Books for a Better World
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY 
on 05. 3.07
Ever wonder how to combine the causes of global literacy and environmental protection into one worthwhile cause? Turns out BetterWorld Books based in Mishawaka, IN has taken on the challenge of selling used books online to benefit global literacy while protecting the environment as well. The idea is pretty standard, to collect used books through book drives on college campuses and discards from libraries, but then selling them at a profit not just to benefit themselves but also the cause of global literacy as well. So far they’ve hit some really cool milestones worth mentioning. Reaching the $2 million mark for funds raised to benefit over 80 literacy organizations such as Room to Read and Books for Africa; saving over 8 million pounds of books from an untimely end in a landfill, salvaging over 700,000 pounds of shelving from public libraries, and all while allowing customers to offset over 150 tons of carbon with “Carbon Free Shipping” for their book purchases. Hey, it seems like a great way to run a bookstore to me!
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