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Going green, bookishly

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If you collect books, you’ve probably noticed that they’re made of paper, and that paper comes from trees. Raz Godelnik noticed -- he thinks green (not Irish, eco-ish) -- and he wanted to balance his books with new trees. So he started the website Eco-Libris; there, anyone can donate money to plant trees to offset book purchases.

It’s not a direct replacement; the donations won’t support new trees to be planted for pulp. Instead, Eco-Libris trees will be planted in Central America and Africa, in regions of deforestation, by one of three nonprofits: The Alliance for International Reforestation, Ripple Africa or Sustainable Harvest International. Of course, a donation to those nonprofits -- or any others involved in tree planting, like LA’s Treepeople -- could be made by any booklover at any time.

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But Eco-Libris makes the formula simple: for your X books, give to plant X trees. Easy.

It costs about a dollar per book (less, if you’re talking hundreds). In return for your donation, you’ll get a sticker that proclaims ‘one tree has been planted for this book.’

And you might also breathe easier.

Carolyn Kellogg

photo by Bachmont via flickr

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