Really? ‘Books for FREE’?
We all love a good read at Myakka HQ, we even have our own little library – so we were delighted when Dawn Newton from Healthy Planet told us about their Books for Free initiative.
Dawn writes:
So, how have we saved an amazing 812 tonnes of books from landfill?
Simple…The “Books for Free” initiative rescues unwanted books otherwise destined for landfill or pulping.
Healthy Planet redistributes these books – for free – throughout communities via our Books for Free centres nationwide.
Every book is second hand. Quite often they have been used, donated to a charity shop potentially bought and then donated again so might be third of fourth hand. From kids paperbacks, to cookery and gardening books, they all need a good home to go to!
Healthy Planet trialled the project at London Green Fair May 2010 it proved incredibly popular – we opened our first store in Basildon a few months after, and are now expanding across the UK; Find your nearest Books for Free centre on this map.
“Books for Free” now has a network of 30+ Books for Free centres throughout the UK, run by over 150 fabulous volunteers. And we are hoping to roll this fabulous community initiative even further in the coming year.
Is there a centre near you? For further info on the shops ‘Books for Free’ inhabit www.healthyplanet.org/projects/healthy-spaces.aspx
thank you Dawn, we hope to see a Books for Free centre popping up in Somerset soon! (and we love that infographic!)
So if you want to shift that growing pile of books on your bedside table, or refresh the content of your own bookcases this year – check out Healthy Planet #BooksForFree
