GOING GREEN COMMENT

Will eBooks be the Books of the Future?

By Jodie Sellers

With the world locked in a continuous debate over how to be more environmentally friendly, it is now our faithful companion, the book, which is under threat of been deemed ‘ungreen’.  There are many arguments suggesting the eBook is far greener, yet can we really justify the possible extinction of the book as a means of saving a few trees?  We are all aware of the damages that carbon emissions can inflict upon our environment and we have to acknowledge the ecological impact of tree demolition. With the eBook, these troubles would be considerably fewer.  However, the image of grabbing a satisfyingly warm cup of tea and eagerly ascending the stairs to a nice, comfy bed, to then sit up with a flashing and humming laptop to get stuck into an exciting read, does not exactly strike my fancy.

Environmentalists inform us that printed books use three times more raw materials to produce than eBooks, but have they considered that computers, laptops, and eBook hand-held devices are not biodegradable? Which argument is stronger I will leave to the scientists. There are many ways in which books can be environmentally friendly too; for example Oxfam Bookshops recycle unwanted books and sell them on to new read

ers. Also the heritage of book sharing is not only ‘green’, but creates that warm, fuzzy feeling inside when you and your friends sit together and chat about your favourite books. As an English and History student, the eBook, or other electronically accessed material, is a lifesaver when the library copies have disappeared along with the enthusiasts. Nevertheless, after a couple of hours of squinting at a screen, my fingers aching, poised over the mouse, I am pining for a book to sit down with wherever, and not just my computer chair, to flick through the pages with ease.

Gadget lovers will celebrate the eBook as another innovation of our age and it will hopefully encourage those who see reading as a boring pastime to take up it up. But do we really want the book to be replaced by yet another electronic contraption? It not only destroys what many people love about reading, an escape from the overly fast paced world, but it is arguably not that much ‘greener’ if you open your mind to other environmentally friendly methods. Next time you sit down for a good read, imagine the annoyance when the internet inevitably breaks or the batteries run out; nothing compares to the reliability of pen and paper!