There are plenty of childrens' books about the environment. One of the most interesting new ones is WORLD WITHOUT FISH by Mark Kurlansky (Workman Publishing, April 2011).
Part graphic novel, part history, part science, with section headings in a very large kid-friendly font, and lots of full-color illustrations throughout, this should appeal to today's internet-savvy readers. Kurlansky touches on global warming, pollution, and overfishing as the three main culprits in why the coral reefs are dying. He offers practical suggestions that kids themselves can follow. A fun and painless way to learn.
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And now for the quotes:
"Here's what an e-reader is: a battery-operated slab... one-half inch thick, perhaps with an aluminum border, rubberized back, plastic, metal, silicon, a bit of gold, plus rare metals such as columbite-tantalite (Google it) ripped from the earth, often in war-torn Africa. To make one e-reader requires 33 pounds of minerals, plus 79 gallons of water to refine the minerals and produce the battery and printed writing."
"Then you figure that the 100 million e-readers will be outmoded in short order, to be replaced by 100 million new and improved devices."
"Here's what it takes to make a book, which... will be shared by many readers and preserved and appreciated... recycled paper, a dash of minerals, and two gallons of water. Batteries not necessary. If trees are harvested, they can be replanted."
All of the above quotes are from a PW article, "Books Without Batteries: The Negative Impacts of Technology," by Bill Henderson, April 11, 2011.
Henderson was summarizing a New York Times article from April 4, 2011. According to that article, "OP CHART: How Green is My I-Pad," by Daniel Goleman and Gregory Norris, "The adverse health impacts [on the general public] from making one e-reader are estimated to be 70 times greater than those for making a single book."
(I urge you to click on the links and read the full articles.)
Still enjoy your e-reader? Do you agree or disagree that e-readers are actually worse for the environment?
