Posted by David Hoffman, Freight Coordinator

BWB gave birth today to a new baby boy!!  Roy the bookmobile was born at 9:35 am on June 25th.  He was born at a 12 foot 1 Inches high and 9 foot 8 inches wide.  He is a beautiful baby boy!!  We are not wasting anytime with Roy’s first steps because we are putting Roy on the road for the first time on Friday.
 
Let me be the first to say congrats to BWB and may Roy the Bookmobile live a long and healthy life!

Roy and his new family

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

This week will be reports and pictures from the Better World Books Warehouse (or "Green House" as we know it) in South Bend as we conduct our yearly meeting week.

"It's business, it's business tiiiime."  OK, so we didn't have Flight of the Conchords, but what we did have was some ideas that are going to blow your doors off, no question.  We've got great new moves happening with new ways to get books and new ways to get money for our partners.  Further we'll be working on more ways to maximize your savings, getting you better books, cheaper.  More updates on those things as we roll them out (OK, I'll tell you before anyone else, but sssshhhhh)

Yesterday we spent tons of time in department meetings and then had updates between departments and to suggest that people are excited really doesn't scratch the surface.  However, fatigue after a week of meetings was setting in, so last night we had to unwind.  After checking out a new surprise (can't tell you yet, I want to so bad but I can't!) we rocked karaoke including a rousing "Under the Bridge" from founder Xavier, a dominant (and prize winning) performance from Brad, and most notably instead of "The Online Bookstore with a Soul" the Atlanta office made sure we were "The Online Bookstore with Soul."  Perfect.  After I rocked a Jay-Z track (I've got 99 problems but a blog ain't one...) we were off.

Today we had a day of service that was simply awesome.  I'll let Rudy write about it and show you his photo taking prowess later in the week...

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

This week will be reports and pictures from the Better World Books Warehouse (or "Green House" as we know it) in South Bend as we conduct our yearly meeting week.

Sorry about the title, I think I've been watching too much "Wheel of Fortune" so the "Before and After" thing was in my head...  In any event, let me explain:

When I was hired, eons ago Abby Rae LaCombe (current Rocky Mountain + Canada RD) and I cruised to the Green House and were instructed in the ways of the force, errrr book acquisitions and company policies.  But also, to make sure we understood the challenges of working in the warehouse we spent a day scanning books (a monumental task, each person here scans 110-160 per hour!) and sorting heavy boxes, and let me tell you, I was sore afterwards.  Coming back and seeing "job sharing" on the schedule I was slightly concerned for how I'd feel like an old man tomorrow trying to get myself out of bed. 

After getting out we were ready for fresh air and rolled over to the local park with refreshments and a grill, but most importantly, large red balls for KICKBALL!  The showdowns were fierce, the refreshments were cold and seeing everyone was fantastic.  After I was assaulted by a young assassin with a water gun and schooled on the kickball field (notice the picture below, who hurts their shoulder playing kickball???  I seriously must suck), I decided it was time to stick to the grill area and engage in Better World Books #1 out-of-work pastime, ultimate frisbee.

It feels good to be back "home," if only for a week.  Burning the candle at both ends... commence!



(The Acquisitions Team (Atlanta, represent!) fresh off drinking the company kool-aid in the veritable "War Room," emails and calls their contacts, furiously trying to get books in)

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

This week will be reports and pictures from the Better World Books Warehouse (or "Green House" as we know it) in South Bend as we conduct our yearly meeting week.

To see a well-oiled machine do its job is truly a marvel.  It sounds cliche, perhaps it sounds like a vacuous statement when were so inundated with machinery and technology in our own lives from iPhones to disposals to a little hot water in the shower, but the fact remains that there's something about a fine tuned apparatus that catches the eye and the imagination.

The Green House presented two great versions of this to me today.  On one hand, I saw the packaging machine, which is pretty mesmerizing.  It takes thousands of orders each day and cranks them out under the careful supervision of a number of finely trained employees.  It's definitely a unique sight (that I've included below for your enjoyment).

