Which is more eco friendly book or ibook

[poloponies]

When the demand for paper is reduced, the demand for trees is reduced. Timber prices drop and land becomes more valuable as developmental properties that as pine forests. Cheap land leads to more suburan sprawl, ruining wildlife habitats. Go paper, grow trees.

Paper is essentially farmed. It's not like they're moving across the country like a swarm of locusts looking for new paper sources. So it's not a "demand for trees" argument. There are harvesting/processing/manufacturing/warehousing/shipping costs (hard and environmental) that need to be evaluated in any case. Paper books will be around for some time yet but it's inevitable that paper usage will decline - and that's really not a bad thing.

 

[nixiemaiden]

Another thing to have to take into account is that many times a real book will not be purchased, just read by one individual then disposed of.

Many times it will be given to other family members, to Charities, or sold on to others to also may pass onto their family members or eventually to charities

Not to mention lending libraries.

A physical book could be read by many many people over many years before being disposed of.

(one of the major drawbacks with ebooks, which in theory you can't even pass onto other family members)

I worked in my town's public library one summer back when I was in high school. We had probably 30 or so books donated a week. Once a month, they would have a book sale to sell these books that were donated and they would sell maybe 10% of them. The rest of them they would throw out in the dumpster...some of these books were practically new. They didn't even recycle them or find other places to donate them...or maybe even just let people take them for free. I don't donate books to libraries anymore.

 

[Kestrel452]

Which is better for the planet. A normal book that is made from trees & recycled paper. Or an ibook which just wastes electricity.

 

[Kosinar]

I think that real book is more Eco friendly. I can use it as a toilet paper and thus I save the trees.

 

[tablo13]

I worked in my town's public library one summer back when I was in high school. We had probably 30 or so books donated a week. Once a month, they would have a book sale to sell these books that were donated and they would sell maybe 10% of them. The rest of them they would throw out in the dumpster...some of these books were practically new. They didn't even recycle them or find other places to donate them...or maybe even just let people take them for free. I don't donate books to libraries anymore.

Wow, throw them in the dumpster, not even recycling paper... Good thing my local library just gives away books.

 

[Jaro65]

Libraries could, of course, go all-digital in the near future. There are just so many factors.

What exactly do you mean when you say "could"? We are most thankful to Mr. Guttenberg, indeed, but it is time to say good-bye and move on. It has been 700 years. Perhaps a time to try something different?

 

[Frazer19]

iBook is more Eco friendly I'd say.

 

[Dumbledorelives]

You could eat a paper book if you really had to

You could eat an iPad if you REALLY had too