How to Be a Green Reader

As the awareness of global warming grows we are realizing it is time to change the way we do things: from transportation to entertainment we need to stop the negative impact our consumer driven lives have on the planet. Paper consumption is one of the areas we need to change the most. Paper is made from trees and trees are our number one defense against global warming. One way we can lower our paper consumption is by becoming green readers.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Get a library card. The library is green because you can check out books, read magazines, even check out CDs and DVDs...without spending a dime. When you are done you just take them back, no clutter piling up in your home, no need to try to sell them on eBay, you don't have to throw them away or recycle them. They go on to the next person who wants to use them instead of a landfill.

2. Swap your books. Start a local book swap in your area or try out an online book swap program like SwapTree.

3. Buy and sell used books. Check out local used book stores or eBay and Amazon.com, all places that you can purchase used books or sell the books you are finished with.

4. Give ebooks a try. Ebooks started out with small independent publishers that published material conventional publishers wouldn't touch, but now in addition to all the indie presses offering e-books, the big guys are offering digital books too. You can find most books in both forms now, including those books that make the best seller lists. New technology is in development to make ebook readers more like the experience of reading a real book. Right now you have Amazon's Kindle reader and a host of other handheld ebook readers along with the ability of reading on your desk computer or laptop.

5. Go digital with your newspapers and magazines, too. Even if you just cut one or two of your paper subscriptions and switched to digital you'll be making a big difference. Almost all magazines and newspapers have online versions these days; some are free, some you have to pay for. Currently you can get a free digital magazine subscription from The Read Green Initiative powered by Zinio, the leading distributor of digital magazines.

6. Tell publishers to print on recycled paper. If you are one of the millions of people that have a love affair with the printed word, tell publishers you want to keep reading printed books and magazines, but only if they are printed on recycled or tree-free paper. If everyone supports efforts to go green, businesses will take responsibility and green their ways.

7. Donate or recycle all your old books and magazines. Never, ever throw away a book. If it is still in good shape donate it to a worthwhile charity. If it is totally trashed, at least recycle it. Magazines can also be donated. Sometimes libraries, especially school libraries, will accept magazines. Elementary schools will sometimes take them to be used in school projects. If you can't find a home for the magazines please recycle them. Newspapers are also recyclable.

Tips & Warnings

• If everyone does their part to become a greener reader, hundreds and thousands of trees can be saved every year.
• If you get ebooks or digital magazines, don't print stuff out. That defeats the purpose of going digital.

Resources

• Swap Tree
• The Read Green Initiative