But more amazing is how we've created a system incorporating ideas from Toyota's and Motorola's plants referred to in the business world as "Six Sigma."  I won't get into the specifics but I have to say watching the whole warehouse work is amazing.  Hundreds of people working as the proverbial bees in the hive--and let me tell you the Green House buzzes--each with individual tasks all working together to get you your books, as fas as possible, as cheap as we can and in the best condition that we can offer.



West Coast Director, Natasha Harris, looking regal as per usual

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist



It's all well and good when I come up with a super sweet idea for the site, but it doesn't happen every day, whereas, I'm willing to wager that out of the thousands of you out there that there are awesome ideas every hour.

Follow the lead of your fellow readers (including Felipe on the last post) and leave a comment about what you would like to see us do.  You'll never know what we're capable of until you test us (and maybe we'll never know either!).

So get all Web 2.0 on us, forget the comment and suggestion box, forget the smearing ink and get typing, the community knows what it wants!

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

Things to expect to come from us here at Better World Books in the next month:

-Video interviews with authors such as Amy Goodman, Thom Hartmann, David Bach, John Perkins, Brendan Brazier, John Ivanko, Lisa Kivirst, Brendan Brazier, Jenn Savedge and Mark Anielski

-A Father's Day Promotion, a la the National Center of Family Literacy

-A summer reading idea list

-A new supersweet blog (I know I've been threatening but now it's for real!)

-Updates on all the literacy partners (sometimes you to ask your friends how they're doing just because you're used to talking to them so much about other stuff.  But don't worry, we sat down over coffee and had it out, good things to come)

-More book reviews (and by that I mean not just music books that I've read lately)

-A sale perhaps...?

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

We're on Facebook!  Yup.  If you go here you can become a fan of Better World Books, along with the myriad others who have done so (100+ in the first 4 hours!).

Also, if you check our YouTube channel (yeah, we're kind of a big deal) then you can check out the latest videos and some of our favorite videos as well. 

If you're feeling a little lazy and already added us on Facebook you can check out one video here...

Posted by Kelly Franco, Pricing Specialist and Green Team Coordinator

You may or may not know, but not only is Better World Books green focused in our business practices, but we also make efforts in local communities, such as Mishawaka, IN where the warehouse resides.  Our "Green Team" embarks on many a green activity, be it Bike to Work Week or our latest effort:

So we’ve begun the co-op garden journey: the fence is partially erected; soil tilled; geometrically interesting (triangles) plots have been laid out- BUT we still need your help. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of next week we will have a drop-in volunteer session at 12:30 running for about 45 minutes. Come on out and help us prepare for planting next Friday. Check out the attached photo and see how much fun was had today!

Using frisbees to clean up, +1.  Breaking glass without safety gear engaged... -4.

[Ed: We don't do green because it's hip, we're green because when we leave work, that's what each of us is about and at Better World Books our company values are shaped by the employees, our primary stakeholders.]

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

Maybe you haven't seen the new site yet, that's cool, we can still be friends, but seriously, you should check it out: www.betterworld.com .  If you have, sneak those eyes down to the bottom right to the staff picks section.  There we have a ton of suggestions to ease your searching soul, be it searching for high literary works (Eliot, Pynchon), style (Dior, Victorian era), horror (King), business books (the brothers Heath), or just a good read (Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime anyone?) or Bengal poetry (not even going to try to type that author name, it's not going to go well).

Regardless of what you're into, you're going to find a good suggestion and a good price at the site, so check it out.  Also, expect more reviews and more staff picks coming soon.

Posted by David Murphy, CEO

Hello everyone.  Take a look at the attached .pdf from Books for Africa. 

