FAQ

What is Eco-Libris?

Is Eco-Libris a non-profit organization?

What do I get when I balance out books with Eco-Libris?
Where will the trees be planted?
How can I be sure my money goes to the right tree planting projects?
OK, I balanced out a few books. When will the trees actually be planted?
What is done to make sure the trees I paid for will reach maturity?
Will I be able to locate the exact place in which the trees I paid for were planted?
Can I balance out books with Eco-Libris if I live outside the United States?
How much does shipping of eco-libris stickers cost?
I balanced out some books. When will I get my stickers?
Are the stickers made of recycled paper?
Why am I taken to paypal.com when I want to place an order?
Can I give Eco-Libris trees/stickers as a gift?

 

What is Eco-Libris?
Once upon a time there was Ex-Libris (a Latin phrase meaning ‘from the books’), a label people used to paste on their books to indicate ownership. We see Eco-Libris as the new, green version of Ex-Libris. In our vision people will balance out their books by planting trees and will indicate their commitment to sustainability by putting an Eco-Libris sticker on the sleeves of these books.
As people once showed their love for books with Ex-Libris, we hope to see people show their love for books and the environment with Eco-Libris.

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Is Eco-Libris a non-profit organization?
No. Eco-Libris is a private company registered in Delaware. When we started Eco-Libris, we decided that operating as a for-profit organization would be the best way to meet our goals. We see Eco-Libris as a green business that is committed to do good and do well at the same time. We believe it’s possible and it’s the best way to get results for the benefit of our customers, the environment, local communities in developing countries where the trees are planted and the operation as a whole.

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What do I get when I balance out books with Eco-Libris?
A tree will be planted by our planting partners for every book you balance out. You will also receive an Eco-Libris sticker to put on your book and demonstrate your commitment to the environment, with the sticker saying "One tree was planted for this book."

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Where will the trees be planted?
Our planting partners plant trees in Nicaragua, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama (all in Central America) and Malawi (Africa).
We believe that in these places, planting trees will significantly benefit not only the environment, but also local communities. This way, we maximize the added-value of every tree planted.

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How can I be sure my money goes to the right tree planting projects?
Our planting partners were chosen after an extensive and in-depth selection process conducted by Gili Koniak, PhD, a member of our team with academic expertise in the field of natural resources management. We made sure that the planting partners we work with are not only respectable organizations, but also organizations with proven know-how in planting the right trees in the right places. The process included review of many criteria to ensure the quality of the plantings such as the specific species that are planted, locations of planting, mixed forest, usage of native species, monitoring and management plans of the plantings, etc.

To verify that all aspects of the planting are been handled properly, we are working closely with the organizations we selected as planting partners. To demonstrate this to our customers, a full annual assessment of the planting projects will be published on our website every year.
Links to the first year's assessments are available on our planting partners' page.

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OK, I balanced out a few books. When will the trees actually be planted?

Planting trees properly is a process that takes time. Generally, trees are planted during rainy seasons after being grown for a while in nurseries. There are also unexpected variables that can influence the timing of tree planting like extensive rainy seasons or extreme drought conditions. Based on the expected time-frames of our planting partners, trees will be planted within a year of the date of your payment. We are proud to be working with planting partners who take their job seriously and therefore, even if it takes some time to see the trees you pay for being planted, knowing that the process is handled in the most professional way possible makes it worthwhile.

You can also rest assured every tree you pay for is 100% accretive - when you pay for a tree, a new tree will be planted. Without your contribution, this tree will not have been planted. Our planting partners are aware of the significance of this issue to us and our annual assessments will include a verification of their compliance to make sure our promise to you is kept.

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What is done to make sure the trees I paid for will reach maturity?

Our planting partners not only plant the trees, but also manage and monitor the planting areas afterwards. In most cases they employ local workers who work with the local communities and are also responsible for following-up, monitoring and evaluating the planting sites, increasing this way the likelihood that the trees will reach maturity.


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Will I be able to locate the exact place in which the trees I paid for were planted?
Well, not really. This would involve significant administrative costs. Our planting partners prefer to spend this money on planting and taking care of trees. We agree with their approach and hope that you do too. However, we will be posting updates on all planting operations and projects to keep you up to date.

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Can I balance out books with Eco-Libris if I live outside the United States?
Absolutely. We would like to see Eco-Libris stickers on books all over the world. You can balance out your books on our website no matter where you live.

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How much does shipping of eco-libris stickers cost?
Nothing, to you. Our prices include shipping, either domestic and international using USPS or other postal services.

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I balanced out some books. When will I get my stickers?
We strive to ship every order within 2 business days from its reception. Standard U.S. shipping typically takes 3-5 business days while international orders may take up to 4-6 weeks.

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Are the stickers made of recycled paper?
Yes. We use only recycled paper throughout our operation. Our stickers are made from 30% post-consumer waste (PCW) and 70% pre-consumer waste, and they are printed with non-toxic ink. The envelope and the thank you letter, which you receive with the stickers, are made of 100% post-consumer waste.

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Why am I taken to paypal.com when I want to place an order?
Like other websites, we use a third-party payment processing service, in our case, Pay Pal. At the moment using this service requires you to be temporarily taken to their website. This procedure is completely safe and secure and their privacy policy can be viewed here.

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Can I give Eco-Libris trees/stickers as a gift?
Of course. In general, you can specify a shipping address different than your billing address when submitting the order. Eco-Libris also offers an a birthday gift option - trees/stickers and a beautiful birthday card made of recycled paper.

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