Send Your Books "Into the Wild" with BookCrossing.com
by TreeHugger on 04. 6.05
The good folks at BookCrossing.com invite TreeHuggers to add a fourth “R” to the sustainability trinity of reduce, reuse, recycle… re-GIFT! Launched four years ago by Humankind Systems, Inc., the online book tracking and trading service encourages people to regift books “into the wild” by leaving good reads in random locations. An online journal tracks the book’s journey as it ventures into the hands (and hearts) of new readers.
Inspired by sites such as wheresgeorge.com that tracks dollar bills and phototag.org a site that tracks disposable cameras, bookcrossing.com was designed to facilitate an online community bound by the special intimacy that comes from having shared a great read. Co-Founder Ron Hornbaker concedes that it will be several years before a critical mass is reached and the number of registered books ‘released’ matches the number of registered books ‘found.’ But Hornbaker’s faith in karmic connections and his belief in the power of online communities keep his passion for the project burning bright.
Perhaps one day you will experience a Great Convergence and discover a BookCrossing read that was released by a TreeHugger. Now wouldn’t that be somethin’? [By Erin Oliver]
I think this is a great idea, but not necessarily an environmentally friendly one. Books are likely to get thrown out by people who are unsure what to do with them. I don't want to discourage people from getting involved, because public art and social experiments should be encouraged. However I wouldn't exactly call this re-gifting either.