I’ve been hearing more and more about Amazon’s Kindle.  After watching the video on Amazon’s site, I’m excited about this new technology.  The thought of being able to carry thousands of reading materials with me everywhere I go, is thrilling, and I’m sure for avid readers, that notion sends you to a euphoric state.  But, since the mission of LiveHumanely.com is to examine the impact that our decisions have on the world around us, I’m forced to ponder the effects that the Kindle (and other similar technologies) might have upon the environment.

The pros seem to be:

1.  Reduction in the amount of paper produced which means less trees being cut down.

2.  Reduction in the amount of energy used to manufacture millions of books that are available electronically via the Kindle.

3.  Reduction in the amount of paperbacks and hardbacks that are sent to landfills.  Of course the best choice is to donate these books, sell them to a used book store, or recycle them, but they all still end up “somewhere”.

4.  Less driving to/from the bookstore to purchase the books.

5.  Reduction in transportation costs (environmental and monetary costs) to ship books from production to sale.

Cons:

1.  Energy used to manufacture the Kindle.

2.  Battery in the Kindle and other electronic components ending up in landfills.

Other thoughts to consider regarding the Kindle:

1.  Will this affect our social connections with others since bookstores tend to be social experiences?

2.  How will bookstores be affected, and will they be able to adapt and tap into this new technology?

3.  What about public libraries?  Will they be able to tap into this market?

4.  As an educator, I can’t help but also think about the effect on young adults.  How will school textbooks change?  Will they be available on the Kindle at some point?  If so, will that inspire more young people to read since it’s available via technology and not something that they consider out-dated such as paper?  Will the Kindle appear on school supply lists?  If so, how will urban students be affected?

With all of these points considered, I still can’t help but be excited about the possibilities of the Kindle, but as with all inventions, only time will tell.