I’m a knowledge dork and I openly admit it. As a kid, the most likely place to find me would be a) the library or b) the bookstore. While I am no Stephen Hawking, I can’t help but delve into the hows, whys, and what-ifs of the world. As my concern for the environment has flourished in the past ten years, I can’t help but feel a bit of a shiver when I walk into my favorite book seller these days - where did all the paper for those books come from?

Though I would like to believe that a large chunk of publishers use post-consumer recycled content for their releases, I’ve found that just isn’t the case. There are over 80,000 different book publishers in the United States, yet only 140 of them (for the math fans, that’s .18%) have signed a treatise to improve their eco-footprint. Let’s not forget that some publishers already use a percentage of post-consumer recycled paper for the printing of their materials, but it is clear that it is not nearly enough. Factoring in all of the US publishers, a total of 5% of all paper used in production is made with some percentage of recycled material.

As consumers, it is our job to help speak out and make a difference … but if that means not buying books, I’m going to have some serious mental issues. Thankfully, a company has recently been established to help the plight of the book industry - Eco-Libris. For every five books that you read and offset via the company’s website, five trees will be planted in developing countries to help maximum the impact. In turn, you will be sent five stickers to put on the books you have offset, letting the world know you have made a positive impact. Let me guess - you are already wondering what the stickers are made of, no? Do not fret, they are made with recycled paper, along with non-toxic inks and glues.

I was recently honored with the opportunity to speak with both Eco-Libris CEO, Raz Godelnik, and Head of Business Development, Eylon Israely. Read on to find out more about Eco-Libris, how they are helping to change the world of books, and how three unique non-profits factor in to their business plan.

How did the initial concept for Eco-Libris come about?

Raz Godelnik, CEO: Well, I wish I had a cool story on how I went into a book store, or the library where my mother works, and suddenly I had a moment of enlightenment which turned into Eco-Libris…but the real story is much more boring. For a while, I was thinking about paper and the trees that are cut down for its production. I thought that recycling is important, but I really felt it’s not enough, and I also thought that it might take a while to get to the point where eco-friendly alternatives will replace virgin paper. Then, I talked with some friends about the idea of giving people the opportunity to balance out their paper consumption by planting trees and got good feedback.

The decision to focus on books was made after learning that only about 5% of the paper used for printing books is recycled paper and because books don’t have any online eco-friendly alternative yet like magazines and newspapers that you can read on the web, as e-books are still very rare. So if you want a book, you usually can’t avoid buying the paper-made version, unless you go to the library or get it via places like bookcrossing.com, which are both excellent choices. You also can’t tell people to stop reading books, so it seemed only logical to give book lovers a new alternative to make their reading habits greener - planting trees for the books they read. The idea was also to plant these trees in developing countries where they have both environmental and social added values, as they also benefit local communities.

I gathered a team with business and environmental backgrounds, and we started working on bringing this concept into life, and the rest is history, though a short one - we only started operating this month, after a few months of preparation.

While you help to offset trees being torn down to make paper for books by planting new ones, you also hope to influence the publishing industry to use more recycled materials - how are you going about that? Are you working with any other particular companies or groups on this goal?

Eylon Israely, Head of Business Development: We’re going to be approaching this in several different ways. I see one of our main strengths to be the easily understood message and the simple call for action. We hope to inspire people and become their first stop on the road to sustainability. From paying hard earned bucks for balancing out their books to starting to reduce the whole household’s paper consumption, it’s just a matter of scale. So, we’re going to have a lot of committed book readers as our clients and we are going to continue communicating with them and raise their awareness of eco-friendly options, such as recycled paper, tree–free paper, e-books and so on.

We’ll also approach authors and book stores who also have the power to contribute to the shift in the industry. We know that the will is already there - we’ve hardly been a month in operation and I am already getting questions from authors asking for my advice on how to print their upcoming novel on tree-free materials such as hemp. Of course, we will be establishing ties with book publishers on balancing out the books they publish, and similarly to book readers, once a certain level of commitment is achieved, moving to the next logical step is easier.

Today, the industry is moving towards the usage of recycled content, but it [is doing so] very slowly. We believe that with the right pressure from the ground up; from book readers, store owners and authors; we can see [many] more books like the new Harry Potter printed on recycled paper. We intend to become a strong and clear voice, backed by our customer base, in a call for change in the industry towards printing books in an eco-friendly manner.

From the beginning, Eco-Libris has chosen to be a for-profit business; balancing your goal to replant trees and make a profit can’t be easy, no?

Raz: We did a lot of thinking before we decided to start operating as a for-profit operation. We decided that this would be the best way to accomplish our goals and really make an impact. I think that today, it’s more understandable that there is no contradiction between doing good and doing well. Microfinance, for example, is a great example of how you can combine a business approach with social goals and do it very successfully. As a member in Net Impact, a global network of MBAs and graduates that strive to change the world through business, the combination of business and environmental or social goals seems very natural to me.

I know it might not be easy to explain, but it seems to me that more and more people understand the ability of businesses to contribute to the accomplishment of environmental and social goals. In any case, we are committed to adhere to the triple bottom line, and to work hard to make Eco-Libris another example of a successful green business.

Eylon: We had one person who sent us an email after he balanced out a few books saying that after giving it some thought, he believes that a for-profit can actually maintain a long term support for a goal instead of, as he called it, “the current crop of volunteers that may come and go.” I know many activists who juggle making a living with supporting a cause and it is not easy; their levels of commitment may drop based on their financial situation. By creating a for profit business framework, we believe we can avoid such situations.

Currently, you have three non-profit planting partners that you work with to reestablish trees in much-needed areas. Do you anticipate having to partner with more organizations in the future?

Raz: It depends on the demand we’ll face in the future. Currently, we have excellent three planting partners, all of whom are highly respected US and UK registered non-profit organizations, that we chose after a long screening process. We are very picky about our partners, as we want to make sure the right species of trees are planted in the right places in collaboration with local communities. So, right now, we’re very happy with the organizations we collaborate with and with their planting capabilities. In the future, we will evaluate periodically our planting needs and decide accordingly. In any case, we can assure our customers that if and when we’ll decide to look for more planting partners, we’ll go again through a rigorous process to ensure we’ll continue to work with the best organizations out there.

Though Eco-Libris just launched this month, what plans do you have for the future of the company?

Eylon: As I [mentioned previously], we will be establishing many ties in the book publishing industry. That; and continuously improving our website, message, and offers; will be our main focus in the months to come. Other than that, we have a European collaboration lined up for later this year, and there is the grandiose plan for the “Eco-Libris Road Show,” where we will team up with local book stores, eco-shops, authors, poets, and artists to create local events that combine environmental lectures, promoting local talent, and having fun.

Raz: We set up a goal of balancing out 500,000 books by the end of 2008; we want to accomplish it and even surpass it. I also hope that together with the help of the marvelous organizations we collaborate with, we can increase the awareness to the areas where the trees are planted and the local communities living there. Maybe we’ll even be able to arrange trips (mainly virtual ones, to save fuel and emissions of course), so people can see and feel the influence of their positive actions.