BLOG ACTION DAY………..

……….and the environment. I thought I’d leave global warming, deforestation, and all the huge issues for others to write about.

I want to write about how one person or in this case one shop can cause a shift in our thinking.

There’s a book shop I know that makes a difference. I believe it gives every customer a mental nudge – a little green nudge.

‘Book Talk’ houses over $15,00 pre-loved books and an unknown number of new ones. All these are displayed very carefully, cleanly and neatly around a café. The café tables wander through the area with a few ending up outside.

A notice near the café counter tells us that we can’t take NEW books to the café tables. We can browse these as we stand at the shelves and numbers of people do.

Another notice tells us that you can bring in your own books to exchange.
And yet another notice tells us that if we buy a book and return it we will be refunded 50% of the purchase price.

The latest best sellers are on display. The Booker Prize short list was up when I was there last and those books available. I saw ‘Mr Pip’ by Lloyd Jones in both the pre-loved and the new section.

There are children’s books both new and pre-loved and stands of beautiful cards for $1.00

The atmosphere is relaxed and slightly bohemian. The café tables are used by people in heated discussion, by people studying, by people writing, by people reading (there’s a great selection of newspapers and magazines) and by other’s sipping coffee and watching the world. The café food is wholesome and delicious and slightly under priced for the area.

Their plastic bags do not have the name of the shop on them, instead they advertise the bags degradable properties, a suggestion to re-use them and an explanation that they disintegrate by heat, oxidation and sunlight. They will not be littering our beaches and our landfills. There is a web site written there where this can be checked and similar bags ordered. www.maxpak.com.au. Many people following the conservation theme pop their new book in a bag they have with them.

After a coffee and a browse through the well tended shelves I come away thinking ‘re-useable’ and don’t litter and I have a feeling of wanting to care for my fellow human by doing the right thing by them. I’m very careful to put my pay-and-display ticket in a bin. I also wonder why these plastic bags are not used by my local supermarket.

In my view this shop is making us aware of eachother and of our environment and our need to share it and our need to sustain it – encouraging us to make one further step towards ‘green’. It’s a message that has a ripple effect. If all of us take one step today the world will be a greener and better place for everyone. Sometimes we have to think small to get big results