The Vook Blog Vook: Read it, Watch it.

Every year, on one specific day, bloggers all around the world post about a particular topic. That day is today. October 15, 2024. It is Blog Action Day. This year, we were asked to blog about climate change. So I want to take a moment to ask the question: Are digital books “green”?

They save paper, sure. But do the chemicals, electricity and plastics needed to create the reader, or iPhone or computer cancel this out? Here are some interesting articles that may shed some light on the subject:

Gizmodo joined the debate with the article Kindle is More Environmentally Friendly Than Old-School Books where Cleantech Group did an in depth study on CO2 emmissions:

According to an analysis by the Cleantech Group, the Kindle is more environmentally friendly than plain ol’ paper books, assuming you’re not a freak who reads less than five books a year.

Details of this study came from CNET.

OK. But some people argue it isn’t just the paper, or the gas to transport the books, that cause a problem. That we have to consider the electricity consumption too; because as we know, electricity consumption while on the grid (meaning not from an alternative energy source) is one of the leading causes of climate change. Pablo Paster, a sustainability engineer who writes a column over at Salon.com, analyzed his energy consumption for the time it would take to read a book on his computer versus energy consumption needed to produce that same book in paper form:

[It took] one-tenth of a pound of greenhouse gas emissions from reading the document on the computer, versus almost one-quarter of a pound of greenhouse gas emissions for printing it out. [...] Of course, there is always an exception. If you are going to read the document more than seven times, the greenhouse gas emissions for printing would be less than using the computer each time.

I guess the moral of the story is: if you read more than 5 books per year, get an ebook reader. Unless you want to read a particular title more than 7 times in your lifetime, in which case, buy the paper version. And since you clearly already have a computer, be even greener and buy a vook since they don’t require a reader!

[UPDATE: This post has been edited since it was first posted.]

Related posts:

1. New York Times Best Seller List For Ebooks
2. Book Apps and eBooks
3. The Ever Expanding Ebook Landscape
4. The Next Generation of EReaders