I bought a book online yesterday (USED…I haven’t fallen already- ye of little faith). I often use a great site called findbookprices.com that is a search engine that looks for the lowest price for a book on multiple popular book sites (amazon, B&N, abebooks etc), this time it led me to a new site called biblio.com. So, I put the book in my cart and at checkout I was given the option to send the book “carbon neutral”. I am torn on the trend of buying carbon credits to relieve guilt and doubtful of its help in relieving the popular phrase “eco-footprint”. My impulse when I read about it being used at some Hollywood gala event is to roll my eyes. It often seems like a way of erasing consciousness and promotes a sense that you can just throw money at someone else to take care of your mess. But then again, the large percentage of wood and paper products we buy are made from illegally pirated forests- so I read on. I wanted to find out how they define “carbon neutral”- especially since they were also giving me free shipping…on a $5 book. Often the claim is just tossed around with little detail about how or where the company is buying their credit from and what it is exactly buying. However, I was impressed by their transparency about how they were claiming “carbon neutral” options. This is a snippet from a news release when they started the program in 2007:
The new program is called ” ecosend “. It is being launched in partnership with NativeEnergy, a privately held Native American renewable energy company, and will provide funding for wind turbines and farm methane energy projects in Native American communities and on family farms throughout the U.S. These projects not only provide clean, renewable energy but also play an important role in sustainable economic development for tribal communities and farm families. http://www.biblio.com/pages/Used_Books_Go_Greener.html
The article is worth a read and links are interesting. This is the first time I’ve seen carbon credits being connected to U.S. resources and energy. Usually carbon credits mean paying for new trees to be planted in a third world country (often by children and their families with little info on what they’re being paid for their labor). Since many of our resources come from these countries it makes sense to try to revive the landscape that is being decimated, but at the same time the whole concept still seems suspect to me. This site seemed legitimate in their desire to use the concept of carbon credits responsibly and practically. Once the carbon credit was added to my subtotal it only added a few cents to my purchase. Since buying my book I have looked more at the site and this North Carolina company is commendable in their efforts to be a responsible community-based business while still becoming part of the global market online. Here’s a snippet from their link to their business ethics and personal story:
Since 2005, we have built six more community libraries in Bolivia. We have formed close partnerships with local organizations such as Asheville-Buncombe Education Coalition. We’ve held annual book drives. We offset every aspect of our business operations (including the shipment of every book sold!) by purchasing carbon offsets that are invested in renewable energy on small farms across the country. We’ve created great jobs for people, both locally, and in impoverished Bolivia. We’ve distributed thousands and thousands of books to underprivileged children, inmates at local prisons, guests at local homeless shelters – and pretty much anyone who we could put a good book in the hands of. http://www.biblio.com/pages/Our_Story.html
So, this site will become my first stop when looking for used books online, hopefully others will give it a spin as well.
BTW- The book I bought is one I have taken out at the library multiple times and have decided I need a copy for myself at home. It’s called Unplugged Play: No batteries. No Plugs. Pure Fun; it has tons of great ideas for creative play for kids – as the title suggests:without TV/video games. And on those days when Cooper is bored and throwing things, sometimes it’s easier to refer to a book as he pounds the rocking chair against the wall than come up with something on my own.
And now, at the behest of K&K enterprises- some important* vampire rules (according to the eminent scholar and vampire grammarian: Shadow K at yahooanswers.com):
1= its an unwriten rule that all vampires drink blood.
2={ unwriten rule} all vampires can not travel during daylight { you know it kills them }.
3=no mater who you stab in the hart with a wooden stake thay will die.
4=vampires dont alwasy have to drink human blood.. thay can drink animals blood. {Hello “humans” are classified as animals}
5=no mater what thay say vampires cant fly { thay dont turn into bats }” thats foklar”
6=vampires cant go into some one home or church unless thay are invited in… and thay only have to be invited once.
7=garlic dosent ward off vampires.thay just dont like the smell of it.. vampires can smell things verry strong,, and garlic is verry strong..
* It has been suggested that vampires are not as “important” as the environment- however, as a onetime Anne Rice enthusiast I deny this vapid claim and say that vampires are VERRY important. and so I will continue to occasionally include important vampire facts for your enlightenment.
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