“If civilization has risen from the Stone Age, it can rise again from the Wastepaper Age.” ~Jacques Barzun 

Can you imagine how many books have been thrown in dumpsters and landfills over the years? More than I care to think about. 

Overprinting books means wasting money by having to pay rent for storage space. It also uses up natural resources – trees. 

Thanks to print-on-demand, and the development of electronic publishing (e-books), future generations will be much wiser in the way they produce books.

Last week the U.S.A. Today newspaper cited how for the first time ever, in 2011, e-book sales have exceeded hardcover sales – up 28% from the previous year. That is progress towards sustaining the environment and the publishing industry. To read the article, please visit this link. http://usat.ly/MhU10F. 

Digital publishing also means that updating books is economical and easy. To post new e-ditions you just download the new version through a computer. Gotta love it! 

What to do with all those books sitting in warehouses taking up space because the publisher has over-estimated sales and over-printed? 

Here is a creative solution:

Photo: A library information desk made out of recycled books. 

Artists, do you have other good ideas for large permanent art installations made out of outdated publications, that will spare landfills and dumpsters from receiving them? We would love to hear from you.

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