Tuesday, April 21, 2009

A public service ...

... announcement, for our Green friends: Help save the planet, choose used books.

I speak as one with an especially dainty carbon footprint (and also as someone who is distinctly agnostic on the issue of global warming - no "climate change" obfuscation here).

I gather that tomorrow is Earth Day.

Regarding which, Dave sends along (in the comments) this: To Hell with Earth Day; Long Live Arbor Day!
... Earth Day has become a bloodless holiday for pallid urbanites, the sort of technology-dependent yuppies whose rare encounters with the unregulated outdoors usually end in paralyzing fears of Lyme disease. Earth Day is about as green as a $100 bill.

2 comments:

  1. Used book stores are my favorite haunts (well, libraries might challenge that favorite-spot position), not because I am ecologically motivated (though spending less money might mean the government might be able to print less of it) but because I am belatedly frugal; once upon a time I thought nothing of throwing hundreds of dollars into the purchase of new books every couple of weeks, but now I believe it is my duty to spend less (in anticipation of God knows what in the future). Besides, used book stores have the best books. Sure, the Amazons, Borders, and Barnes and Nobles of the world have great selections, but there is nothing like browsing in a used bookstore (or library) and making serendipitous discoveries that are simply not possible anywhere else on earth. Example: I remember finding Koszinski's THE PAINTED BIRD and Grass's THE TIN DRUM in a used bookstore. Those were eye-opening discoveries for me decades ago. (And the discoveries just keep on coming!)

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