One Jackson Hole, Wyoming business, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, has announced a “Go Paperless” initiative for Arbor Day, April 24, 2009.

The company wants to reduce office paper flow and save trees in honor of the national tree planting holiday.

Read more of this story »

From gently used clothing to handmade toys, we’ve raised our concerns about how the new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) will negatively affect green families and businesses.

This law designed to protect our children is so poorly written, it will actually benefit big business and harm resale shops and natural toymakers.  As Stephen Lamar, executive vice president of the American Apparel and Footwear Association explained to the Redding Record Searchlight, “The law introduces an extraordinarily large number of testing requirements for products for which everyone knows there’s no lead.“  An exemption has been proposed for clothing and toys made from natural materials such as wood and wool, but what about library books? Yes, LIBRARY BOOKS!

Taking effect on February 10, 2009, the CPSIA will require all products for children under 12 be tested for lead, including books.  That means in order for a library to admit children under 12, they must test all of their children’s books or ban children from the library.

Read more of this story »

This post was originally published on Wednesday, June 25, 2008.

The Chicago Tribune reported earlier this month (and thanks to Treehugger for the update) that Chicago’s Mayor Richard Daley announced on a summer reading program with a green focus, named “Read Green, Live Green” program.

The program, which will run until the beginning of August, includes, according to the Tribune, a series of discussion groups aimed at celebrating nature and the threats against it. The program will be offering books, reading tours and performances for adults and children on environmental issues including climate change, energy and farming.

Children and adults will be able to explore the environment with a good read during the summer at any of the 79 Chicago Public Library branches.

Participating children will read, report on books of their choosing and have fun with green programs and projects. Children will receive a sticker for their book log for each book read, win book prizes and earn a Read Green, Live Green t-shirt by reading lots of books!The list of events for children can be found here - http://www.chipublib.org/dir_documents/SRP08_Kidsa.pdf.

Read more of this story »

We would go to the grassy field, form a circle, and flow through this vinyasa each morning. On rainy days, we modified this practice in the classroom. I’ve recently come across several articles about yoga in the classroom and the benefits to children.

Read more of this story »

Sign up for an online book exchange service. If you're searching for a particular title or want to share some of your recent reads with others check out some online book swaps such as BookMooch or PaperBack Swap (recommended by GO's Philip Proefrock.) All you need is an e-mail account, mailing address and some books to get going. Right now both sites are free to use - the only cost is the postage used to mail your book to its new owner.

There's also BookCrossing, an online forum/book club that promotes the act of leaving books and picking them up in public places. I've come across many books this way and have left some for others in return.

Buy used. The most obvious tip here is the used book store. You can usually find popular titles on the shelves for way less than the new book price. Plus you're likely to find more obscure reads. Often times if you are looking for a specific book the proprietor can track down those hard to find books for you.

Look for books at garage sales, flea markets or swap meets. Paperbacks frequently go for a quarter, and hard covers a dollar. The selection may not be fantastic, but definitely a great bargain.

Library. Duh. You know, the place where you can borrow books for free.

Donate your unwanted books. Many used book stores and libraries also accept books for donation. Used book stores may even give you store credit or cash for books they think they can resell. But call first before you drop off to make sure the location near you is accepting donations. (I recently lugged a stack of books to my neighborhood used book store only to be told that they weren't accepting donations at the moment.)

Swap books with friends. I'm always reading books on the recommendation of others. If a friend recommends it chances are they've got the book. Ask to borrow it. Or if you're doing the book lending (especially if you want the book back) put your name in it. If you don't like to defile books, or the permanence of pen scares you, just write you name in pencil inside the front cover or on the first page.

Amy says: I've got a secret obsession for mystery novels and I never buy them new and get them for free when I can.

More GO book news:
Save the Books
Tip o' the Day: Take Three Books and Call Me in the Morning

Read about how No Impact Man, Colin Beavan came to terms with giving up some of his books.

Looking for your local Environmental Resource Center, EcoLibrary or environmental education programs? How about an epicenter for your local recycling programs, farmers markets, and a store that features the full spectrum of green books and household products?

Berkeley’s Ecology Center encompasses all of this and more by implementing programs that educate, demonstrate and engage with the public in the latest green community services.

Started as a volunteer-run meeting place for the founders of first wave 60’s environmentalism, the Ecology Center has become an epicenter for many of Berkeley’s programs that have become so fundamental to the Bay Area’s cultural and environmental impact.

Among the diverse programs implemented by the Ecology Center, the Curbside Recycling Program has perhaps had the most influence nationwide. Beginning as a demonstration project to collect newspapers, it grew to become the first curbside recycling program in California, and is one of the only nonprofits of this sort still alive today. Additionally, based on the EC’s research, this program has “served as a model for thousands of municipal recycling programs.”

For those of you interested in Bay Area green projects, check out Terrain, the Ecology Center’s free quarterly magazine focusing on “a broad spectrum of issues ranging from wilderness protection to urban toxics and environmental justice.”

Also, feel free to look into any of their sponsored projects, including: the Bay Area Seed Interchange Library, Berkeley Biodiesel Collective, Berkeley Community Gardening Collaborative, and the Indigenous Permaculture Project. And the list of programs just keeps growing…
See all of these and more at http://www.ecologycenter.org/

Now, even shopping for books has become a form of entertainment. People pile into the giant bookstores on the weekends, lattes in hand, browsing through pages as they sip.

As this trend has increased, many have forgotten about the public libraries. It seems impossible that so many people no longer visit the place that lets you read all the books you want for free, in the comfort of your own home.

Libraries, and any place that allows you to share instead of buy your own, are great for the environment. We don't all need to own our own copy of Eragon, it would only sit on our bookshelves at home, longing to be read by someone new.

Utilize your public library. It's probably a lot more modern than you think. You can request books and renew online, and search the entire catalog from your own home.

Rebecca says: Libraries aren't just for books anymore. Many public libraries have extensive and current DVD collections, as well. Think of it as a Netflix, only free. Request your favorites online and the library will notify you when it is ready for pick-up!