Earth Day, Every Day

During the first warm spell of the year we pour out of the house into the garden . . .  each of us busying ourselves with just about anything we can do just to remain outside, to remember how our bodies felt to be warm and unburdened by quilted layers of clothes.  Paddy immediately finds his favorite planter and begins to busy himself with a spade.  Dig, dig, digging the hardened soil, he lifts up the tool over his head with gusto and turns on his heel to dump the treasure into the little wheelbarrow behind him.  Most of it ends up on his head.  He squeals with delight as it falls down his shoulders in a black rain. 

I smile from where I stand, peeling the scab of winter off the garden with my lawn rake.  As the mottled leaves and wizened twigs are pried loose, I begin to see little pinheads and cones of the palest green — some the tightly furled leaves of hosta plants . . . others, seedlings of the maple tree standing nearby. 

From the east side of the house, Miss S. and the Schweitzer girls come tearing around the corner, with khakis dirt streaked and tools in hand.  With a missionary zeal they are trying to save each and every maple seedling that has fallen in the garden by transplanting it to a bare patch in the back of the house.

Tonight there will be a five rows of ghostly trees plotted in the back yard . . . as well as a special load of laundry, an apologetic call to the neighbor for sending her children home looking like refugees, and an especially thorough bath time. 

This is how stewards are made.

On this Earth Day, and every day, Songbird is dedicated to the development of literature for young minds . . . and the practice of sustainable publishing.   When I started this company just over a year ago, I  began researching the various production methods available for printing our first title books and was blown away by the environmental impact of publishing.  Consider the following data from The Green Press Initiative:

·         According to a recent study by the United States Book Industry, more than 30 million trees are cut down annually to produce the books sold in the U.S. 

·         8.85 lbs of CO₂ is created with every book produced.

·         The total carbon footprint of the book publishing industry  is 12.4 million metric tons of CO₂

·         The biggest contributor to the industry's footprint is using virgin-paper forest.  It is responsible for 62.7% of the industry's total carbon emissions.

Moreover, approximately 30% of books purchased by consumers are returned to the publisher and treated as overstock . . . sold to secondary markets or destroyed.   

Songbird chose to partner with distributor Ingram Book Group and print on demand operative Lightning Source because in doing so we were following through with our commitment to developing high quality books with low impact environmental practices.  

First and foremost, we only produce the books that are ordered for purchase.  Fewer books means fewer returns, more forests, and fewer landfills.

Moreover, as a printer Lightning Source has been recognized by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) for the certified paper products and wood product components it uses in its printing.

Of course, there’s more work to be done.  This year Songbird will continue to encourage Lightning Source to advance its commitment to the environment by using SFI certified paper in its color book printing practices . . . and we are seeking options to use vegetable based inks. 

Having signed the Book Industry Treatise on Environmentally Responsible Publishing, Songbird Books is completely committed to using less paper, and environmentally friendly materials in the production of our titles. 

The future of this little company is inextricably intertwined with the futures of our planet and of our children.  It might seem a little counterproductive . . . a little like transplanting minisucle maple tree seedlings from the front yard to the back. . . but I feel the decisions we've made for out company have made stewards of us all.