Sullivan Summit.pdf (911.48 KB) 

This flyer was sent to all 500+ delegates attending the "Sullivan Summit" in Arusha, Tanzania.  Note that Better World Books, through the Better World Books Fund within Books For Africa, is sponsoring the shipment and that the books will be distributed by the Poverty Eradication Network (PEN) in Tanzania. Natasha Harris, Niko Tomlinson, Mary Murphy, Jaime Knabet, Dustin Holland and myself visited the PEN folks in the summer of 2006 and have continued to stay in touch with them (Mungwe and Andrea).  They do fantastic work (based in Dodoma, the national capital of Tanzania) throughout the country.

To find out more about the Sullivan Summit VIII, go to www.thesullivanfoundation.org/summit/.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

OK, ok, I know what you're thinking: "Jack, what did you expect me to do while you were gone?  How can I go on without a BetterWorldBlog update?" and I hear you, I do.  Trouble is, with the awesomeness that was Chicago this weekend, I was real busy, don't worry, we're going to work through this, and let me tell you how.

First, I made you some things, interviews and stuff that are going to be on the new site.  See, I still dig you.

Second, I've got photos to prove I was at work, they're not all up yet, but they're comin, just you wait.  In fact, I've got video.  Yup, video.

Third, there's more exclusive content coming, just for you, because we're going to do this together.  By the way, have you seen www.betterworld.com lately?  I've been real busy, but I think it's coming together.  I'm doing it for you reader.  Did Van Gogh's screaming alien people complain that his masterpiece was taking too long?  I think not!

Your bookstore loves you,
Jack

Posted by David Murphy, President and CEO

Make sure to read the March 21st article in the New York Times written by David Brooks, entitled "Thoroughly Modern Do-Gooders".  This is an excellent article on Social Entrepreneurship and there are many points from the article that connect directly with what we have built here at Better World Books.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO and Evangelist

What are you doing this weekend?  A veritable ton of Better World Books employees will be on hand at the Chicago Green Festival, as BWB is the OFFICIAL BOOKSTORE!  We'll have signgings from some great green authors, great books, and some SWEET new shirt designs that you will want to have (two stores in San Francisco have already asked to sell them for us, and I just was wearing one, I didn't even make a sales pitch!).

Come hang out, meet the SF team, meet some of the warehouse crowd, and let us shake the hands of our customers!

May 17 + 18 at the Navy Pier in Chicago.  Bring 3+ books and get $5 off admission for the weekend (and I'll love you forever).

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

Hey all, sorry about the minor paucity on das blog.  The last days have been jam packed with resituating the SF office, going to the Clean Tech conference at Stanford and most importantly, getting ready to rock the Chicago Greenfest!  As the official bookstore of the conference we're going to be doing author interviews, t-shirt giveaways and book sales.  Awesome.  We promise do have some great things going on and check back here for more news on what to expect.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

Here at Better World Books we reach our do-gooder tentacles to many different realms, but now we've cracked a new one: publisher.



Yup.

If you're looking for an objective review of our first book: Jazzocracy, head over to All About Jazz.

An excerpt from the review:

How Will Two of American's Quintessential Icons Foretell the Future?

Presenting Jazzocracy: Jazz, Democracy, and the Creation of a New American Mythology by Kabir Sehgal (Better World Books)

If one wonders how two of the most quintessential American icons relate to each another, consider this thought by one of New Orleans' favorite sons: “Jazz is democracy in action," said Wynton Marsalis.

Ever more so in New Orleans, where the birth of jazz reflected the ease of a mix of many cultures: Caribbean, European, African, among many others. The intent of these cultures to express their ideas to one another via music, civic discourse, festivals, and of course, books, is one of America's most vivid successes.

With its commitment to the promoting literacy worldwide, Better World Books is pleased to return to the New Orleans Public Library for the premiere of the very first book of its new publishing imprint.

