Soon a session of reading in the backyard may serve a more practical purpose than just offering a relaxing afternoon. LG has debuted a prototype e-reader in the same vein as the Amazon Kindle, the Sony Reader, and the rumored Barnes and Noble e-book (which may feature color), but LG has taken the paperless idea of the e-readers a step greener by attaching a thin film solar cell to their e-book.

Attached opposite the e-book’s main screen, the credit card-thin, super lightweight solar panel soaks up sun and can provide an additional day of power if it receives 4-5 hours of sunlight (a bit tricky for winter reading in rainy and cloudy climates). A battery provides main power to the LG e-reader for conventional recharging and is backed up by the solar panel, which could theoretically support the e-reader for days with consistent solar charging.

The LG e-reader, while still in a prototype stage and unlikely to be available until 2012, could set a new standard in e-readers, which are already hailed for their eco-friendliness because of the reduced impact from not having to create and transport traditional paper books. If LG’s solar e-book proves successful, it could lead e-readers the way of calculators, one of the first devices to switch to full solar power successfully. Click here to read more

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When it comes to being eco-friendly, books don’t really make the grade. All that paper depletes our forests and rarely are books made from recycled paper and books are a heavy item to ship as well. But luckily there are eco-friendly solutions that are no-brainers.

Visit the library: So very retro, right? The library always has been and hopefully always will be an eco-friendly and budget-friendly way to read. If you don’t have a library card yet or haven’t been to the library in ages, do it now. September is the American Library Association’s Library Card Sign-Up month.

Swap online: Booksfree.com is like the Netflix of the book world. For $11 a month, you can borrow two paperbacks and keep a running wish list. Shipping to and from your home is included in your membership fee, and since they are paperbacks the carbon cost will be lower. Sites like this are a good book-sharing option if you can’t deal with library due dates. The site has over 200,000 titles ranging from the classics to the newest titles.

Get a Kindle: While the eco factor of electronic books has been long debated, a recent analysis by the Cleantech Group says that over the lifecycle of a Kindle, the carbon emissions are still less than reading traditional books. But if you don’t buy very many books each year, it’ll take much longer for the benefit to even out. The study showed that the breaking point was 22.5 books.

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