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Eco-Friendly

If you're looking for environmentally friendly products and gifts, The Colby Bookstore offers a variety of practical, functional, and-more importantly-sustainable goods:

» We sell a variety of re-useable mugs and water bottles, including USA made Nalgenes.

» Recycled one, three, and five subject spiral notebooks

» Recycled filler paper in 100 and 200 sheet packs

» We sell a variety of Preserve Products, from toothbrushes and razors to bowls and cutlery, that are made from recycled plastic. Preserve holds a B Corp Certification. Here's their statement on recycled plastics.

» Earth-Friendly Burt's Bees products

» LED bulbs, which last longer and use less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs.

» Used textbooks

» U-Sell textbooks - Recycling textbooks right here on campus.

» Recycled Paper Greetings cards have been printed on recycled paper since 1971. Learn more at their website.

» Whiteboards and Expo products

» Blue Stik

» We sell notebooks and filler paper made from sugar cane fiber. This paper, which is made from sugarcane fiber recovered from the waste stream, helps save trees, is Certified Carbon Balanced, and its production is powered by renewable energies.

» Recycled 3-ring binders

» We sell re-usable tote bags.

» 100% recycled printer paper

» Our Blue Book exams books are actually Green Books. They are made with recycled paper.

» We sell Chavez for Charity bracelets. 25% of their company profits go to humanitarian issues.

» Whenever possible, we purchase books published by Penguin Random House, a company that constantly seeks to reduce energy use and implement sustainable practices.

» Our Gund Bear line is part of the MCM Group and the Chelsea Teddy Bear Company, regular contributers to the World Wildlife Fund and other conservation organizations.

» Much of the Bookstore marketing is done electronically.

» When students order books online through our website, we only offer in-store pickup to reduce on shipping costs and materials.

» Our Spirit Recycled Soda Bottle Colby College Lanyard is made of 100% post consumer recycled material.

» We sell a variety of eco-friendly cleaning supplies.

» Several of our Under Armour items are made from recycled bottles that are broken down and woven into yarn. Learn more about this fascinating process here.

» We allows customers to pay by credit card, which helps create a "paperless office." Many of our invoices are done electronically, which cuts down on paper use.

» We source locally as much as possible.

» Our Jillson & Roberts gift wrapping supplies include recycled wrapping and tissue paper and raffia that is sustainably harvested from trees which are unharmed.

» We carry many eco-friendly school supplies, including our:

» We sell green mailing envelopes that are made from 100% recycled paper.

» The only index cards we sell are recycled, with a minimum of 30% post-consumer waste.

» We offer a used textbook option for the majority of our textbooks, and several textbooks are available as rentals.

» We sell a variety of recycled and sustainable non-Colby imprinted school supplies, from scissors to folders to pens and pencils.

» We reuse our Bookstore gift cards instead of throwing them away after one use.
» Our cap and gowns are made of UltraGreen fabric, which is made from recycled bottles. The gowns are also cleaned and reused from year to year.

More earth-friendly facts about the Bookstore:

» The Bookstore is LEED certified at the Silver level by U.S. Green Building Council. Some of the factors in LEED Silver certification are:

  • Optimal energy performance from a high-efficiency building envelope, windows, and heating and cooling system
  • Innovation in design of various green aspects of the building;
  • Reuse or recycling of approximately 88.5 percent of on-site generated construction waste and use of locally available construction materials with high recycled content;
  • A commitment to purchase renewable power to offset 100 percent of the annual electric energy use for at least two years;
  • Low-emitting interior finishes (paints, coatings, adhesives, sealants, carpets) for air quality;
  • Use of vegetable oil rather than petroleum-based hydraulic oil in the elevator;
  • Use of native, drought-tolerant plants in greenscaping;
  • Use of Green Seal cleaning agents; and
  • High-efficiency motors for pumps and fans.
» Re-uses bubble wrap and plastic popcorn from sources campus-wide

» Re-uses other packing materials and boxes internally

» Bookstore lower level and offices are lit with LED bulbs

» Recycle paper, cardboard, printer cartridges, plastics, and metal.

» Uses wood and metal hangers instead of disposable plastic ones

» Colby rescue sale

» Discarded textbooks are donated to a fund raiser for Colby Cares About Kids (CCAK)

» Paper in our printers is 100% recycled, with no chlorine used in the production process

» Our plastic bags are made from recycled plastic, and printed with water based inks.

» Work with other departments to combine mailings.