The number of trees cut down annually for the production of books sold in the U.S. is now estimated in 30 million trees, an increase of 10 million trees from the last estimate. Why is that and is the book industry going forward or backwards?
The number of trees cut down to print books in the U.S. is growing to 30 million
The number of trees cut down to print books in the U.S. is growing to 30 million
(via ecolibris.blogspot.com)
Submitted by raz_g on Sun, 2008-09-07 05:10.
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I posted this comment on
I posted this comment on Eco-libris, but I think it's worth pasting here so it can reach as wide an audience as possible in the hope that other authors and publishers might learn something and take steps to address this situation.
It is shocking just how many trees are used by the publishing industry.
That said, publishers can do more, if they so choose.
For example, my novel 'What if...?' was produced under the Green Press Initiative which uses recycled paper. It has a little plaque at the front telling readers what was saved by doing this:
16 trees (40 foot tall by 8 inch diameter)
6583 gallons of waste water
2648 kilowatt hours of electricity
726lbs of solid waste
1426lbs of greenhouse gases
I know some publishers and authors will be wary of using recycled paper but there's really no need. The quality of the paper is outstanding. It has a good texture, nice heft, and excellent colour. In fact, it's far superior to many books published using 'traditional' methods.
I really do hope we can educate more publishers on the need to adapt and the options available.
Good post, Raz. thanks,
Steve N. Lee
author of eco-blog http://www.lionsledbysheep.com
and suspense thriller 'What if...?' http://www.steve-n-lee.com