This year we're celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. We thought how we could contribute to this great celebration and decided to prepare a list of 40 things you can do to green up your reading, hoping it would be of assistance to all the eco-conscious readers out there. We hope you will find this list useful and that you will get back to it whenever you look for ideas on how to make your reading more eco-friendly. So here we go:
40 Ways to Green Your Reading
1. Join your local library
2. Share books with friends
3. Buy from local independent bookstores (if you can't walk or bike there, purchase online)
4. Download audiobooks
5. Check out BookMooch for worldwide book swapping.
6. Buy books that are printed on recycled or FSC-certified paper
7. Use BookSwim, the 1st Netflix-style online book rental service
8. Support book publishers and authors who partner with Eco-libris
9. Read books online by daily email and RSS feed at DailyLit
10. If you're an avid reader, e-books are probably a preferred alternative from an environmental perspective.
11. Join a book club and share your green insights and ideas with others
12. Buy used books
13. Rent textbooks
14. Donate books you don't want to keep anymore
15. Read books on your mobile phone
16. Look for books on Freecycle
17. If you search books on Chapters.Indigo.ca website, you can filter books that are printed on FSC/recycled paper.
18. Learn more about the debate if e-Books are greener than physical books
19. Support publishers who are members of the Green Press Initiative
20. Use a reusable shopping bag while buying books in bookstores
21. Buy new and used books at Better World Books
22. Exchange books on neighborrow
23. Buy books that are printed using print on demand technology
24. Support authors who are committed to the environment
25. Not sure which eReader is your best green choice? go with the iPad.
26. Download individual chapters if you don't want to read the whole book
27. Buy from publishers who established environmental policies.
28. Prefer bookmarks with seeds
29. Prefer publishers with green educational programs
30. Visit bookstores that collaborate with Eco-Libris
31. Buy from publishers focused on the fields of ecology and a sustainable future
32. Follow the example of President Obama and buy books to your kids on independent bookstores
33. Buy books that promote greater understanding of green issues, especially for children.
34. Use twitter and facebook to tell your favorite green authors how you appreciate their efforts to go green
35. Buy from authors who are self-publishing books with green content
36. Share information on green books you read with other readers on Goodreads
37. Support publishers that for them every day is Earth Day
38. Enjoy outdoor reading
39. Follow virtual book tours
40. Plant a tree with Eco-Libris for every book you read!
Happy Earth Day!
Raz @ Eco-Libris
Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading
