Zac Cooper of Petaluma High

By ZAC COOPER
PETALUMA HIGH SCHOOL, 15, SOPHOMORE

That special touch or feel we get from reading a traditional book cannot be replaced. The feeling of accomplishment every time the page is flipped is amazing.
But gone should be the days when humans don’t care about the Earth. Everyone tries to do their part to help the planet, but unfortunately, “world consumption of paper has grown 400 percent in the last 40 years. Now nearly 4 billion trees or 35 percent of total trees cut around the world are used in paper industries on every continent.” (ecology.com)
Not in the mood for that big book in your backpack? Too bad. Who’s strong enough to carry two books with all the other stuff in your backpack? Many now, as there are millions who have an e-reader. What’s not to like when you can carry an e-reader that weighs less than the average book and hold 100 times more books? Not only does it save thousands of pages of paper, it allows one to be flexible in their reading material choice and keeps the condition of the book perfect.
Have you ever read a book you loved and once the book is finished, realize it is completely thrashed, with the spine of the book all bent and falling apart? Yeah, I hate that. The book could be my favorite story, but if it’s destroyed, there is no way I’m reading it again.
But does the authentic “book feel” or the excitement of turning a page really matter so much that one can be OK with killing the equivalent of half of the human population in trees every year for some books? Already the supply of trees has become smaller, but the number of trees cut has become four times greater. This deficit and loss of trees will only continue to grow unless we switch to alternatives that are more eco-friendly, like the e-reader.
In terms of being economically-friendly, the e-reader, although initially expensive (around $70 to $200), saves money as one buys books through the e-reader market. Plus many websites give away books as bundle discounts or simply for free. Try going to Barnes and Noble and asking for free books! Yeah, right, it isn’t going to happen. Paper books cost money to make and ship to stores. Save yourself unnecessary money spent on this process by buying the book online.
Not only do e-readers offer better prices on books, but one doesn’t need to worry about committing tree genocide every time they want to re-read “Twilight.” No more driving all the way down to the book store to buy a book that costs more and gets damaged faster. It’s obvious e-readers are a better choice and in modern times it now makes no sense to buy paper books. Unless, well, umm, you like being senseless.