41 Reasons to Plant a Tree for Your Book

Eco-Libris is celebrating the 41st Earth Day with a new campaign- 41 Reasons to Plant a Tree for Your Book.

With more than 180,000 trees planted so far on behalf of readers, authors and publishers working with Eco-Libris, it's no surprise we think planting trees to green up books is a great idea.. But we also wanted to hear what readers think about it and why they believe planting trees for their books is a good idea, and therefore for 41 days, from March 13 until Earth Day on April 22, we publish on our blog 41 of the best answers we'll get - one reply every day!

If you would like to participate please send us your reply to our question. We have great prizes (see below) to all the readers whose replies we'll publish.

All 41 reasons are gathered and presented on this page:

1) I would plant a tree for my book so that people have a nice shady spot where they can read my book and watch the wildlife that helped inspire my book! (Juliet, March 13)

2) Planting a tree for you book represents the circle that life is supposed to be. We give and take and that balance is what keeps everything working the way it is supposed to. It is when one end of the teeter-totter weighs heavier than the other that system doesn't work. Or when one side rows and the other doesn't, we go in circles instead of moving ahead. (Jen, March 14)

3) Planting a tree for my book is a good idea because this way my book can "give back" to Mother Nature by starting life again! (Shannon, March 15)

4) I want to plant a tree for my book so that my children will always have a nice quiet spot to read as they grow older! They'll also be able to see how their favorite books were once trees as well! (Cassie, March 16)

5) We should plant trees for books because they sacrificed their lives so we could read. Let's repay our debt! - (Eric, March 17)

6) Because there's nothing better than relaxing under the shade of a tree while reading your favorite book! (Anne, March 18)

7) Though I believe it's important to not only read but also preserve the real, physical book, I don't believe it's right to fell old growth forests to fill my shelves. Also, as an author, I want people to have the option to read my new book in the form that has served humans well for centuries. That's why I support Eco-Libris. Long live books and forests! (Kelly, March 19)

8) Plant a tree to listen to the gentle rustle of leaves blowing in the wind on a warm spring or summer day while reading a book! (Kevin, March 20)

9) To advance both sustainable living in today's rapidly growing and information dense world, and the transition of the paper publishing industry from one that exploits natural resources to one that cares for and nurtures these resources. This will contribute to ensuring intergenerational equity by sustaining the planet's natural environments, alongside the capability of future generations to continue enjoying reading paper books (there's something special about reading from paper, as opposed to electronics, and I would love for my children and theirs to experience this). (Aleta, March 21)

10) Planting trees for books provides a path to planting ideas for creativity (Velvet, March 22)

11) Books give us knowledge and call us to action. One action is planting trees to help the Earth (Nancy, March 23)

12) Even though my book was printed on recycled paper, I still chose to partner with Eco-Libris to have trees planted because originally, the paper probably did come from unreliable sources and then there's the transportation of the pulp to the paper mill, paper to the printer, books to me...planting trees "earns" carbon credits, so to speak. It is inexpensive, educational, and the right thing to do for the planet. (Sarah, March 24)

13) Planting trees for books is important because reading near trees gives you fresh air and fresh ideas. (Nancy, March 25)

14) Plant a tree for a book so that future generations of creative writers will have something in which to marvel. (Lauren, March 26)

15) plant a tree for a book for the obvious reason of using paper but also because a book can be like a seed that sprouts an idea and who knows how big it will eventually get if left to flourish. I still want you to buy a book. (Karen, March 27)

16) I strive to personally live by this old fashioned rule: When I bring a new item into my home, I try to donate a gently used item to someone in need. The same principle can be applied to books. Every time you bring a new book into your home, make sure to donate dollars so a new tree may be planted to replace the tree that was used to manufacture the pages of the book. Easy! (Laura, March 28)

17) Cynics call books dead trees. Planting a tree for every book brings the book back to life, several times over. It closes the loop of the publishing cycle by replenishing its principal resource. Optimists say, "Books can be live trees." (Peter, March 29)

18) We should all plant a tree for our book because most people still enjoy the feeling of an actual page turning book in their hands. If we don't replenish and keep creating new books, we'll run out of this precious resource (Susan, March 30)

19) Quite simple – to try to make up for some of the environmental impact we make when producing printed books (Marie, March 31)

20) Planting a tree for books I buy helps assure that I begin to close the loop on my activities. Trees provide space for ecosystems and preserving biodiversity, prevent soil erosion, absorb carbon, and provide us with s hade and beauty. Since products we consume do not generally include the costs of environmental and social impacts, until corporations begin to be accountable for these impacts, we have the responsibility to help assure that we as citizens account for what we purchase. Eco-Libris allows me to do this for books I purchase. (Tom, April 1)

21) The reason that trees should be planted for my book "Planet Earth Gets Well" is because Planet Earth wants very much to have his forests heal and become green again. There is an illu stration in the book on Page 11 that shows what happens to forests that have been destroyed by pollution and deforestation. There is nothing that would make Planet Earth happier than to have his forests become lush and green again! - (Madeline, April 2)

22) We like to Reduce Reuse Recycle whenever we can as a Publisher...not an easy task. So whenever we think PAPER we think along these lines.

