On November 10th, Eco Libris, a group dedicated to improving the sustainability of the publishing industry and the eco-awareness of readers, launched its Green Books Campaign: 1 Day, 100 Bloggers, 100 Green Books, 100 Reviews. We are very excited to be participating in this project—we print all of our black and white books on 100% post-consumer waste paper, and are exploring new ways of reducing the environmental impact of our books. U of A Press had two books reviewed.
Melanie, a librarian from Ontario, reviewed Daniel Coleman’s In Bed With the Word: Reading Spirituality, and Cultural Politics on her excellent blog, the Indextrious Reader. Here are a few of her comments:
First things first: since I received this book as part of the Eco-Libris Green Books Challenge, I would like to mention why this book qualified. The University of Alberta Press states that it is committed to protecting our natural environment, and thus this book is printed on Enviro Paper, which contains 100% post-consumer recycled fibres, and is acid and chlorine free.
“And not Green, but really nice, is the fact that in addition to the Green printing information on the back of the title page, the copy editor and the indexer are credited by name! I appreciated seeing that.”
I chose this specific book from the selection at the Green Books campaign because I have been doing a lot of research into the meanings and purposes of reading in the last few months; as a librarian I have a strong interest in figuring out both how and why we read. This book is a fabulous addition to my collection in this area, and it is one I will continue referring back to.”
This is a wonderful exposition of the links between reading and a spiritual way of approaching the world. It was a great read, a text to be savoured and not rushed through; if that kind of work appeals, please do find a copy of this excellent Canadian book and then share your impressions of it as well.
Highly recommended.”
LuAnn Morgan, a freelance writer from Washington State, reviewed J. Peter Rothe’s Driven to Kill on her blog Reading Frenzy. Her background in traffic safety and social sciences makes her the perfect audience for this book. She writes,
Rothe looks at the damage that can be done when a vehicle is out of control, but he also examines other ways a car can be used to commit crimes.
I found the book very educational and it did, indeed, expand my knowledge of this topic. The chapters are very well arranged to make it easy to follow.
Plus, he adds some interesting stories – although some may be a bit graphic for sensitive readers.
I would recommend this book to anyone who deals with traffic on a regular basis, such as police officers. The insights gained could save a life.”
A big thank-you to both bloggers that chose our books. We are proud to support this project, and help raise awareness about the importance of sustainable choices in publishing.
The full list of Green Book Campaign reviews is available here.
The school where I teach tries where possible to get products that are green and biodegradable. Text books are difficult to recourse from green sources, although writing paper and exercise books are fairly easy to obtain. Many more suppliers require too ask printers for books made from green sources. In time books will come from green sources.
Good to see your campaign for green books and other parts of the world are doing the same.