Barack Obama has been in office for two months now, and the poor guy has had to deal with all kinds of headaches on an everyday basis. He’s got the Iraq mess on his hands. The U.S. still doesn’t have a clear plan for Afghanistan, and it hasn’t helped that the economy has tanked badly in the recent months. But that doesn’t mean we are not going to keep asking Barack for delivering the change that he promised us a few months ago.
One of the those changes that Barack talked about was adopting a whole new attitude towards the green movement. The past administration didn’t exactly put the country on a greener track. Barack promised us to create green jobs and help the green industry get to the next level. A lot of us are not experts when it comes to green topics. But what Kindle owners know is this: gadgets such as Amazon Kindle save lots of trees and deserves to be supported by this new administration. It’s not just about the Kindle. It’s about any e-book reader that helps save our planet. I am not suggesting the government should take sides here. Rather, we need a plan that helps publishers and consumers go digital in an easier and a more cost-effective fashion.
For too long, we have been buying paper books. Quite frankly, it has become a habit for most of us. But the climate change is no joke. We need all the help we can get to protect our environment for the generations to come. That’s why we need a stimulus plan for the green movement. I do believe that most folks care about the environment, and they would go green if they could afford it. The problem with e-book readers is they are not cheap. They cost you anywhere between $200 to $500, and you still have to pay for the books as well. That has been a turn-off for a lot people. The colleges and universities around the nation have been very slow in adopting the digital publishing technologies. The publishers have not fully made the transition either. A government stimulus can certainly help move the industry to the next level.
The U.S. has a very tight budget. I get that. We are in trouble, and we are going to be in huge debt for a long time to come. But investing in green technologies can only help us in the long-term. With that in mind, here is my rough plan to get the ball rolling:
- Consumers:
- Tax Refund: provide consumers with tax refunds on green book readers. Let’s say $50 for the next three years.
- Encouragement: provide other incentives to help consumers better make the transition.
- Accelerate: provide colleges and universities funds to accelerate the adoption process.
- Aid: provide financial help to students who can’t afford e-book readers.
- Publishers:
- Tax Breaks: temporary tax break for publishers that make the transition to the digital publishing platforms.
- Encouragements: support the private sector’s efforts to go digital by providing them government help and other incentives.
- Community:
- Raise Awareness: accelerate the adoption rate in the community by raising awareness about the benefits of buying green readers.
- Government:
- Practice: encourage others to adopt green book readers by adopting these technologies inside government agencies.
Don’t take me wrong. The government is not the solution here. But it could play a role. At the end of the day, we the people should make the ultimate decision to switch to digital books. This is where we truly have the power. Paper books have been around forever, and they will be around for years to come. But digital books are the future, and the future is now with Kindle and other green b0ok readers.
Your take: how would you go about improving the above plan?
You May Also Be Interested In:
- Kindle Repairs: Where do you go?
- 15 Kindle Games Worth Checking Out
- Readlists: Create eBooks from URLs
- 5 Cool Evernote Apps for iPhone and iPad
0 comments
#1CameronMarch 23, 2009, 6:09 pm
honestly i am unsure if most Kindle owners are more sustainable than comparable book owners.
kindles, as with most all electronic devices are pretty damaging on the environment to make.
Books if made with a decent amount of post consumer recycled material would actually not be all that bad. Even ones made with no recycled paper could be environmentally benign depending on how the forest was cared for.
I would much rather have pigovian taxation that taxes the unsustainable aspects of our economy than give a tax credit for something like the kindle.
#2P. RadMarch 23, 2009, 6:58 pm
Well, I wasn’t just talking about Kindle, but all ebook readers. Books can be get more eco-friendly but that’s not the only issue here. Kindle and devices like that provide us with opportunity to each our kids more things in a more effective way. I have nothing against paper books. I am just not sure sticking with such as old technology, if you will, is the right way to go as we close in on the 2nd decade of the 21st century.
#3Feredrick CMarch 23, 2009, 6:28 pm
Not gonna happen. Sorry.
Add your comment