P - PAY BACK – Learn to give back to Mother Nature – not just TAKE, TAKE, TAKE (thank you Eco-libris).
A - APRRECIATION - We appreciate the need to be different and show other publishers the way. Even if it means less profit.
P - PLAN – Plan to minimise wastage, minimise paper usage, minimise transport, minimise consumption on each book we print.
E - ENERGY - We appreciate that one reem of paper equals 6% of a tree; 5.4 Kg of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere... What can we do to reduce Energy and Resources and give back what we have taken?
R - RESPECT – We need to respect the lives of Trees and Ourselves...For without them – we cannot breathe. (Pick-a-WooWoo Publishers, April 3)

23) Writing a book about ‘green guilt,’ I certainly had to do something to assuage my own green guilt about printing books! I tried to publish in the most sustainable fashion available to me, but partnering with Eco-Libris and knowing that a tree was planted for every copy made me feel much better about the publishing process. (Paige, April 4)

24) Planting a tree in honor of the books we create is entirely a selfish decision. For such a small price, the payback for our Earth is enormous…not only do trees provide shade from the sun, a pleasant rustling of leaves in the wind, homes to bugs and birds and mammals, and at the end of their lives new resources for our paper needs, during their lives they provide us with the oxygen our very lives depend upon. As long as we keep producing excessive amounts of carbon dioxide, we depend on nature to right our wasteful ways, and it is our duty to help recreate the forests we have been destroying for centuries (Penny, April 5)

25) Because we need more oxygen for the growing population on this planet and to help the polluted atmosphere (Susan, April 6)

26) Planting trees helps the environment. It helps offset the damage we have caused to our planet. If we don't take care of our plants and wildlife, movies like "Wall-e" and "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" will become a reality for our great great great grandchildren. I care to plant trees so that future generations don't have to wonder "What's a hummingbird look like? Were butterflies really colorful?Was the sky really blue? (Susy, April 7)

27) I would plant a tree because a tree can be so much more than a book, than an offset for the paper I use or for the emissions I send into the atmosphere. A tree for me defines place, provokes thought, and is a subject of amazement. It is a tiny tick mark in time, like a book is, but forever timeless. (Joost, April 8)

28) I am a librarian in a primary school. In our library, we have 20,000 books! I wonder how many trees that is! I love books and I love trees. I want to plant trees so that we will always have trees and books in our beautiful world. (Debbie, April 9)

29)""I used to think that trees actually had hearts that beat (perhaps they do). They are beautiful and awe inspiring, especially considering the age some attain and the history they have witnessed. They are also the "lungs of our earth," giving back the oxygen we need. We should revere them, not wantonly destroy them." ~ Josephine Wall" (Rachael, April 10)

30) Because trees and books are great treasures and it's a wonderful way to conserve them both! (David, April 11)

31) This is a great opportunity to do more for mother earth. Everybody win here - it's good for the planet and for book lovers who gets a chance to take action and do their share (Robin, April 12)

32) The cover of my book, Beyond the Cold: An American's Warm Portrait of Norway, is a photo of the narrowest and most dramatic fjord in Norway, a picture seen in many Norway travel brochures, except I took this photo. Norway is one of the most scenic, if not the most beautiful country in the world. I have traveled above the Arctic Circle, seen trees growing horizontally out of mountains. The Norwegians interact with the environment, be it skiing in the winter or hiking or bicycling in the fall, spring and summer in the mountains or park.

A Norwegian Sunday could be a four-hour walk in the mountains. The trains have clips on the outside for skis. Nothing is too far for a Norwegian to walk. Norway has laws to preserve the trees. The capital city of Oslo is known as "The Country Capital' because 75% of the city has trees and/or forests. (Michael, April 13)

33) Reading near trees gives you fresh air and fresh ideas (Nancy, April 14)

34) I say, plant a tree and grow a child. Many adults will remember wandering their neighborhood as children, grazing on any fruit that hung over the sidewalks. But perhaps fruit trees are too messy for the front yards of newer subdivisions. Ornamentals are planted along sidewalks instead. Now, there is nothing for the children to graze upon, and it is one more reason why children stay indoors and play video games. Let's line all our streets with fruit trees, and see if we can lure the children back outside. (Thomas, April 15)

35) It's very simple - We need to plant many trees to save the the future of books as without trees there is no life ! (Jen, April 16)

36) I love reading books and I love trees so for me it's a way to combine my two loves! (Jerard, April 17)

37) Unlike many other situations in life where there are no right or wrong decisions, just actions and their consequences, it's clear here that planting trees is the right thing to do! (Miranda, April 18)

38) Trees are the soul of the earth and books are the soul of humanity (Ben, April 19)

39) This is a great interim solution on our way to implement cradle to cradle solutions, which makes so much sense. William McDonough and Michael Braungart wrote about it in their book, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things: The
tree, among the finest of nature's creations, plays a crucial and multifaceted role in our interdependent ecosystem. As such, it has been an important model and metaphor for our thinking, as you will discover. But also as such, it is not a fitting resource to use in producing so humble and transient a substance as paper. The use of an alternative material expresses our intention to evolve away from the use of wood fibers for paper as we seek more effective solutions." (Richard, April 20)

40) Planting trees for books makes sense to me as a human being, a mom and a book lover! (Ana, April 21)

41) It just makes me happy to know that new trees are planted on behalf of my books. (Kelley, April 22)

Prizes:

We have great prizes to all the readers whose replies we'll publish, courtesy of our great partners!

$25 gift card at Strand Book Store (in store and online)

Audiobooks:

 

Books:




* The campaign's logo was designed by Susan Newman




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