The Rules of Rental
Two of the most painful times of the semester for a college student are:
- Purchasing textbooks
- Selling them back for one-third or less the price at the end of the semester
“Oh…what a shame, there’s a new edition of that book out now. We can only give you $15,” the person behind the cash register says lightly, unaware that Dad’s Christmas present just got demoted from a nice tie to a can of nuts. Often the university buy-back stations offer candy or raffle iPods in an effort to dull the punch, but it still hurts.
Why buy? Come summer that statistics book will be a need of the past
However, there are alternatives that can save a students some green while also promoting greener living. One way is through the dozens of textbook rental sites, such as Chegg.com. Not only does renting usually save the user 65-85 percent in payment, but it also reduces the number of new books printed and the demand for virgin fiber paper. In fact, according to The Environmental Paper Network, if the U.S. reduced its paper consumption by 10 percent annually, we could save enough energy to power 228,000 homes, the carbon emissions equivalent to removing 279,000 cars from the road and 11 billion gallons of water.
Wondering if the few books that you get each semester really make that much of an impact? Well, keep in mind that it all adds ups. Each year, 20 million trees are consumed for books, 4 million of those for textbooks.
On top of reduction, Chegg also plants a new tree for every book rented, bought, sold or donated. They have even funded the planting of more than 200 acres of new trees in Malawi, Guatemala, Mexico, Pakistan and the U.S. That’s more than 100 football fields of trees!
Other Choices
If renting won’t work for you, check out the dozens of options for textbook reuse before buying a new copy. You can trade with others on your campus, share with roommates or check your local book and thrift stores.
In addition to renting or buying used textbooks, there are other ways a college student can study green:
- Go in on a textbook with one or more other students who live near your or with whom you are friends.
- Keep marking to a minimal to increase the reuse life of the book.
- In all assignments, keep printing to a minimal. Ask your professor how they feel about electronic submissions.
- Take tight notes so as to not waste paper, or take a laptop to class for paperless notes.
- Walk, bike or skate to school.
