Funds Raised for Global Literacy:
$4,856,147.00
Books Saved From Landfills:
13,498,011

Show Us Some Love, Library Edition

Posted by admin on 09.16.2008 at 2:29 pm

Library Journal, the most respected of periodicals about the business of libraries just posted an article on LibraryJournal.com called “Green Weeding: promoting eco-friendly options for library discards.”  Within the article, check out the following:

…and Better World Books (whose Dustin Holland was a 2007 LJ Mover & Shaker) are two of today’s most popular discard solutions. Both help libraries make the most of the marketing principles of the long tail, as coined by Wired magazine’s Chris Anderson, wherein obscure titles are able to find a larger audience owing to the efficiencies of e-commerce.

…contributors to Better World Books are pleased with the results. “The Brooklyn Public Library sees a real value in this relationship and has been more than happy with the revenues it generates,” over $155,000 since 2005, says Barbara Genco, director of collection development. Western Kentucky University Libraries, Bowling Green, succeeded in building a $200 Alibris credit over a two-year period. Southwestern University earned $300 with Better World Books during the 2006–07 academic year.

Thanks, Library Journal!  We do our best to bring libraries the best value while providing a much needed service.

Have your say » | Tagged Show Us Some Love, , , , ,

Green is the New Black

Posted by admin on 08.04.2008 at 10:32 am

With green as the new black, will the fashion police be able to keep up?

What is Green Washing?  Simply put it is the misleading/untrue statements to suggest a product is of some benefit or reduced impact to the environment.  Much like a light beer being marketed to athletes or a smoothie loaded down with high fructose corn syrup; the benefits are not there when you scratch below the surface.

A 1990 study by the Federal Trade Commission found that the buzz words “environmentally friendly”, “ozone friendly” and “degradable” have no scientific basis.  They also lay out guidelines for proper truth in advertising when referencing your environmental claims.  They are:

  • Environmental claims should be as specific as possible, not general, vague, incomplete or overly broad.
  • Environmental claims relating to disposability (e.g., “degradable” or “recyclable”) should not be made unless the advertised disposal option is currently available to consumers in the area in which the product is sold and the product complies with the requirements of the relevant waste disposal programs.
  • Environmental claims should be substantive.
  • Environmental claims should, of course, be supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence.

Better World Books recognizes these trends in Green Marketing.  Green Washing has pervaded the industry so much that consumers are growing skeptical of any claims that aren’t substantiated.  That’s why we are working to publish a report that will detail exactly what environmentally sustainable choices we have made to lessen our overall impact.  We are sure that we are environmentally responsible but would like to assess the true impact of the choices we have made to determine what we can do in the pursuit of a certifiable environmentally sustainable business model.  Stay tuned for more updates as we have already collected a wealth of sources and data to begin the assessment.  We will definitely provide updates through one or more of our external communications (i.e. blog, newsletter, website).

1 Comment » | Tagged Uncategorized, , ,

Erin’s Earth Day 2008

Posted by admin on 04.21.2008 at 2:00 pm

I started my Earth Day celebration a little early this year. On Saturday morning, I woke up early and met up with my Better World Books colleagues and friends at Rose Circle Park for a volunteer opportunity with Trees Atlanta, a local non-profit dedicated to “protecting and improving our urban environment by planting and conserving trees.” Robby, the representative with Trees Atlanta put us to work mulching trees in the park. Mulching, I learned, is a great way to protect trees as it helps to retain moisture in draught conditions, deters runoff and evaporation, and it helps to protect the root system of a tree from lawnmowers and weed eaters. It’s also relatively inexpensive and the finished project looks great. We spent our morning filling and carrying buckets with mulch to be spread three to four inches deep around the plant canopies. It was hard work (I have the sore feet and muscles to prove it), but well worth the effort!

As an added bonus, Dustin and Nicole brought Cairo along to supervise. As you can see, she did a great job of making sure everything ran smoothly.

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, ,

Note to Self, Buy Candles for 2009…

Posted by admin on 04.07.2008 at 12:12 pm

So, a couple of weeks ago, the Better World Books list servs were on fire with reminders about Earth Hour (If you haven’t heard of it, Earth Hour started in Australia in 2007. 2.2 million people and 2100 businesses in Sydney decreased the town’s energy usage by 10.2% by turning off non-essential lights for one hour).

I was revved for the newest of alternative holidays and had a bunch of folks were over to enjoy a nice candlelit dinner between 8-9, central time.  I turned out every light, unplugged each appliance, followed the instructions to a T.  I even unplugged things like unused phone chargers – no energy seepage allowed.  Once the house was dark and we were ready to go, it turned out that in my whole house – seriously the whole house — there was only one candle.  Oops…  So, our candlelit dinner was the darkest candlelit dinner of my life.  Dark like “How far is the fork from my mouth?” dark.  Next year, I will have enough candles that folks walking past will think there is a raging fire inside my house.

Our participation stemmed from all the e-mails that circulated here at Better World Books (word of mouth is always the best form of promotion).  That got me wondering how many other folks participated this year.  I can’t find any real estimates of bodies involved, but I do know (from Earth Hour’s website) that in 2008, 38 countries participated in Earth Hour!

Among these were both Canada and the US, and get this: 146 cities in 12 of the 13 Canadian provinces participated!  This then made me realize that since the Rocky Mountain Region was expanded to include Canada, I’ve communicated with so many generous, globally conscious students and bookstores that of course Canada would have rockstar representation.

