Ebooks Are Obviously Better For The Environment.. Or Are They?
Lowman, Stephen (2010, April 22) Environmental impact of e-books vs. paper books
Even though Ebooks have drastically increased in the past couple of years, book have not completely disappeared and are far from it. In one year, nearly 25 million trees were used to make books while 10 million books sold on Ebooks simultaneously. To calculate the harmful effects books have on the environments is easy and while most people think Ebooks are a god given gift to the environment, they are not. In order to calculate the damages Ebooks make on the economy one must take into account the energy costs associated with e-readers which is not an easy thing to measure. The energy is taken from the energy grid in the United States which negatively impacts the environment, in order for Ebooks to produce as many books in order to break even with the damages they make, an e-reader must read 100 books on his or her Ebook.
“While some manufacturers offer recycling programs, the sad fate of an e-reader at the end of its life is like a lot of other electronics. It often winds up in the hands of child in a poor country, where they can make money off the precious metals used inside. The toxic effects of this e-waste have been well documented. A book lying in a landfill is benign by comparison.”
“It is almost certain that e-readers have the potential to reduce the impacts associated with harvesting trees and forest conversion, but that does not guarantee that they are the better choice from an environmental standpoint”
When most people see Ebooks generalized thoughts rush through their minds: That person is a regular reader, that person has adapted to the new way of reading, and that person cares about the environment, however, what most people do not know is that Ebooks are not 100% harmless to the environment. Yes, books come from paper and paper comes from trees so it is easier for people to connect the dots between books and harming the environment, but when one mentions the electricity grid, energy costs, and the water it takes to produce Ebooks, the dots become a little bit harder for people to connect. In a sense, the more paper that is used the more trees are planted, so although the effects of books currently affect the environment they are serving as a greater good in the future. Ebooks however, only serve to not be detrimental to the environment if an e-reader read 100 books. Alright, I do understand if one purchases an Ebook, that person has an obvious interest in books, but who reads 100 books in a reasonable amount of time? Books can be recycled and passed down, Ebooks work more as like a one time thing and are always dependent on a charger, god forbid you go on a 12 hour plane ride with out an outlet available. So yes, books are not the best thing to happen to the environment, but one book can go a long way and passed around to a lot of people, while ebooks aren't sharing friendly and us energy every time one wants to read.
No comments:
Post a Comment