The Power of Print and Paper to Save the Planet - and the Mind!

Books, paper and print have all been on my mind lately, for lots of very good reasons.

The essence of the article just published in the Print Singapore magazine - was about the concern I have that "going paperless" is misleading businesses and the consumer into thinking this is a good move for the planet. (See and read the two-page article here: https://online.fliphtml5.com/bhgv/iriw/#p=51)

But not when you take into account that "going digital' costs a lot more. I quote?Techwire Asia?(in its April 2022 online issue):

“While data centres form the backbone of a booming digital economy, they are also huge energy hogs.

“Everything from the servers, storage equipment and cooling infrastructures has a large appetite for electricity and water.

“For instance, cooling alone can consume up to 40% of a data centre’s energy consumption. This, in turn, will have an undeniable negative impact on the environment”.

Further, the article confirms that data centres “are responsible for up to 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions”.?That’s equivalent to the global emissions of the world’s total airline fleet and the shipping industry combined!

In Singapore, we’re very reliant on data centres, which account for 7% of the country’s electricity consumption. And 95% of that is generated by burning natural gas, a fossil fuel.

So, printed books, magazines and paper do very little damage to the planet compared to the total digitalisation of the economy.

I expanded on this in a very similar article on the Wood Central media platform, entitled:

"Don’t turn the page on paper or print!"

I pointed out: “Unless you’re into burning books, just remember that they store carbon as well as the trees they come from.”

However, I also strongly advocate, in this article and others, that paper and print is not only good for the planet - the health of the environment - but also very much for the benefit of human health, mental, emotional and physical.

So heartening to see this headline message in the mainstream media:

Why reading books is good for society, well-being and your career

It was published online in The Conversation on April 12, 2023, and also reprinted in the Straits Times (Print edition!) on 13 April 2023.

Among other important points made by the authors - Meg Elkins, Jane Fry and Lisa Farrell - was "For better mental health, read a book".

They went on to quote from studies which show a range of psychological benefits from book-reading:

• Reading fiction can increase your capacity for empathy, through the process of seeing the world through a relatable character.
• Reading has been found to reduce stress as effectively as yoga. It is being prescribed for depression – a treatment known as bibliotherapy.
• Book-reading is also a strong marker of curiosity – a quality prized by employers such as Google. Our research shows reading is as strongly associated with curiosity as interest in science, and more strongly than mathematical ability.
• And it’s not just that curious minds are more likely to read because of a thirst for knowledge and understanding. That happens too, but our research has specifically been to investigate the role of reading in the development of curious minds.

I covered something similar in this article in 2020: “Love Paper and the Power of the Printing Press”. I did this for PEFC - the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification - and the paper/print industry.

Among other things, I uncovered the “Seven Scientific Benefits of Reading Printed Books”. Quoting the article published on the Mental Floss website, (which is described as a destination for curious people), I summarised the article by pointing out the Seven Scientific Benefits:

1. Readers of print books absorb and remember more of the plot than readers of e-books!

2. Children had lower comprehension when parents read from an e-book as opposed to a print book.

3. Books are easier on the eyes: One survey revealed eye strain after reading digitally.

4. Distracted: Reading e-books, you tend to get side-tracked more easily.

5. Books help you sleep better: go to bed with a good book. Print, of course.

6. Having a library of books at home is linked to higher academic achievement:?

7. A study of college students (US, Slovakia, Japan, and Germany) showed 92% of them preferred books they could hold, touch and leaf through – and read - whenever they please.?

To reinforce these scientific findings, I also came across another source to deal with some serious questions from two writers I just met, who needed convincing that books in print had greater value - in many more ways than one - over e-books.

Here I found:

"8 Science-Backed Reasons to Read a (Real) Book"

The author, Abigail Wise asks: Does reading improve memory?

Yes. But that's only one reason to read. Find out how else reading enhances our health and happiness.

Read the rest online and commit to read a book every day - fiction maybe better for our health than non-fiction.

Even if we schedule bookreading time into your day,?20 minutes is enough. This reinforces the habit and ensures regular immersion in the book world.

But as I'm someone who always likes to have the last word, let me call on the conclusion of my recent article for Print Singapore (and also previewed in Wood Central):

• All this goes to show that digitalisation and sustainability can be compatible bedfellows.
• We can manage our forests.
• We can use certified paper more.
• We can recycle much more paper.
• We can manage our printing and publishing businesses in a more sustainable fashion.
• We can work on energy efficiency measures at home and in the office, without resorting to “going paperless”.

Print and paper are here to stay. I’ll bank on that!

Ken Hickson is journalist, writer, author, with 61 years in the media communications industry (newspapers, radio, television and magazines), who continues to be a strong advocate of paper and print. He is the author of seven books (all in print), including one entitled “Race for Sustainability” published by World Scientific in Singapore in 2013 – the first book in Asia to be printed on PEFC certified paper. His most recent book celebrated the 40th?Anniversary of the Lions Home for the Elders, which was formally launched in May 2021 in the Hybrid Broadcast Studio - restricted to 50 people in the room, but reputedly reached thousands online - at Marina Bay Sands. He also runs his own specialist consultancy Sustain Ability Showcase Asia (SASA), is in the process of launching Sustainability Professionals ASEAN Network (SPAN), runs sustainability and communication courses with Kowabunga! Global and continues to produce content for clients and media, including his own publishing outfit, ABC Carbon.