Green Options

Last September we announced on our collaboration with Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing in an educational contest - I CAN SAVE THE EARTH!. This was in a celebration of their new line of eco-friendly children’s books, Little Green Books (if you want to know who won the contest and their stories, check out our blog next week!)

We’re covering all the Little Green Books and today we have the pleasure to present you with a book with the most optimistic and positive name you can think about.

Our book for today is:

I Can Save the Earth!

Author: Alison Inches

Illustrated by: Viviana Garofoli

Ages: 4 - 6

Description: Meet Max the Little Monster. He is a cute, furry green monster who is an environmental nightmare. Among other things, he leaves on all the lights, keeps his computer plugged in, blasts the TV, hoards his old toys and uses so much toilet paper it clogs the toilet until finally, his excessive ways cause a power outage.

Ecobrain, a green publishing company offers ebooks, the ideal green reading choice. Ebooks can be instantly downloaded to your desktop. Ecobrain has a series of ebooks that make ideal reading for Ecopreneurs.

EcoBrain.com offers thousands of other titles about or relating to the environment. Their genres include environment, sustainable living, cookbooks, biographies, kids’ books, how-to guides, green architecture titles, organic gardening, composting, fiction and more.

This post was originally published on Eco-Libris blog on November 3rd.

Last September we announced on our collaboration with Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing in an educational contest - I CAN SAVE THE EARTH!. This was in a celebration of their new line of eco-friendly children’s books, Little Green Books.

During the time of the contest (you can participate until December 1st, 2008 - see more details here) we review the first four books that were published so far. So far we reviewed Little Monkey and Little Panda, and today we have the pleasure to present you with the third green little book.

Our book for today is: The Polar Bears’ Home: A Story About Global Warming

Author: Lara Bergen

Illustrated by: Vincent Nguyen

Ages: 4 - 6

Description: Come along on an Arctic adventure with a little girl and her father and learn all about polar bears! This 8 x 8 storybook shows how global warming affects two baby polar bear cubs and their family. Includes tips for kids on what they can do to help slow down global warming. This 8 x 8 paperback book is perfect-bound and will be printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper with soy-ink. The paper is FSC certified.

EcoBrain, a seller of environmentally focused digital books, has a new deal for members who sign up by Nov. 1: a $5 credit toward any title in their collection. With dozens upon dozens of books available for less than $5, that amounts to a free e-book or two.

Among the books you could get for free if you sign up for the credit: Basic Bread Baking; Bird Food Recipes; Build Your Own Underground Root Cellar; Growing Herbs for Flu & Cold Relief; Helping Orphaned or Injured Wild Birds; Jams, Jellies and More; Simple Home Repairs; and Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. And, actually, because a fair number of titles cost $2 or less, you could get two books for free with the credit.

This post was originally posted on Eco-Libris blog on August 17.

Today we have the pleasure to interview Madeline Kaplan, author of Planet Earth Gets Well‘.

This book is Madeline Kaplan’s first children’s book, and as we collaborate with her to plant trees for copies sold at the book signing events and at other promotional sales, I wanted to learn more about the book and what led her to publish a green-themed book for children.

Firstly, here’s a little bit background (and a photo): Madeline Kaplan holds a B.A. in English literature and an M.B.A from Baruch College. She has published various business articles, but her three grandchildren inspired the writing of Planet Earth Gets Well, her first children’s book. She lives with her husband in New York and Connecticut.

And now to the interview:

What brought you to write Planet Earth Gets Well?

Becoming a grandparent was a transitional moment for me. When I realized that I would be leaving the planet to my precious grandchildren I thought that I must do something that would hopefully have a lasting effect beyond my own lifetime. My grandchildren love me to read stories to them and it occurred to me that the overwhelming problem of global warming would not be solved in my generation. For that reason, I decided to write a children’s book that would introduce the topic in a child-friendly concept and make my personal concern a more public one.

This article was originally published on Eco-Libris blog on August 1st.

We love green children’s books and always happy to update you when there’s a new one around. Now we’re even more excited with a new series of them coming soon from Simon & Schuster: Little Green Books.

In exactly 39 days (I counted..) Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing will be launching ‘Little Green Books’, which will be the first eco-friendly line of children’s novelty and storybooks.

The theme of Little Green Books focuses on improving the environment and preserving habitats, aiming to get kids and their parents interested in going green. From recycling and replanting to creating an awareness of endangered animals and much more, the series is looking to plant the seeds for earth-friendly living at an early age.

Editor’s note: Today, we’re starting a content partnership with Eco-Libris, a company that offers you the ability to “offset your reading” by planting trees for the books you buy and read. The Eco-Libris blog covers a wide range of topics related to books, publishing, and paper production, and is well worth a spot in your RSS feeds. While the book featured here is a little more radical than most of our content, we thought it might start some interesting discussion… so chime in! Today’s post from the E-L blog was written by Raz Godelnik, and published on Monday, February 11, 2007.

Today on our green books series, we’re talking radical. “Something has gone terribly wrong in the relations between humanity and nature.” Joel Kovel believes he knows what’s the reason for that. Hint? it starts with a Capital C.

Our book for today is:

The Enemy of Nature: The End of Capitalism or the End of the World? , Second Edition.

Author: Joel Kovel

Joel Kovel is Distinguished Professor of Social Studies at Bard College. He has written ten books, including the first edition of The Enemy of Nature which appeared in 2002, and Overcoming Zionism (2007). He has edited the journal of radical ecology, Capitalism Nature Socialism, since 2003 and has been active in Green politics, running for the US Senate in 1998, and seeking the party’s presidential nomination in 2000.

Publisher: Zed Books

Published in: December 2007 (second edition)

In an age of conspicuous consumption, one thing I don’t feel guilty about is buying books. I love books: used, new, antique, paperbacks, hardcovers. You name it, I’ll probably read it, and if I like it, I’ll buy it. I love having a house full of books. And yes, I know: books are made of paper. Paper comes from trees, and I love trees, too. Live ones. So [...]

In my Environmental Sustainability course, my kids read a lot. I'm an English teacher, and I can't help but want to have kids use powerful books to open their eyes to different areas of sustainability. When it comes to learning more about why we live green, there's a multitude of accessible, interesting books that are appropriate for both students and adults.

The first text my students tackle is well known in

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