Quote:
Originally Posted by Robertb
Others might also consider that "paper is not naturally white". It has to be bleached white. Paper Mill Sludge contains 32 known carcinogens and this sludge is going to cost all of us in the wallet to attempt to mitigate. Whether you care about the environment or not... paperback books are steadily going up in price while eBooks are steadily going down in cost. Of course all of us know paper comes from trees and they are growing more scarce too. Then there is landfill or lack of it. Finally, try carrying 8,000 paperbacks around with you! You can easily carry 8,000 eBooks!
The fact of the matter is that "savoring" paper books entails "savoring" a whole lot of other not-so-nice problems!
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<snort>
Before you play the environmental card in support of ereaders, you might want to look at the environmental cost of semi-conductor manufacturing. It is not green,and can't be.
You might also consider that electronic devices are classed as toxic waste, requiring special disposal. I had to help close down a facility a few years ago with a lot of computers, terminals, and other gear. We had to hire a licensed contractor to haul away the gear we didn't want to keep. We couldn't just throw it in the trash. Paper, on the other hand, can be recycled, and is, and if it isn't, it's biodegradable.
And you might remember that all of those electronic devices require electric power, and consider how that is produced, (Like, I believe the majority of electrical power in the US still comes from
coal-fired plants.) and consider the environmental impact of
that
And paper is a
renewable resource. Paper manufacturers maintain forests where they grow their raw material. And wood gets used for a lot of other things besides making paper. How many houses have you seen that don't have wood framing? Or furniture that doesn't have wood in the construction? We aren't going to run out of trees any time soon. Wood has too many uses to permit that to happen.
You might just discover that in a "green" contest, paper
wins.
______
Dennis
Who is firmly in favor of ebooks, and has about 4,000 of them, but does not consider saving paper a major reason for using them.