Ethical choices: e-reader or books?

Whilst I was in Seattle a few months ago I had the chance to speak to a few independent bookstore owners to ask them what they thought about sustainability, green living and books. What came out of that conversation was very insightful. It is old but still infortunate news that independent bookstores are a dying breed hastened by the arrival of big retailers, Amazon and now the e-reader.

The Cleantech Group reckons that the Kindle is the greener way to read.  According to them a Kindle is responsible for 168 kq of CO2 over its lifetime. Replacing three physical books a month for four years with Kindle books will save 1,074 kg of CO2.

Many bookstore owners are focusing on providing a more niche stock that the bigger retailers are unable to provide - for instance they showcase books on poetry, classics, first editions - some of those books which a Kindle cannot replace. The owner of Globe Bookstore on Seattle's First Avenue reckons that books will soon become a "luxury item" - the way they were when publishing first started when only the rich could afford them. This he says is the inexplicable result of the technological advancement when it comes to the way we read. Whilst cutting down trees to publish books is not a good thing - there are many books which have been printed on FSC sources, recycled paper etc

There are still 180,000 books being published in the US every year. People still buy over 3 billion books a year. Many leading publishing houses have made an effort to increase the recycled paper content of their books. The Book Industry Environmental Council announced last year that it has set goals for cutting the U.S. book industry's greenhouse gas emissions in 20% by 2020.

At the end of the life of an e-reader it will have to recycled in a responsible manner for it to still maintain its 'green' credentials. The ethical consumer does worry about the carbon footprint of books, but this can be reduced in many ways - by joining a lending library, by borrowing books from friends, buying second hand etc. Once you've read a book you can pass on the joy by donating it to your library, local charities, hospitals etc or giving it to your friends.

Everyday out eyes are assaulted from the electronic realm - television, computers, cellphones etc. Reading a book has been proven to be kinder on the eyes and reduces eye strain. As someone who doesn't buy a lot of books but prefers to borrow instead, I prefer a book any day over an e-reader. With all the new sustainable initiatives the publishing industry is aiming for, reading a book may well fit into your idea of green living.

Books are not something that is going to die out any time soon. They still have a revered place in society and provide a degree of comfort to the reader. There are certain aspects of a book that the e-reader can never provide - that 'book smell' for one thing and who's ever heard of curling up in front of the fire with a good Kindle??

Photo: Akhila Vijayaraghavan ©