More and more people are looking at the environmental impact of print books versus e-books. Looks like e-books might have the slight advantage, even more if old e-readers get recycled.
E-books have a pretty high carbon footprint, but you’re only looking at one of them. There is a higher upfront cost, but you could buy 100 e-books, and you’re not looking at the cost of printing and shipping all of that weight. From the article:
“To reduce your reading impact, you need to actively use e-books in place of printed books. The Cleantech report stresses that an e-reader device would have no overall environmental benefit in its first year of ownership for the typical user, but that every year of use afterwards would compound its benefits. Overall, it calculates that using a Kindle could save you an average of 168 kg of greenhouse gas emissions a year.
“So before investing in an e-reader, think carefully. Ensure that your model has E Ink; use it in place of books, newspapers and magazines; investigate greener ways to charge the battery; hold onto the unit for as long as possible; and ensure the device is recycled at the end of its life”
