Better World Books discounts used books for Earth Day

April 21, 11:18 PMChicago Literary Scene ExaminerRobert Duffer

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20% OFF ALL USED BOOKS at BETTERWORLDBOOKS.COM

Get your green on by hugging a used book courtesy of online bookseller and global literacy promoter Better World Books. All used books are 20% off for Earth Day (April 22) and shipping is free. Students can sell, buy and donate textbooks through the site as well.

It's a curious "triple-bottom-line" business model that includes social and environmental concerns as part of its profit motive. BWB works in partnership with four global non-profit literacy groups and ships all orders with a carbon-nuetral rating by making offsets through carbonfund.org, a non-profit that helps businesses and individuals find ways to nuetralize their carbon emissions. Landfills are spared (by emphasizing used book use), literacy is promoted, and Better World wants you to feel better than you would buying from Amazon, say.

"Here’s the best part: In addition to selling new titles, Better World Books supports book drives and collects used books and textbooks through a network of over 1,600 college campuses and partnerships with nearly 1,000 libraries nationwide. So far, the company has converted more than 11 million donated books into $4.5 million in funding for literacy and education. In the process, we’ve also diverted more than 6,000 tons of books from landfills."

OK, but how much are the books? And how many of the books being resold were initially donated? New hardcover books average about $20. New paperbacks are $12ish. Used paperbacks can be got for 5 for $15 but average about $4+ a pop. By contrast, best-selling Amazon hardcover titles average about $15; paperbacks $10ish. You can get free shipping from Amazon as well but you can't get the environmental righteousness that you can with Better World Books. 

I'm not disparaging Better World Books but it is an eco-activist twist on a succesful, profit-making business model. Which is grand. God Bless capitalist enterprise!

If you really want to support your environment, start by supporting your community and patronizing your local indie bookstore. Sustaining an existent, interdependent community--especially  in urban areas--can help reduce your alternative-choice (think opportunity cost) carbon footprint and help people you see every day.