On April 17, Better World Books will bring Jazzocracy: Jazz, Democracy, and the Creation of a New American Mythology to New Orleans. Written by Kabir Sehgal, an exciting new author who began the book under study with Douglas Brinkley at Tulane University, Jazzocracy argues the evolution of jazz and democracy is forming our next set of mythologies to govern culture, politics and economics.

For any other writer under the age of 30, these might be dusty topics. But new author Kabir Sehgal magnetizes the two using his personal experience as a jazz musician, political campaign consultant, economist and writer. A graduate of the London School of Economics and Dartmouth College, Sehgal is also a professional jazz bassist, and has played with the Wynton Marsalis Orchestra. He has also worked with the presidential campaign of Sen John Kerry, as well as in the offices of Senators Max Cleland and John Rockefeller, IV. He is an economist with JPMorgan in San Francisco. Jazzocracy is his first book.

[CONTINUE...]

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

Check out this interview with our social enterprise/green pro/co-founder/general expert at stuff, Xavier Helgesen!



Good times! They kinda were quick with the whole "Oscars thank you music ending" though, no?

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist



Seattle Green Festival = major success.  First of all I'd like to thank our lovely volunteers who helped us collect 3 pallets of books(!) at the festival and looked good doing it.



Next I'd like to thank all the people who came by the chat it up with us lads, about the environment, books, and pretty much anything else (and whoever bought Jaime's hide-a-book (as I put it, to hide things from your friends who don't read), enjoy that awesome piece of craftsmanship).




Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I'd like to thank the burrito place, for making delicious, delicious, organic burritos, AlterEco for their myriad delicious chocolate selection (try the mint, wow!) and HonesTea for the case of lemon black tea that I nabbed at the end of the conference.  Muy delicioso!  OK, OK, so more thanks to the people who came to talk to us (including the gent who said he had bought 60+ books from us and knew our business model better than some of us did, wow).




Book your tickets now, Chicago, May 16, making it happen as the official bookstore of their Green Fest!

Posted by Abby Rae LaCombe, Rocky Mountain Regional Director



So, a couple of weeks ago, the Better World Books list servs were on fire with reminders about Earth Hour (If you haven’t heard of it, Earth Hour started in Australia in 2007. 2.2 million people and 2100 businesses in Sydney decreased the town’s energy usage by 10.2% by turning off non-essential lights for one hour).  

I was revved for the newest of alternative holidays and had a bunch of folks were over to enjoy a nice candlelit dinner between 8-9, central time.  I turned out every light, unplugged each appliance, followed the instructions to a T.  I even unplugged things like unused phone chargers – no energy seepage allowed.  Once the house was dark and we were ready to go, it turned out that in my whole house – seriously the whole house -- there was only one candle.  Oops...  So, our candlelit dinner was the darkest candlelit dinner of my life.  Dark like “How far is the fork from my mouth?” dark.  Next year, I will have enough candles that folks walking past will think there is a raging fire inside my house.

Our participation stemmed from all the e-mails that circulated here at Better World Books (word of mouth is always the best form of promotion).  That got me wondering how many other folks participated this year.  I can’t find any real estimates of bodies involved, but I do know (from Earth Hour’s website) that in 2008, 38 countries participated in Earth Hour!  

Among these were both Canada and the US, and get this: 146 cities in 12 of the 13 Canadian provinces participated!  This then made me realize that since the Rocky Mountain Region was expanded to include Canada, I’ve communicated with so many generous, globally conscious students and bookstores that of course Canada would have rockstar representation.

So, my point: If Sydney can reduce energy usage by 10.2% in one hour, imagine the awesome results of having 38 countries involved!  Imagine the results of just the 146 cities in Canada!

There are 1000s of easy ways to help keep our planet green, but Earth Hour is a crazy easy way to support a greener globe. So, spread the word to your friends and family that Earth Hour 2009 starts at 8 p.m. local time in roughly 356 days.  While spreading the word, remind your loved-ones to buy some candles.