So, my point: If Sydney can reduce energy usage by 10.2% in one hour, imagine the awesome results of having 38 countries involved!  Imagine the results of just the 146 cities in Canada!

There are 1000s of easy ways to help keep our planet green, but Earth Hour is a crazy easy way to support a greener globe. So, spread the word to your friends and family that Earth Hour 2009 starts at 8 p.m. local time in roughly 356 days.  While spreading the word, remind your loved-ones to buy some candles.

The Earth Hour website highlights some energy saving tips for your home/school/work life — but our purchasing habits are another great place to make a difference!  All the books you buy from Betterworld.com are shipped to you carbon neutral and most of them are used; so buy a book, save some trees, reduce some carbon outputs – hooray!

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, ,

Green Reading

Posted by Jack on 02.27.2008 at 1:48 pm

Check it out, Wake Up and Smell the Planet is exactly what it says: “The Non-pompous, Non-Preachy Grist Guide to Greening Your Day.  Like most things Grist the book values the balance of utility and humor making it less an on the soapbox indictment and more an on the bedstand read.  Great reviews from anyone who has read it and add one more from me.  Check it out at www.betterworld.com by clicking the cover.

Have your say » | Tagged Book Reviews, , ,

Coal Village / Sustainable Town

Posted by admin on 02.15.2008 at 9:09 am


Photo courtesy of the Guardian (guardian.co.uk)

Over at Treehugger there’s an article about a town in the UK that switched from being a Coal plant village to a sustainable town, check it out:

“‘We used to say ‘where there’s muck there’s brass’ but we’d had enough muck when mining came to an end,’ says Stan Crawford, the former president of the National Union of Mineworkers in Nottinghamshire, who heads the group’s remarkable creation, Sherwood Energy Village.

Looking out over wind turbines, ponds and modern offices angled to trap sunlight, he can now count 600 jobs on the site, as many as when Ollerton colliery finally closed in 1995.

‘We knew two other things back then: that we wanted a diverse economy, after years of the pit for the men and the clothes factory for the women, and we didn’t want anyone else imposing our future on us,’ says Crawford.

The energy village also includes rainwater harvesting, and is currently the construction site for some 196 sustainable homes. The project has been so successful that it has won the Silver Jubilee Cup, the Royal Town Planning Institute’s highest award.”

It can be done, folks.  We can convert to more sustainable sources of energy, the question is, what are you doing to affect the change?

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, , ,

Clean/Green

Posted by admin on 02.08.2008 at 1:08 pm

Sure I showed you where you can check out how the presidential candidates feel about the environment but environmental change doesn’t start with your vote, it starts with your home and work.  Try these facts on for size:

1. 17,000: the number of petrochemicals available for home use, only 30% of which have been tested for exposure to human health and the environment.

2. 63: the number of synthetic chemical products found in the average American home, translating to roughly 10 gallons of harmful chemicals.

3. 100: the number of times higher that indoor air pollution levels can be above outdoor air pollution levels, according to US EPA estimates.

4. 275: the number of active ingredients in antimicrobials (those little hand cleansers like Purell) that the EPA classifies as pesticides because they are designed to kill microbes.

5. 5 billion: the number of pounds of chemicals that the institutional cleaning industry uses each year.

6. 23: the average gallons in chemicals (87 liters) that a janitor uses each year, 25% of which are hazardous.

Eye opening, right?  Check out this article at Treehugger for more information and what you can do to make changes in your green cleaning.  Considering last night I saw a Clorox commercial on ESPN for an all green cleaner (during that great Illinois v Indiana game) you can be certain that this isn’t just a small industry anymore either.  Get on board!

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, , ,

Grading the Candidates

Posted by admin on 01.29.2008 at 10:38 am

Tom Konrad, a financial analyst specializing in renewable energy and energy efficiency companies, has a good article over at Grist concerning the Presidential candidates on their policies and talk of environmental policy.  Tom gets somewhat bogged down by his “If I Were President” excerpt, but his grades are interesting and important to anyone who cares for the environment considering the primary policy creator in the USA for the following four years is in question.

Check it out.

Or check out the more aesthetically pleasing and more comprehensive version, spurred on by Tom’s ideas.

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, , , ,

Green for All Initiative

Posted by admin on 10.03.2007 at 7:35 am

I am excited to share with you some news regarding Better World Books’ support of “Green for All”.   See this from Brad Weirich, Employee Development Manager, who will be involved with this effort going forward (representing Better World Books):

Green for All, a new campaign focused on bringing “green collar” jobs to urban areas, launched on Friday, September 26th, at the Clinton Global Initiative.  The group, created by Van Jones, Co-Founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, seeks to capitalize on the exploding green economy while ensuring that the coming green economic wave impacts on more than one level.

The Green for All campaign is a bold effort to harness the growing power of the green economic revolution to fight the war on poverty.  By securing job training for 250,000 workers from urban communities for the emerging green job market, the program will provide new avenues of opportunity for those who have traditionally been left behind by the nation’s economic growth.

Green for All was launched with the support of over 200 businesses and organizations, including Better World Books.

If you would like to see the full press release, please go here

Have your say » | Tagged Dispatches from the Green House, Impact, , , ,

Shop BetterWorldBooks.com