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February 2011
With the increasing popularity of e-readers many may be considering making the transition from old fashioned books to e-readers. Because books are paper-based it may seem that e-readers are the way to go: less paper = more trees = less carbon emission, right? But not so fast! When comparing the two on their environmental impact we really need to look at how they’re made. Both use carbon in their production, but the production of an e-reader uses significantly more carbon than the production of a book. The question then becomes how much do you read? A study reported by the New York Times estimates that the carbon production of an average e-reader is equal to that of 23 books per year. If you’re only reading a couple of books a year than stick with the books. If you’re an avid reader, reading more than 23 books a year, go with the e-reader. Wildcard: What about the library? Sure, your car produces carbon as you travel there. But you could make the trip as a part of other errands and pick up a couple books while you’re there and return them when you’re in the area again. Ultimately, the library is the greenest book option. Library books are read by several people, making their carbon output tiny compared to the purchasing of books by inviduals.
Conservation Tip Archives:February 2011 Tip |
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The Reader’s Dilemma: Books or E-reader? |
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