During 2008 the US book and magazine industry sector was responsible for the felling of 125 million trees. A lot of publishers are environmentally aware and use responsibly sourced wood pulp for their paper. In plain English, they plant a tree for every one they chop down. However, not all do this and even those who do often omit to take account of the enormous quantities of water and thermal energy used during the paper making process.
The carbon footprint of the typical book is 7.5 kg of CO2 during its lifetime. However, if you hop into your car, drive to the bookstore to pick up your book, and then drive home again, the carbon footprint of your book is doubled. It’s incredible how comparatively small actions like this make such a difference.
So it should be no surprise to learn that digital book readers – such as the Amazon Kindle – are kinder to the environment. Besides the fact that no paper, ink or water are used in the production of electronic books, the delivery method – download from the internet employing either standard connection or 3G wireless technology – is much more environmentally friendly.
However, it would be wrong to imply that e-book readers have no environmental impact. Clearly they consume both materials and energy in the course of the manufacturing process of the reader device. They also require electrical power to operate. However, even taking these factors into consideration, they are still much better for the environment than the continued use of conventional printed books, magazines and newspapers.
It is estimated that in 2009, e-book readers will be “carbon neutral” – the CO2 saved by using digital media will almost exactly balance the CO2 used to produce and power the devices. Thereafter, as usage increases, the manufacture and operating “cost” will be more than offset by the savings [spin|gained|obtained[/spin] by avoiding the production and distribution of traditional paper based books and magazines.
Most of people will buy 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 be no more than a secondary consideration for many – even so, it will have a very positive effect in the future.