Green is Good!

[covfam]

it may cost more to produce my kindle fire eviremental resources wise than a single paper book, BUT lets consider this, in the last 3 years since ive started e-reading ive read 182 books and listened to 21 audio books (in the car) i can guarentee that my kindle fire, my samsung galaxy s 2 use less to manufacture and recharge than for all the resources to make the combined 223 books ive had in the last year, and thats not counting the over 350 books my wife has read in the last 3 years on her kindle 3 and her iphone 4, to be fair both our reading habits have doubled and tripled since we converted to e-reading but we fine most tv and movies useless these days.

[theducks]

Have you ever been near (or visited) a Paper Mill?
Smell, big, No HUGE, machines inside and outside the buildings.

If you include Logging or Recycling equipment... Even more machines.
Many of these machines are Diesel fueled.


To get any valid comparison, a full Life Cycle of the process from raw materials through to disposal needs to be done.

BTW Solar panels have a complex chemical process in their creation

[wizwor]

All these green metrics are silly. They are designed to compel not enlighten. Afterall, what better way to reduce carbon emissions than to forego the summits in favor of telepresence?

Read a book or a tablet, just don't do it on a plane!

[QuantumIguana]

Originally Posted by elcreative

Just so... as usual the greenies' approach doesn't bother with facts before making assumptions and pronouncements... reducing paper usage means less need for pulp trees, no need to replace those used and a move to alternate uses which are likely to be a lot less green than trees... guess they can go hug a timber-frame house...

Talk about making assumptions...

[QuantumIguana]

Books are a good use of paper. I have books on my bookshelf that were printed in 1900. On the other hand, I get junk mail that I can't opt out of, it's not addressed to me, just ads that go to every house. They don't get read, don't get used, they are just waste. That's the real waste of paper, not books.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by Rob Lister

No one here has mentioned the extra technology that goes into producing an e-reader. Tons more than what goes into producing a paper book.

There's also the need to continuously replace perfectly good electronic items every year when the new version comes out with some minor improvement. And unlike books, when you throw them away they don't biodegrade. You could recycle them on Ebay, but whoever buys them will be replacing whatever they had, so somewhere along the line there will always be something thrown away.

[Rob Lister]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

There's also the need to continuously replace perfectly good electronic items every year when the new version comes out with some minor improvement. And unlike books, when you throw them away they don't biodegrade. You could recycle them on Ebay, but whoever buys them will be replacing whatever they had, so somewhere along the line there will always be something thrown away.

woosh

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

There's also the need to continuously replace perfectly good electronic items every year when the new version comes out with some minor improvement. And unlike books, when you throw them away they don't biodegrade. You could recycle them on Ebay, but whoever buys them will be replacing whatever they had, so somewhere along the line there will always be something thrown away.

That is neither an inherent need, nor a common behavior. Mobileread has had numerous polls on the matter and even here among near fanatical readers less than half by a new reader every year.

I collect devices, but they stay in use or are passed on to friends who read. There are plenty of PRS 505 units still in use, incliding one in our home. Not sure what the average life of a unit is, but my old HTC Wizard lasted five years, and my wife's 505 is four years old.

Also,contrary to your assertion, a lot of people shop ebay who are too frugal to buy new. They aren't neccesarily replacing anything.

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

Talk about making assumptions...

Why comment on my comment to Mr Ploppy rather than his primary comment? Or did the bit of humour bypass you?

And do you really believe that if tree plantations are reduced that they aren't likely to be used for less green purposes as Mr P says...

[hidari]

I am pro ereader and bike 350 days a year....thru...snow, rain..etc... but.... another problem with ereaders.... energy consumption of loading and unloading books if you sideload your ebooks .... And I imagine that the construction industry kills a lot more trees per year than the book industry....maybe I am wrong....but.....

[VaporPunk]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

There's also the need to continuously replace perfectly good electronic items every year when the new version comes out with some minor improvement. And unlike books, when you throw them away they don't biodegrade. You could recycle them on Ebay, but whoever buys them will be replacing whatever they had, so somewhere along the line there will always be something thrown away.

Need? Every year? I plan on keeping my kindle for a long time, and if I don't I will give it to friends/family or a charity.

Before I left the States I was using 3 PC's on my home network, one was at least 7 years old and was used as a file server/backup alongside my main PC with a KVM switch. The other one was for network gaming and at least three years old. Good enough for Fallout Tactics and some Diablo sessions with a mate every now and then. You can always find a use for old tech...

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by VaporPunk

Need? Every year? I plan on keeping my kindle for a long time, and if I don't I will give it to friends/family or a charity.

Before I left the States I was using 3 PC's on my home network, one was at least 7 years old and was used as a file server/backup alongside my main PC with a KVM switch. The other one was for network gaming and at least three years old. Good enough for Fallout Tactics and some Diablo sessions with a mate every now and then. You can always find a use for old tech...

This... and use it until it fails or there is a compelling new feature that you actually need as opposed to want...

[ucfgrad93]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

There's also the need to continuously replace perfectly good electronic items every year when the new version comes out with some minor improvement.

No, that is a want. The computer I use at home is an almost 5 year old Apple iMac. My iPhone is 2 years old. Most people don't upgrade every time a new version comes out.

[carld]

Originally Posted by theducks

Have you ever been near (or visited) a Paper Mill?
Smell, big, No HUGE, machines inside and outside the buildings.

We used to drive by a paper mill on the way to visit family down south. You could smell the place for miles away, and the little podunk road we were on seemed to go right past the smelliest part. I can't imagine what life was like for the people living in the area.

Thankfully a new highway opened and our new route took us far away from the mill.

As others have said. If you add up all the books I've read on my K3, and that'd have to be way up in the 100s, I think the environmental impact has to be less than all those paper books.

[QuantumIguana]

.....