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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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