Survey: Do You Read e-books?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.21.08
Celsias notes that " about 1 hour of energy spent on a laptop computer, equals the amount of energy expended to create just 4 sheets of paper; you can read a lot more than 4 pages in an hour. Plus, because eBooks use zero fossil fuels, and no trees, by choosing an eBook (even some of the time), you contribute to making a big difference." On the other hand, my wife, a prodigious reader, notes that by getting her books from the library she is making even more of a difference.
I buy books on occasion but most of my books come from the library. I have a select few magazine subscriptions, and my daily news comes off of the computer.
It's still the case that computer screens shimmer slightly - they are just not a comfortable thing to read for hours at a time (I don't want to have that slumped, passive feeling that you get from hours of watching the box).
I think it'll be when screens become as relaxing to read as paper that things will start getting really interesting. My massive bookcases are the main decoration in my home and an expression of who I am -- but I can forsee a time when they will date me and owning such a collection will be about as PC as having a seal fur rug and teak furniture. I'm delighted not to have to buy stacks of newspaper any more, but I'll be gutted if books go.
I know that polls can be a pain to implement and outsourcing something like that is very tempting. But I'd ask that Treehugger please consider that outsourcing the polls to a third party introduces yet another barrier to dialog. Posting comments here is difficult enough, but to need to authenticate my credentials at yet another location (in this case PollDaddy) is enough to keep me from participating.
I only whine because I care! I am grateful for Treehugger.com and all the hard work you do.
LA: I would love to hear in greater detail what your problem is to see if we can resolve it. I wouldnt think that you have to do anything at our poll supplier, just comment here.
I enjoy my modest book collection regardless of 'eco' choice. There are some things that bring me a deeper pleasure. However, I'm a strong advocate for local libraries and most of my media (reading, audio, visual) comes from there.
I buy books because i love them and so do my children. I do get news, etc online, but i also go to school online and most of my textbooks are e-books.
i have no problem reading articles, etc online, but the books online are difficult - i end up having to print chapters because i just can't stand having to scroll up and down the page to read the columns, sometimes, i need to see it all at once AND be able to read it at the same time. And trying to study the material on my screen is uncomfortable. :-(
I have always been a library girl. I will buy certain books if I intend to read them over and over again, or if I want to have them in my house for long term perusing, but mostly I go to the library. They are great for fiction, adn the one near me is really good about new non-fiction.
I don't like e-books. I feel like the lighting and font is not great for my eyes, plus you can't curl up on a couch with one unless you get another expensive battery powered tool.
I'm a big fan of ending my ngiht by getting a book I like curling up on my couch and reading at night by the light of one lamp until it's close to bedtime.
In the morning, I copy .HTML files of online articles I think may be interesting, and place them in my iPaq. I can then read them whenever I have a spare minute. I am also an avid reader of amateur fanfiction, which I also download.
I sometimes purchase e-books from Fictionwise or eReader, but I also get books from the local library. My wife is a regular user of the local used book stores.
I like e-books and other electronic text because their presence does not change the size or weight of my iPaq. I can carry as much as I want with no real impact.
I buy only used books, and use the library for most other reading. I can't seem to comprehend what I'm reading as well on a screen as I do on paper.
"about 1 hour of energy spent on a laptop computer, equals the amount of energy expended to create just 4 sheets of paper."
This factoid compares the energy needed to *run* a laptop, to the energy it takes to *make* paper.
But paper takes zero energy to use once it's created, while laptops are made with large amounts of electricity, water and rare metals. A well-preserved book can last for centuries; laptops get replaced once every few years. That's not too green.
I vote library.
I would've voted for the second option, if it had read: "I still buy magazines, but read e-books and get most news online."
Out of the last 12 books I've read, only one was printed. I read on my PDA, which is as comfortable for me to read on as a printed page (and considering the bad printing jobs I've seen on recent books and magazines, often better). I enjoy the literature... I don't care about the trappings of bound collections of paper. And when the magazines I read are fully available online or as e-magazines, I will switch to those and give up on paper collecting altogether.