Think Green Live Clean

It’s always refreshing to hear about new environmental objectives that aim to make our world a better place.  It’s even better to fall upon one that seeks to make an economic, social, and environmental impact.  Well, that is exactly what Better World Books has sought to do- and they’ve succeeded in doing so.  Beginning with three motivated friends from the University of Notre Dame, a single book drive turned into a movement across our entire continent, and has made an impact worldwide.

Better World Books is now a for-profit social enterprise that collects used books and sells them online.  The organization not only raises money for literacy initiatives across the globe, but is conserving our resources and avoiding landfills one used book at a time.   In addition to selling new titles online, Better World Books collects books and supports book drives at more than 1,800 college campuses worldwide, not to mention partners with over 2,000 libraries.  All in all, the company has converted more than 25 million donated books into $7.3 million in funding for education and literacy- and saved around 8,000 tons of books from landfills.

The three entrepreneurs actually derived the “green” aspect of the business from the idea that a true economy mimics ecology in it’s “circular no-waste” principles.  While not everything can be done to imitate this perfect scenario, they do what they can in the process. This includes working with organizations like Carbonfund.org (a non-profit provider of carbon offsets), which allows them to offset their shipping costs, along with the National Postal Service, who uses the lowest energy per package of any carrier.

So what do we have here?  Three friends who needed something to pursue after graduation.  Three friends tired of seeing old textbooks pile up.  Three friends who today, have empowered people around the world through literacy, taken a slight burden off our environment, and also contribute to the economy.  If that isn’t an inspiration for anyone trying to make a difference, I don’t know what is.

To learn more about Better World Books and their impact, continue reading here.