The Earth Hour website highlights some energy saving tips for your home/school/work life -- but our purchasing habits are another great place to make a difference!  All the books you buy from Betterworld.com are shipped to you carbon neutral and most of them are used; so buy a book, save some trees, reduce some carbon outputs – hooray!

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

Psst... I've got a secret about Better World Books!

In the not so distant future, here are some things you can look forward to:

A Better World Books facebook fan page
A Better World Books facebook app to RSS the blog
And best of all... a prettier and 100000% more functional blog (including author bio's, recent post lists, recent comment updates, social bookmarking, Flickr streaming and more!)
Posts that include author interviews, contests, polls and a myriad of staff picks and new features!
Me being able to get some sleep instead of working on these supersweet updates (hooray!)

Posted by Abby Rae LaCombe, Rocky Mountain Regional Director

At the conference, IMPACT invited Better World Books to discuss our awesome business model in a three hour forum entitled "Blurring the Lines: Public Good in the Private Sector."  Jack represented us on the panel, which also had a fellow Holy Cross grad, Ken DeBlois of the Venture Consortium in Providence, RI and some folks from the Willamette University MBA program.  It was very interesting and the attendees had a lot of great questions, but it was very clear that we here at Better World Books are doing something decidedly NEW.  So new and innovative (I LOVE our business model) that folks at times have a hard time comprehending it.  The example that jumps to mind is regarding the triple bottom line – “Even if you do value social and environmental, won’t profit always be most important?”

Now I’m no business major, but I’ve spent a lot of time trying to understand some business theory as Better World Books offers a unique opportunity to see something very exciting and new in the world of business from up close.  I always start my research projects on the Wikipedia and while you won’t feel like you have an MBA by the time you’re finished with the article, you will have some ideas of good terms to use in your triple bottom line research!

Triple Bottom Line

Social Enterprise

If you want to hear a little more about the topic, a full podcast of this forum will be available later this month!

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

We're currently at the Northeastern IMPACT conference (see previous post) I just got back from my forum (which was awesome!).  I'm going to do some editing of a recording of the forum so a podcast of the talk is coming up soon, great stuff indeed about mobilizing students and the differences in the sectors in the business world.  People asked me hard questions and I gave them honest answers [insert warm and fuzzy feeling here].

Now I'm playing Scrabble with three students at Middlsex Community College in Edison, NJ, and let me tell you, despite their smiles, they're rough customers.  Erin just laid down "Quell" on a triple word score for 45 points and is absolutely killing us.



Garima, Erin (hustler), Barum and Ham from MCC

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist


(Abby, me, Roselle) Yeah, ok, the bookmark is mirrored.  You can handle it!

Hey all, I'm currently at IMPACT/Idealist conference at Northeastern University this weekend.  After setting up our gear and breaking out Scrabble (I just put down "Fastens."  64 points!  All others, owned.  (Without Niko here I'm totally going to win).)
 
You can find us in the ballroom between the lovely ladies (Jessica and Amanda) at Hostelling International USA and the folks at UNICEF USA who are soon to arrive.  Later today I'll be an expert (seriously...) on a forum entitled "Blurring the lines: Public Good in the Private Sector" whilst my killer coworkers (seen above), Roselle (Mid-South Regional Director (ATL baby!)) and Abby (Rocky Mountain Regional Director (Reppin' Minnehaha!)), are kicking it live at the table.

Today's highlights will include my super sweet forum (look for a podcast coming soon), our ongoing scrabble throwdown, these sweet new www.BetterWorld.com

Tomorrow is our workshop and more well-meaning shenanigans... check in often for updates (and tomorrow for photos!) shirts and the very un-Boston 50 degree weather.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist



Yup, you read that right.  CBO.  I'm the "Chief Blogging Officer."  I used to be in charge of the Northeast in the Campus Division but now I'm moving out to San Francisco to work at www.betterworld.com.  This means I'll be in charge of the blog (which will be totally different soon, including some features that I know you're going to like!) and new content on the www.betterworld.com website (which is also going to have a reopening and look amazing!).

