Apr
21
More Trees = Less Books
April 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment
 
Well, if there is one good thing about losing paper books to more digital media, it’s the fact that the publishing industry could save a lot of trees…
Book Industry Environmental Council’s Goal: Reduce Emissions by 20%
By Lynn Andriani — Publishers Weekly
The Book Industry Environmental Council announced aggressive goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at a web conference Thursday afternoon. The council’s target: to reduce the U.S. book industry’s greenhouse gas emissions 20% by 2020 (from a 2006 baseline), and to achieve an 80% reduction by 2050.
Green Press Initiative founder and director Tyson Miller called the undertaking “pretty substantial,†but Pete Datos, chair of the Council’s climate subcommittee and a v-p at Hachette Book Group, said it is “meaningful and achievable.†The Council based its goal on a 2008 industry-focused report which concluded that the U.S. book industry has a climate impact equivalent to 12.4 million metric tons of carbon. A 20% reduction would represent a savings of up to 2.5 million metric tons per year, the equivalent annual emissions of approximately 450,000 cars. “Science tells us [a 20% reduction] is necessary to avoid the worst impact,†Datos said, noting that the report’s findings are “in line with a lot of other research and work.  [the rest from Publisher's Weekly, here]
Crain’s goes so far as to call the book industry “tree killing” – Well, shucks, I suppose that’s true, but who else kills trees? The construction industry, farming…it goes on and on.
Moderation is the key to everything as far as I can tell.
Also…
a literary loss:
Judith F. Krug 1940-2009
Judith F. Krug, 1940-2009: Librarian started Banned Books Week
By Trevor Jensen | Tribune reporter
Judith F. Krug was a forceful advocate for the right of librarians to stock their shelves without fear of censorship.
Mrs. Krug, 69, died of cancer on Saturday, April 11, in Evanston Hospital, said her husband, Herbert. She was a resident of Evanston. Director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom since it was founded in 1967, Mrs. Krug started Banned Books Week in 1982 to promote the right to read stories and express opinions without interference from censors.
“She was a force of nature, fiercely determined to make sure that censorship wouldn’t triumph in the library or the larger world,” said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, deputy director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom.
Mrs. Krug worked directly with librarians across the country who were engaged in censorship battles. She enlisted allies from fields that are affected by 1st Amendment attacks such as publishers and journalists, said Robert Doyle, executive director of the Illinois Library Association.
“She was concerned about the gamut of expression, so that people could go to the library and encounter the full marketplace of ideas,” Doyle said… [the rest, here]