En-light-en Me » Our Green Policy

Our Green Policy

Our motto...Reduce Reuse Recycle

plant a tree for every book you read

Our goal is to nurture not only children, but nature too! Click Here to read our Green Policy Commitment

However, in a nutshell,  here is what we do here at Pick-a-WooWoo

Striving for Carbon Neutral Books - As part of our green publishing philosophy one tree is planted for every children’s’ picture book that is trade printed in collaboration with www.ecolibris.net. Effective June 1, 2009. Pick-a-WooWoo Publishers is the first publisher in Australia to join with US company Eco-Libris to offset its imprint and paper usage by having 780 trees planted for each title trade printed  on its behalf. Books printed prior to June 09 also have a sticker placed on them advising  - One tree planted for this book.  Print on Demand books (printed one at a time) do not have stickers YET ...we are working on it.

Eco-Libris works with its planting partners to plant trees in developing countries. Its planting and conservation activities are an integral part of its efforst to help local communities in these countries move towards a sustainable future. The trees planted provide signficant value for both the environment and the local communities, who are very much involved and play an important part in the planting projects. Visit ecolibris.net & View proof of planting

We also received wonderful feedback from a Sustainable Harvest International (SHI) through Eco-Libris (See Letter Attached). They acknowledged the receipt of funding from Eco-Libris on 11/11/09 for the planting of 780 trees on behalf of Pickawoowoo Pty Ltd for our title 'Born to Love Frogs'.  Apparently, they believe it is ours (and others) generosity that allows then to bring environmental, economic and social sustainability to more than 1,800 families in over 120 struggling communities in Central America. One example of this success is Domingo Alvarado, a Honduran farmer who has been working with Sustainable Harvest International for six months. He has worked with SHI to increase the diversity of his farm, where he now has a vegetable garden and a nursery with thousands of timber-yielding trees and coffee. What they see as generosity, we see as our responsibility to give back when we take from nature.  (See Letter Attached).

We are committed to the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle within our business.

We believe each company and each individual has a responsibility for their activities as they affect the quality of our environment. Green is not just about using less paper It includes; sustainability, workplace efficiencies and quality of life.Yes we operate in an industry which can be staggeringly wasteful, not only in terms of the paper used to make the books, but also due to the fuel and cardboard used to transport these books to and from suppliers. That's why we are firm sales only to our accounts with retail /wholesale outlets. This non- returnable business model reduces the "to and from" scenario which often results in damaged product which can't be sold. We also choose to work with home-sellers /a broad network of independent retailers / educators and other partners.

Where ever possible we try to limit the industries known wasteful practices.  All Pickawoowoo books are softcover. We won't shock you with how much excess paper usage/wastage there is with hard covers but needless to say, wherever possible we try to minimise our imprint on the earth without compromising the quality of our titles. If you want to know more about actual figures on how many trees are utilised for one book (its carbon imprint) then visit Eco-libris for statistics and be prepared to be surprised.

Print on Demand and E-Books means less paper - less waste: Green” has always been a core Pickawoowoo value. Sustainability, health, and environmentally sound initiatives have always been desirable business practices that fit with our spiritual responsibility. In the US / UK / Europe we have chosen to offer our titles through LightningSource as 'Print on Demand' and 'E-books'. This permits us to drastically minimize our paper wastage and reduce our footprint on Mother Earth.

Some of our Reduce / Reuse/ Recycle initiatives are:

a) Printing Waste becomes Gift Wrapping: In Australia, we use at least 75% of printers waste for packaging and gift wrapping of our online book sales; We also provide this paper to schools etc for posters, book wrapping, art etc.
b) Forestry: We ensure that our printers source the paper on which our books are printed from ancient-forest friendly sources — this means that the paper suppliers are obliged to replant trees that they have harvested, and that they do not damage rainforests or other ancient woodlands. We also now plant one tree for ever book sold through Eco-Libris.
c) Recycling: All of our paper product is mulched onsite and used in our gardens. Other recyclable office materials are taken to our local recycling centre on a weekly basis. We also recycle the toner used in our printers and copiers.
d) Shipping: Many of our books are transported across considerable distances. We wherever possible, use shipping by boat as the main transportation of stock.
e) Communications: We wherever possible set out to minimize our paper use by communicating as much as possible online and by telephone. We reuse the paper until it's not reusable (ie both sides of paper) and then we mulch it for our warehouse gardens.

 Green” is an ongoing process. We continue to work on ways to become more environmentally conscious in both our office, warehouse and in our personal lives. We always welcoas and suggestions.

 

 

 

A room without books is like a body without a soul.
Cicero

Grown men may learn from very little children for the heart of little children are pure, and therefore, the Great spirit may show to them many things which older people miss.
Black Elk

The most beautiful sensation in the world is to feel love. Open your hearts and minds, feel free of all constraints and
experience love as it was meant to be.
Guardian Angel Odain