Think Green Live Clean

Photo Credit: Yoshimasa Niwa

The holidays always turn out to be a mad dash for the latest, greatest in presents for family and friends.  Among the clothes, video games, and gift cards is the recently and widely coveted e-reader.  E-Readers are not only a convenient way to carry hundreds of books with you, they are also extremely environmentally friendly.  According to a report done by Cleantech Group done August 2009, Amazon’s e-reader, the Kindle, could have an impact on the Earth’s carbon emission if they are distributed widely enough.  To date, over 1 million devices have been sold.  The Cleantech Group predicts sales to be well over 14 million in 2012, resulting in a 5.3 billion kilogram decrease in carbon emissions over a 4 year period.

There are some immediate drawbacks, despite the long-term results. To reach a decrease in carbon emissions of close to 5.3 kg, publishers must organize and re-prioritize the distribution of their products, rapidly adapt to the e-reader, and reduce the amount of paper books.  There is also a drastic difference in carbon emissions resulting from book versus e-reader manufacturing, book making resulting in a 7.5 kg carbon emission versus the e-reader which creates 168 kg in emissions.

Despite the drawbacks, e-readers are becoming more popular.  Amazon competes with Sony, LG, and Barnes and Noble for the e-reader market, and more to come, including Apple.  The Cleantech Group report is also encouraging institutions to replace paper textbooks with e-readers, citing institutions such as Princeton University and Arizona State University who have already started to convert.  Hooray for saving textbook money and the environment!

Learn more at the Cleantech Group website.

Also read the CNet article here.