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

Check out this interview with Xavier from Brightcove at Sundance.



For more info check out his previous post.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director


The now oft-photographed co-founder Xavier, caught
in his 5 minutes of sitting down time, on "the throne"

If you happen to be perusing CNET's News Blog today (or if you like following the myriad links that we post), you'll see a reference to a company you may recognize.  Hailed as "Eco-Alternative to Amazon funds literacy programs" Better World Books gets a pat on the back for all the hard work we do (which isn't why we do it, but it feels good sometimes). 

The article begins with a story you may have heard before:

F. Xavier Helgesen had big dreams to build Web sites after graduating from Notre Dame in 2001 with an MIS degree, but then the dot-com industry crashed.

 Instead he co-founded a company in 2002 that sells books otherwise destined for the landfill, sends some of the proceeds to literacy groups, and uses carbon-neutral shipping...

and goes on with the good news of what we're doing and how we're doing it, including our free shipping in the US, our flat rate $2.97 for international orders and how we use not just no-value books but use discarded, once landfill bound library shelving to store the books (680,000 lbs of library shelving, in fact).

Check out the full article.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director



As you read last month, instead of using your Google search you can opt to use "Search Kindly" (original post).  But some of you resisted saying that you prefer Yahoo search.  Well intrepid Yahoo users, get on board with "GoodSearch."

Same idea as Search Kindly, only instead of one charity per month receiving the money, you can choose your charity on the input bar underneath the search area.  Books for Africa, the NCFL and Room to Read are all involved in it and can receive your virtual donations via searching right away.  The ASPCA has earned $10.900 from people's searches, so get on their, pick a literacy partner and get a-searchin'.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

Check out who's on the cover of this month's Business Week "Small Biz" magazine:

That's right, it's Better World Books' own, co-founder Xavier Helgesen!  Xavier, on top of a throne of Reader's Digest books that resides in our "Fortress of Solitude" (ok, it's just the warehouse) is the image of the hot new topic:

Strategies: Mission Possible
Making money while doing good isn't easy, but more companies are proving it can be done.  Here are some successful strategies. (article by Anne Field)

Pick up the issue at newsstands (or wherever you pickup up your glossies) and read about it.  If print journalism doesn't float your boat you could always root around for it online at their website.

Posted by Lora Zibman, Executive Assistant to David Murphy

Better World Books' President and CEO, David Murphy, is in Hong Kong to address the 2007 Cyberport Venture Capital Forum on "Building Creative Businesses that Can Do Well and Do Good".  With over 300 Venture Capitalists from both Hong Kong and mainland China expected to attend, the Forum hopes to inspire the participants on a collection vision to build businesses which can do well economically and also do good for the community.

According to Nicholas Yang, Chief Executive Officer of Cyberport, "our distinguished and successful speakers will share their experience on how they bring profits to their companies and benefit society at the same time.  Investors and entrepreneurs will also share their insights on how to seek out, fund and build companies/business models which can do well and do good at the same time.  We believe more that more businesses in the future will embed social elements in their operation and strategy, to help create a better society for future generations in which to live, to work, to enjoy, and to dream."

Please click on the link  below to find out more information regarding the 2007 Cyberport Venture Capital Forum.

Venture capital forum set for December 4
News.gov.hk - Hong Kong

Posted by David Murphy, President and CEO

Greetings to all Better World Books employees!

Attached you will find the article from Fast Company magazine (Dec/Jan issue) that announces their "2008 Social Capitalist Awards." This is the fifth year Fast Company has selected outstanding companies for their social impact; however, in the past, they have only focused their search and selection process on the non-profit community.

