8 Easy Ways to Green Your Reading and Read Your Greening

With the possible exception of the bicycle, written language may be humanity's best invention. That said, today's readers have a little more responsibility than those in the sea scroll days because they must also factor in ways to green their habit. Why? To begin with, every 30 seconds, a book is published somewhere in the world. The rest of the numbers are just as mind-boggling. For example: Over 4 gallons of water are used to create a single book. The pulp and paper industry ranks third on the list of largest industrial greenhouse emitters. Forty percent of landfilled solid waste is paper. In 2006, 3.086 billion books were sold in the U.S. and 4.15 billion were produced with 1.6 million metric tons of paper?only 5% of which was recycled. Plus, reports of the written word's demise are greatly exaggerated. Factoid: 81% of Americans feel they should write a book.

In other words, how you buy books and what you do with those books after reading them are two practices worth a closer look. Another critical concern: which books on what topics are you buying and sharing? From Common Sense to Uncle Tom's Cabin to Unsafe at Any Speed, books have always had the potential to inspire and provoke. With that noble mission in mind, here are...

8 Easy Ways to Green Your Reading and Read Your Greening

1. Vote with your green dollar:

When you buy books with a powerful, urgent, green message, you not only educate yourself (and potentially others), you also let publishers know that there is a viable market for such eco-material.

Some suggestions to get you started:

- Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson

- Nuclear Madness: What You Can Do, by Helen Caldicott

- As The World Burns: 50 Things You Can Do To Stay In Denial, by Derrick Jensen and Stephanie McMillan

- Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World, by John Robbins - Dying from Dioxin: A Citizen's Guide to Reclaiming Our Health and Rebuilding Democracy, by Lois Gibbs - The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss - Ready, Set, Green 2. Buy used: Or should we say "pre-read"? Euphemisms aside, browsing thrift shops, used book shops, yard sales, etc. is an excellent way to green your book purchases. In addition, it gets one out of the mindset of always buying new by taking a step away from the insidious consume and dispose cycle. 3. Buy recycled: When choosing a new book, peek inside and see if it's been printed on 100% post consumer waste recycled paper. That's the gold standard when it comes to environmentally friendly paper. An alternative is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper. The FSC is an international non-profit forest certification organization with members from over 70 countries. You read labels when food shopping so why not transfer that skill to the bookstore? 4. Borrow from libraries: This simple concept has worked for an awfully long time and there's no reason to abandon it now. Libraries are also a great place to donate your unwanted books. 5. Borrow from friends: Swap parties are a tried and true method of both creating community and limiting consumption. Make it a fun ritual to exchange a book every time you hang out with friends. After enough of you have read a particular book, it just may be time to set up a discussion. 6. Reuse books: Can you re-imagine your favorite books as readable wallpaper, wrapping paper, even compost? For the crafty folks in the crowd, reusing your books can help you get as artsy as you wanna be. Another option: the fine art of re-gifting. 7. E-books: Short for "electronic book," an e-book is "the digital media equivalent of a conventional printed book. Such documents are usually read on personal computers, or on dedicated hardware devices known as or e-book devices." TreeHugger has the scoop on this emerging trend. 8. Books online: Like just about everything else, you can find many of your favorite books on the Web. Just click and dowload. Laptop, desktop, at work or home?this reading option is flexible but not without its detractors. As always, get the details and decide for yourself. Going back to school? Green the whole experience with Back to School Green