"Think before you print" is a basic green living tip we have all read, and hopefully now consider. It is a simple change in behavior that can literally save forests if we follow this advice in our households, schools and businesses.
What caught my attention while researching the possibilities of publishing A Moment of Quiet is Nothing to Fear is the wasteful cycle of the book industry, one that clearly does not not yet benefit from the mindset above.
Therefore this book has been developed, printed and launched with a sincere commitment to minimize resources, produce responsibly and communicate efficiently.
First of all, before we review the nuts and bolts, it is relevant to mention that this story follows the philosophy of moregreenmoms. A core message of my small Bay Area company is that “less is the new more.” Whether it is buying less, using less or learning to simply want less, we are gaining a tremendous range of benefits. Not only are we collectively reducing the load of demand for our earth's resources, but we are recovering lost time in pursuit of "things" we then have to maintain in our lives.
With this set of values in mind, A Moment of Quiet is Nothing to Fear reflects a positive opportunity to cut back on the running around that we all find ourselves engaged in as parents of 21st century children. Like the grandfather in my book, I believe that the pace is not sustainable and that somewhere on the road ahead we may face a breakdown.
Taken more literally, imagine if we all decided to eliminate one day of transport to after school activities out of our schedules. Get out that carbon calculator!
In order to develop the book, I worked with my Stanford classmate, Kristin Abbott, who illustrated the story with her vivid watercolor paintings (www.abbottillustration.com). Also a mother of three, Kristin, is very familiar with the concept of busy children and my narrative evoked the familiar tug of her own efforts to balance their successful academic and athletic pursuits with essentials such as a good night’s sleep and family time.
Her original artwork was digitally scanned before we added graphic designer, Amy Martin, to the team. Amy and I then worked closely to develop the look and feel of the story, with a focus on playful and varying type sizes and colors.
I am proud to report that less than 30 sheets of paper were exchanged during the entire illustration and design process.
After exhaustive research, I selected Friesens publishing company to print the books on chlorine-free 60% post-consumer paper that bears the Forest Certification Seal for responsible resourcing. A company-certified Environmental Benefits Statement is published on the credit page of each of my books. In addition, Friesen's has implemented an array of environmentally-friendly practices at their production center which can be reviewed on their site, www.friesens.com/Corporate/Environment.asp.
To circle back to the beginning of this post, respecting paper, the printing will run on-demand so that inventory can be tightly managed and unsold copies of the book are not caught in a wasteful downstream return cycle.
For launch, we are marketing directly to independent booksellers, specialty retailers, book fairs and online at www.amomentofquiet.com.
I know that at the end of the day, this book certainly required resources and will create waste. But rest assured that I made every effort to let technology do the heavy lifting during design, source creative resources from local talent and work with responsible vendors.
I promise, it is really not so hard to "think before you print!."