It is easy to write-off e-reader devices–such as Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes & Noble’s Nook, and Sony’s Reader–as wasteful gadgets further fueling our throwaway economy. E-readers are made from plastic, silicon, and heavy metals and will one day lie in non-biodegradable purgatory at the bottom of a landfill. Conventional wisdom holds that, at least, e-reader users aren’t contributing to society’s waste by buying bound books.
EcoGeek, ecstatically commenting on a carbon-impact study released by The Cleantech Group, enumerates some of the ethical perks of transitioning to digital books: “Authors are getting paid more, consumers are paying less, and as long as the devices replace the purchase of more than 22.5 new (not used) books in the lifetime of the device, it will be a positive force for the environment. This seems to be roughly one year’s use of the Kindle. Of course, if you’re replacing newspapers and magazines with your Kindle, chances are you’ll go carbon negative faster than that.”
(Thanks, The Book Bench.)
Source: EcoGeek
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