Green Initiative

Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vermont, now features an array of photovoltaic panels on its roof. The 16-kilowatt PV system, slated to be online by the end of the year, will supply approximately 10 percent of Northshire’s electric needs.

Random House Children’s and Random House Adult catalogs will be going digital only, beginning with their Summer 2012 and Fall 2012 lists, respectively. The change ensures the catalog information will be “more up-to-the-minute, and thus more viable, practical, and useful,” said Ruth Liebmann, vice president, director, account marketing, Random House, Inc.

Powell's to Harness Solar Energy

What's better than the high margins of sidelines? The high margins and driving sales of green sidelines. At this spring's Go Green Expo in New York City, three floors of the Hilton New York Hotel were devoted to eco-friendly paraphernalia -- from recycled greeting cards to biodegradable umbrellas to rubber wallets.

Last week, the American Booksellers Association continued its environmental efforts on behalf of member booksellers by participating in the Book Industry Environmental Council's first meeting.

The American Booksellers Association would like to hear from its bookstore members that are having success buying, merchandising, and selling graphic novels, as well as those that are developing and implementing green initiatives. Bookseller success stories will help the association develop education programs and materials to benefit all ABA member stores. Any bookseller who would like to share their stories is asked to contact ABA Education Coordinator Lisa Winn at lisa@bookweb.org or (800) 637-0037, ext. 6657.

It was standing room only at ABA's Day of Education "Green Retailing" session on Thursday, May 29 at BookExpo America. Booksellers packed the room to hear panelists Suzy Staubach of University of Connecticut Co-op in Storrs, Connecticut, Natalie Freidberg of All Shades of Green in Los Angeles, and Ferris Kawar, vice president of sustainability at Greenopia, discuss strategies for lowering a retailer's impact on the environment using methods from the simple to the sublime.

There is no question: environmentalism is in. It's cool to be green these days, especially in Hollywood. But, as is so often the case in la-la land, not everything you see is real. While any number of celebrities are very good at talking the green talk, many are not so adept at walking the walk -- unless it's to their idling private jets.

Indie booksellers are waging the green revolution on several fronts -- developing and expanding Green Living/Environmental sections, offering green sidelines, reducing waste, and increasing energy efficiency. Related green issues of particular interest, as evidenced by discussions at recent ABA Booksellers Forums, are how to reduce the use of merchandise bags and what to provide as an eco-friendly alternative.

The American Booksellers Association is ramping up its efforts to be ecologically responsible at next month's BookExpo America in Los Angeles. This week, as worldwide celebrations of Earth Day brought added focus to the need for individuals and businesses to lessen their impact on the environment, ABA announced changes that will reduce the carbon footprint of its participation in BEA.