EnviroLink Forum

According to National Pollutant Release statistics, the pulp and paper industry ranks third as the largest industrial polluter in the United States and Canada, releasing well over 100 million kg of toxic material into air, land and water each year. Furthermore, the destruction of trees to produce paper products, including the paper used for printed materials such as books, has a huge negative impact on the environment by interfering with nature's atmospheric and land-based 'ecosystem' in ways that most people never think about. It has been estimated that only 33 percent of Americans own e-readers. As an author and an avid reader, I understand the 'thrill' of holding a book and reading a novel in print; but the positive environmental impact of transitioning entirely to digital cannot be ignored. As e-readers continue to go down in price, it should become easier to eliminate paper books entirely. For the sake of Mother Earth, I hope the publishing industry and the community of readers as a whole will eventually embrace a digital revolution, such that books in paper-printed format become (entirely) obsolete.

Charles J. Schneider
Author of A PORTRAIT IN TIME

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Charles J. Schneider
Physician and Novelist
Author of A PORTRAIT IN TIME
http://charlesjschneider.com

"And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything." William Shakespeare

SPAM! nice name

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"With every decision, think seven generations ahead of the consequences of your actions" Ute rule of life.
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children”― Chief Seattle
“Those Who Have the Privilege to Know Have the Duty to Act”…Albert Einstein

Johhny, He seems to be a genuine person concerned about environment.

The initials in the user name cjs312kaja refer to Charles J. Schneider.

It's insulting that my serious post regarding pollution from the production of paper products and materials was considered SPAM. If I had known that a Username using initials and a long-time nickname would be considered 'suspicious' I guess I would have chosen something catchy like Electroglide.

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Charles J. Schneider
Physician and Novelist
Author of A PORTRAIT IN TIME
http://charlesjschneider.com

"And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything." William Shakespeare

Dear Mr. 'Electroglide':

It does not seem possible to change my user name now that it has been set (I have tried); but if I could, it would now read ConcernedAuthorMD.

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Charles J. Schneider
Physician and Novelist
Author of A PORTRAIT IN TIME
http://charlesjschneider.com

"And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything." William Shakespeare

Dear Moderator:

It does not seem possible to re-set my user ID (I have tried); but if I could, it would now read Concerned AuthorMD.

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Charles J. Schneider
Physician and Novelist
Author of A PORTRAIT IN TIME
http://charlesjschneider.com

"And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything." William Shakespeare

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With friends like Guido, you will not have enemies for long.

“Intellect is invisible to the man who has none”
Arthur Schopenhauer

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."
Albert Einstein

_________________
"With every decision, think seven generations ahead of the consequences of your actions" Ute rule of life.
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children”― Chief Seattle
“Those Who Have the Privilege to Know Have the Duty to Act”…Albert Einstein

I think this is a very interesting and important issue. Look the office environment today and how much paper we are saving compared to 40 years ago. Progress is really happening but it certainly takes time - today the pace of recycling in the United States is increasing and we are taking the right measures to improve the situation: http://www.statista.com/topics/1275/rec ... ed-states/

Still, developing nations are one of the main problems - they need proper recycling programs. I have to say that even though tablets and e-readers may help the environment, I'm always going to miss the feel of a paper book in my hand. But I would gladly sacrifice that if it improved the environment.

That is all well and good Philly, but what about the emissions reduction needed?
Paper versus digital is a side track of the extreme efforts needed to reduce power and industrial CO2,
transportation CO2, and slash and burn CO2 90% in 9 years, to prevent eventual thermageddon in a
very short time geologically. Ten times faster than PETM.
I guess some people just can't see the bigger and longer picture.

_________________
"With every decision, think seven generations ahead of the consequences of your actions" Ute rule of life.
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children”― Chief Seattle
“Those Who Have the Privilege to Know Have the Duty to Act”…Albert Einstein

Thank you Philly76 for recognizing that paper production, usage and 'waste' ie lack of recycling DOES contribute in a not-that-insignificant way to the environmental crisis. I truly believe that 'digital' will eventually become 'greener', but this won't happen until our nation's energy sources transition completely to environmentally-friendly platforms such as solar, wind, etc. We have the means; but our politicians and the money-hungry oil establishment are literally standing in the way. This country and the WORLD needs a revolution in thinking, or else Mr. Electroglide's Armageddon will surely come to pass: so in this regard, I think we are all in agreement.

As far as the population explosion goes, this is a real concern, and a very scary one. This ecosystem can't even sustain the current number of Homo Sapiens. Read Dan Brown's Inferno: an entertaining story, but it also really hits home in its explanation and discourse of the population crisis.

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Charles J. Schneider
Physician and Novelist
Author of A PORTRAIT IN TIME
http://charlesjschneider.com

"And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything." William Shakespeare

_________________
"With every decision, think seven generations ahead of the consequences of your actions" Ute rule of life.
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children”― Chief Seattle
“Those Who Have the Privilege to Know Have the Duty to Act”…Albert Einstein

First of all, I don't write 'romance' novels; and second of all, I do in fact have some ideas for a techno-thriller novel that centers around these very same environmental concerns.

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Charles J. Schneider
Physician and Novelist
Author of A PORTRAIT IN TIME
http://charlesjschneider.com

"And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything." William Shakespeare

Two days ago I saw a friend post on Facebook about how she hates e-readers and digital copies of books, and she wants her 5 year old daughter to experience "turning a page", etc. Needless to say, I commented on her post about the paper industry and the good points of e-readers. With my iPad, I have come across children's e-books that have a narrator read them to you with sound effects and moving pictures within the book. Also I pointed out the Kindle I have (dont use as much) is meant to look like the page of a book with the electric ink.

People as a whole need to get over the "I love the feel of a book!" thing. I have an uncle that is unmarried and in love with books.. He has so many on both floors of his house that the ceiling is sagging due to the books on the second floor!!

I could give him my kindle but he would not use it... *sigh*. With the newer generations hopefully this fear of change will subside and e-readers will be more widely used.

_________________
With friends like Guido, you will not have enemies for long.

“Intellect is invisible to the man who has none”
Arthur Schopenhauer

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."
Albert Einstein