Hi everyone!
I’m attending BEA this week and blogging it for you all…the book lovers! BEA stands for Book Expo America and is basically a big event where the publishers push all their new titles for the Fall to booksellers and librarians. It’s overwhelming, but amazingly good fun.
I’m a nerd of the first order and so I just love to be around book lovers. It makes me very happy. When I received a press release that Green Press Initiative would be hosting panels on the book industry and climate change I was really interested in seeing what would be said. Let’s face it, I probably have a few dozen trees shaped like books in my house and always feel a bit guilty about the paper that makes books.
I have to admit I was incredibly impressed by the measures some of the publishing companies are taking to combat global warming. I don’t think they are really doing anything where I work, so perhaps I’m easily impressed!
What they names as being the major problem was inertia. Isn’t that always the problem?
New World Publishing spoke first on what they are doing and I thought there were some really cool things. For example, they use solar power, encourage their employees to use public transportation, carpool, or bike and they always print on both sides of the paper in the office. It’s such a simple thing, but I think it helps the environment incredibly! Furthermore, they actually have an employee who started composting for them! One of their future goals is to put up window awnings to help reduce the use of air conditioners. I just think it’s so interesting how we can do all these little things help our planet.
Random House spoke next and I have to admit I found a lot of wisdom in what they said about how first you need to know what impact you are currently having. I think it helps to view things in light of a big picture and know what changes you can make. It was encouraging to me that their environmental program has been really popular amongst their employees and they are seeing some financial benefit as well.
One thing the panel discussed is that if China and India don’t get on board with working to avert climate change, there is no point in all of our efforts. (someone brought up this question) The rep from Powell’s bookstore said, if nothing else, we need to serve as a moral model. Good word!
For more information on this issue, you can visit Green Press Initiative.
More tomorrow!
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