2008 Social Capital Award - Fast Company.pdf (1.25 MB)

This is the first year that Fast Company embarked on an experiment to look at the for-profit sector for those companies that are truly making a social impact and changing the world. Thirty one companies applied and ten winners were selected.....including Better World Books!! Fast Company teamed up with the Monitor Consulting Group and some other outside social venture expertise to apply a rigorous methodology for selecting companies that, in the end, explicitly place social good ahead of shareholder return.

Take a look about what they say about your company....it is certainly nice to see a highly respected institution like Fast Company/Monitor Group verify (again, after a ton of examination), understand (they clearly "get" all that we do and the impact we are making in the world) and publicly applaud our business model.

I like the closing paragraph to the Social Capital Awards article here....worth highlighting for all of you.

"Change the world. Make some money. Raise more money, and make more change. It is an appealing prospect. Nonprofits were born because for-profits weren't addressing some market failures -- pollution, poverty, illiteracy. Profits won't cure those ills, but it's becoming a bigger part of more solutions. Perhaps it's dawning on us that the cost of capital for changing the world should be lower. Perhaps the capital markets will cut the world a break."

It goes without saying that this award is YOUR award....each and every one of you who make Better World Books run. Congratulations on being such an integral part of not only this recognition but in changing the world....one book at a time.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

Check out the following press release at the link below for more information on this exciting development!

BETTER WORLD BOOKS BECOMES A FOUNDING B CORPORATION

Online bookseller promotes literacy worldwide while benefiting its partners, employees and the environment

November 6, 2007

Berwyn, PA -- B Lab today announced it has certified online bookseller Better World Books, a leading online seller of new and used books, as a Founding B Corporation™. With the certification, Better World Books joins a growing international network of purpose-driven businesses dedicated to setting a new standard for social and environmental performance, creating benefit for all stakeholders, not just shareholders.

To become certified B Corporations, businesses must meet comprehensive and transparent social and environmental performance standards and amend their corporate governing documents to incorporate the interests of employees, community and the environment.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

Here's a photo of our team at work getting the hundreds of student group payments together for mailing.

Thanks, warehouse, for all the hard work in getting these out!

Posted by: David Murphy, President and CEO

I am excited to share with you some news regarding Better World Books' support of "Green for All".   See this from Brad Weirich, Employee Development Manager, who will be involved with this effort going forward (representing Better World Books):

Green for All, a new campaign focused on bringing "green collar" jobs to urban areas, launched on Friday, September 26th, at the Clinton Global Initiative.  The group, created by Van Jones, Co-Founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, seeks to capitalize on the exploding green economy while ensuring that the coming green economic wave impacts on more than one level.

The Green for All campaign is a bold effort to harness the growing power of the green economic revolution to fight the war on poverty.  By securing job training for 250,000 workers from urban communities for the emerging green job market, the program will provide new avenues of opportunity for those who have traditionally been left behind by the nation's economic growth.

Green for All was launched with the support of over 200 businesses and organizations, including Better World Books.

If you would like to see the full press release, please go here

Posted by David Murphy, President and CEO

Martha Schouten, an English Language Fellow teacher at the University of Oran in Algeria, contacted Books For Africa (BFA), to see if BFA could help replenish their library with English language books after many years of neglect.   Currently, the University’s books in English are dated in the 1980’s or before. 

During the 1990’s Algeria experienced civil war and domestic terror.  Since 1999 little has changed - militant splinter groups continue their campaign against the government, and the army continues its own campaign against the rebels, amid accusations of corruption and brutality.  This has undeniably created an atmosphere of insecurity in the general population.   

As over half of Algeria’s population are young people, there are many issues for Algerian students.  These concern future job opportunities, information available (or unavailable) to them, and the extreme feeling of uncertainty in almost all domains of their lives.  In spite of this, Martha’s students are so very eager to know as much as possible about the outside world, and to travel and study in foreign countries.

To aid the beneficiaries of BFA donations, Better World Books has created a special Fund for Books For Africa.  This