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Today publisher Dorling Kindersley (DK) launches its Made with Care books, four new titles that the publisher claims to be the greenest books in the world. We find this difficult to guarantee, but we sure are impressed by the effort DK has made to make us green readers happier.
First of all, hardbacks are made from 100 per cent recycled cardboard and there are no book jackets. The actual books are printed on 100 per cent FSC-certified paper and DK tells us that for every tree felled a new one is planted. We like the 'one out, one in' approach. The pages are printed with vegetable inks and the printing and binding process is done in a very energy-efficient way by German printer, Mohn Media. This company has been ahead of the eco game for the past 15 years when it comes to printing. For example, it has installed a combined heat and power system, allowing the company to generate 100 per cent of its own electricity, and it only sources paper from FSC-certified European forests.
On the ethical side, DK has partnered up with Bookaid International, which means that every time somebody buys a Made with Care book on Amazon, DK will donate a book to a child in another country.
With titles such as Earth Matters, Grow Organic, Make It! and Green Babycare, the four books in the range immediately appeal more to greenies than anyone else. We've checked them out and find that Earth Matters (£17.99) is a very good family encyclopedia that introduces us to nature and the basic environmental issues in an easily understandable way.
Grow Organic (£17.99) is a comprehensible guide to making the perfect compost and vegetable patch. As far as we can see, it covers just about everything you could possibly want to know as a budding organic gardener -- and the pictures really make us want to start growing our veggies.
Make It! (£7.99) is a practical book for kids of all ages with ideas and step-by-step guides on how to make something useful out of plastic, paper, fabric and metal waste. Our only concern is that kids might be encouraged to consume more of a certain product in order to create the ideas outlined in the book, which is obviously not the green intention.
SmartPlanet connected mother-to-be has trawled through Green Babycare (£12.99), and having read dozens of different green baby books, she expected it to be a sort of recap of the others. But she happily reported back to us that Green Babycare impressed her by covering new ground in the green world of babycare.
Although we're obviously fans of the web, we do like a good read in an old-fashioned book. Until now, we've been ambivalent about reading up on green issues on paper that comes from processed trees sourced from unknown locales. So despite the fact that DK's Made with Care books are still made from trees, their traceability and eco credentials will definitely make our reading time much more enjoyable.
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Head over to our My Planet section to win lovely ethical and green prizes. If you're a SmartPlanet member, entering a competition takes just two clicks.
