My daughter, a literate, imaginative two-year-old, views books as one of her primary pleasures in life. From the moment she was old enough to hold her head up, children's books became her primary source of education and entertainment. To date, we have an impressive and well-loved library of over 700 children's books. They line our shelves, dog-eared and stained by grubby toddler-hands.
Unfortunately, my child's love of literacy comes at a huge cost to the environment-- from the harvest of trees, to their chemical processing, to the fossil fuels used to transport them to a local bookstore. I've managed to significantly curb the environmental effects of my child's book collection using a few basic guidelines for buying green books for children.
Consider these choices when you are buying eco-friendly children's books.
Go Green: Buy Used
By purchasing used children's books, you do several favors for the environment. You help to keep books out of landfills, prevent the unnecessary production of more books, and support the economy by re-circulating secondhand products.
My daughter's green children's book collection came primarily from our local thrift store. The store offers used books for roughly 10 to 70 cents each-- a minute fraction of their new cost. I feel great about minimizing the environmental impact of my toddler's books, and I manage to save as much as 99% off the original retail price.
Seek used, earth-friendly kids' literature at your local thrift store, used book stores, yard sales, book exchanges and online retail outlets.
Hit the Library
Your local library offers an excellent source for earth-friendly children's books. Libraries are extremely earth-friendly because they make a non-renewable resource imminently shareable. Kids all over your area can enjoy sharing the same collection of books. By visiting your library, you maintain constant access to a wide array of kids' literature without harming the environment.
Many libraries sell their used books and offer book fairs, book exchanges and discounted purchasing options. Ask your librarian to recommend a green source of children's books.
Buy Sustainably Published Children's Books
Although still less common than their unsustainable counterparts, sustainably published children's books are becoming increasingly popular. These books are produced using recycled paper, treeless paper or soy-based inks. The end product may be slightly more expensive than conventionally produced books, but the environmental advantages make it worthwhile.
Scan your local book store for green children's book options. Your book store may even have a special section for these choices. If you choose to buy sustainable kids' books, help to spread the word about their environmental benefits. Mention them to other parents you know, and ask the manager at your local book store to keep them in stock and promote them.
Write to Authors and Publishers
My daughter's favorite series of children's books, the "Biscuit" series by Alyssa Capucilli, is one of our few ecological splurges. Although most of our other books have been purchased used, we bought most of the Biscuit books fresh off the printing-press. The ecological consequences of some thirty-odd conventional books has a relatively hefty ecological consequence, so I wanted to express my concerns to the author and publisher of these less-than-green options.
I wrote an email to Ms. Capucilli, the author of the series, thanking her for her contributions to children's literature and suggesting that she seek greener publishing options. Although I doubt that my letter alone will influence the course of the series, I believe that, with enough vocal proponents, green publishing will become the norm rather than the exception.
If your child has a book or a series that she particularly enjoys, let the author and publisher know how much you value sustainable options in kids' literature. If thousands of parents make their values clear, we can help to save millions of trees and barrels of oil.
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