Weekly newsletter - Monday 31st of January 2011
E-book sales surpass paperbacks
In the last 3 months of 2010 sales of e-books on Amazon.com
overtook sales of paperback books. There were 1.15 times as many
e-books purchased which can be read on the Kindle e-reader or
Kindle application (available for PC, mac, iPhone and Android) The
Kindle has become the biggest selling product on amazon ever,
costing either £111 or £152. Most e-books cost about
half the price of a paperback and there are a large number of
classic novels available for free.
So if you bought e-books instead of paperbacks you would have made
back your investment after buying about 30 e-books. There are some
concerns over e-book ownership, if you own a paper book you are
free to lend it and sell it on, however the same is not true of an
electronic book.
This rise in e-book sales could be interpreted as a sign that
consumers are increasingly willing to embrace digital technology,
and that we would see a reduction in carbon emissions associated
with manufacturing books in the near future. However, Amazon also
reported a rise in sales of paperbacks over this period. Full story
The Guardian Sustainable Business Awards
2011
New for this year the Guardian Sustainable Business awards are
intended to be far reaching and to promote and inspire innovation
in sustainability. There are 11 awards which fall into the three
categories of communications, impact and resources. Winners of the
awards will feature in a special supplement (online of course).
More than just a way of lauding those who have done a good job the
awards are intended to provide a focal point around which companies
can share ideas and mark the launch of the Guardian Sustainable
Business Best Practice Exchange.
The award titles are: Communicating Sustainability, Engaging
Employees, Social Impact, Biodiversity, Supply Chain, Carbon, Waste
& Recycling, Water, Energy, ICT and Built Environment.
There is also an award for The Sustainability Innovator of the
Year, which is an individual award for someone in corporate
sustainability who has made a significant innovative contribution
to corporate sustainability. The closing date for entries is the
7th February, so act fast! Follow this
link for details on how to enter.
0% business loans from the Carbon Trust
Did you know that the Carbon Trust (a not profit company set up by
the government) provide loans of between £3k and £100k
to help businesses fund energy saving improvements? Loans are
unsecured and repayable over a 4 year period. For more information
and to see if you are eligible follow
this link.