an ideal alternative to paper books while simultaneously solving the issue of where to physically put them in your house, but it turns out that unless you read more than four books a month, it’s probably more eco-friendly to stick with your good old paperback. If you are curious as to that breakdown, check out the Nitty-gritty answer.
In our consumerist culture, it's all too easy to forget that sometimes the greenest thing we can do is to not buy something new. There are plenty of other wonderful options for getting your hands on books you haven't read before:
The Library - Getting a library card is free and easy. You can't keep the books, but this option is eco-friendly, and free (unless you don't return your books on time). Libraries also periodically sell off old books if you are interested in owning a copy.
Second-hand Book Store - These stores are a great way to get books cheaply; they also often have rare books. As a plus, most of these stores are locally owned. The stock is always in flux, so every time you visit the store is a new adventure. Some second-hand book stores also keep accounts, so if you bring in books to sell, they can give you cash or store credit toward books you would like to purchase. The drawback here is that it may be hard to find new or very popular titles.
A Book Swap Website - These websites are relatively new, but catching on fast. The idea is that if you've got books you'd be willing to part with, and have other titles you'd like to read, other people probably feel the same way. A book swap website like paperbackbookswap.com links you to a great big network of people who have books they'd like to trade. You post the books you are willing to trade away, and mail them to a fellow user when they request the book. In exchange, you can request books from other users. Check out this “how to” if you are intrigued.
Online Bookstore - If you've absolutely got to have it new, order it online—conventional bookstores are super inefficient. As this article explains, bookstores stock many more books than they can sell. Between one-quarter and one-third of a bookstore's volumes will ultimately be shipped back to the publisher and on to recycling centers or landfills. The carbon footprint of the average book purchased in a bookstore is more than twice the overall average for books.
Happy Reading!
Acata Felton, '12, is a biology major.
