The US book and magazine industry was responsible for the felling of 125 million trees in 2008. A lot of publishing firms are environmentally conscious and use responsibly sourced wood pulp for their paper. In plain English, they plant a tree for every one they harvest. However, not all do this and even those who do generally fail to take account of the huge quantities of water and thermal energy used in the paper making process.
The carbon footprint of the average book is 7.5 kg of CO2 during its lifetime. However, if you drive to the bookstore in your car, buy your book, and then drive home again, the carbon footprint of that book is increased by a factor of two. It’s amazing how relatively small actions like this make such a difference.
So it should be no surprise to learn that electronic book readers – such as the Amazon Kindle – are kinder to the environment. Apart from the fact that no paper, ink or water are used in the production of electronic books, the delivery method – download from the internet using either standard connection or 3G wireless technology – is much more environmentally friendly.
Of course, it would be wrong to suggest that e-book readers have no environmental impact. Clearly they consume both energy and materials in the course of the manufacturing process of the reader device. They also need electrical power to work. However, even taking these factors into consideration, they are still much better for the environment than the continued use of traditional printed books, magazines and newspapers.
It is estimated that in 2009, e-book readers will be “carbon neutral” – the CO2 saved by the use of electronic media will almost exactly balance the CO2 used to manufacture and power the devices. In the near future, as usage of e-book readers grows, the manufacture and operating “cost” will be more than outweighed by the savings gained by avoiding the production, processing and distribution of traditional paper based books and magazines.
The majority of people will purchase their Kindle reader based on the fact that it’s convenient, trendy and that it offers a way for them to save money on books. The fact that it’s better for the environment may only be a secondary consideration for many – even so, it will have a very positive impact in the future.
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