May 27

I read just recently that HarperCollins (a leading publisher of physical, paper books - yes they still exist!) will no longer mail paper catalogs of new books as of summer 2009. Once they stop doing so, they will only announce new new releases online!

Apparently the publisher was (is) sending out about 100,000 copies of its paper catalog each quarter, and HarperCollins has made a decision that doing so is now “economically and environmentally indefensible.”

Additionally, Penguin Group and Random House are also moving to online-only announcements in the future. No news on when just yet from these publishers.

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

I love reading physical books. The web will never completely take the place of a book - at least not for me. But it’s good to see that even major printers are beginning to understand how to use the web to their - and the Earth’s - advantage. What do you think about this? Drop a (digital) note in the comments to tell us!

May 27
More on the Rockefeller-led shareholder uprising at Exxon in today's New York Times:

The Rockefeller family built one of the great American fortunes by supplying the nation with oil. Now history has come full circle: some family members say it is time to start moving beyond the oil age.

The family members have thrown their support behind a shareholder rebellion that is ruffling feathers at Exxon Mobil, the giant oil company descended from John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Trust.

Three of the resolutions, to be voted on at the company’s shareholder meeting on Wednesday, are considered unlikely to pass, even with Rockefeller family support.

The resolutions ask Exxon to take the threat of global warming more seriously and look for alternatives to spewing greenhouse gases into the air.

One resolution would urge the company to study the impact of global warming on poor countries, another would encourage Exxon to reduce its emissions and a third would encourage it to do more research on renewable energy sources like solar panels and wind turbines.

A fourth resolution, which the Rockefellers are most united in supporting, is considered more likely to pass. It would strip Rex W. Tillerson of his position as chairman of Exxon’s board, forcing the company to separate that job from the chief executive’s job.

A shareholder vote in favor of that idea would be a rebuke of Mr. Tillerson, who is widely perceived as more resistant than other oil chieftains to investing in alternative energy.

The Rockefellers say they are not trying to embarrass Mr. Tillerson, also Exxon’s chief executive, but think it is time for the company to spend more of its funds helping the nation chart a new energy future.

Read the article in full (requires log-in): Rockefellers

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