Are e-Readers Environmentally Friendly?

There are many reasons why someone might buy an e-reader nowadays. eBooks are cheaper than their print counterparts, travelers can carry hundreds of books with them instead of only a few, and now, a slightly controversial reason: ebooks are more environmentally friendly.
The question then is, "But are they really?" It's easy to say that ebooks use less paper than print books, but what about the materials wasted every time someone throws away their old e-reader to buy one that's newer and more exciting?
National Geographic recently ran an article on this topic, and they claimed:

"The amount of paper used for books in one year was estimated at 1.5 million metric tons, and each book produced gave off an estimated 8.85 pounds of carbon dioxide. Study groups have found that the carbon released from eBooks is offset after people read more than 14 eBooks. For the life cycle of a device for reading books, the carbon emitted is offset after the first year. The savings in carbon emitted into the air is around 168 kilograms for the following years after the first year of use."

So it would seem that depending on how much you read, e-readers really can be friendlier to the environment. If you're someone who reads a ton of books, perhaps an e-reader could help you break even on your carbon footprint. Scarletta Press wanted to make sure people with this mindset could could still enjoy our books, and that's why nearly all Scarletta books are available as an ebook. Our backlists are even offered at $4.99 or less.

For those of you who plan on continuing to proudly display quality books on a shelf (and yes, I'll admit it, I'm in this group), Scarletta still offers all books in print. We've even gone as far as ordering reprints, we love books so much! And our books are available through every major vendor, wholesaler, and local independent store.Whether you want to jump on the e-reader bandwagon or simply go on buying the print books you've always loved and cherished, we thank you. Readers are the reason we're able to wake up every morning and go to work. Your passion for books fuels our passion for books, and at the end of the day, that's all that really matters.