Harry Potter books are the biggest publishing phenomenon of our time. The newest installment, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is set for release on July 16. Several international publishers of the Harry Potter series are helping our endangered forests by printing on forest-friendly paper. However, the U.S. publisher of Harry Potter, Scholastic, is contributing to the destruction of North America's Boreal Forest by not printing Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on recycled paper.

Two-thirds of the trees cut in the Boreal Forest become pulp for products such as paper for the publishing industry, disposable tissue, and catalogs. Fortunately, you can make a difference. Buy the Canadian version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, published by Raincoast Books on 100% post consumer recycled, processed chlorine free paper. Click here for ways to preorder your forest-friendly version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

The Boreal Forest is a crucial haven for North America's birds. Nearly half of the continent's bird species depend on the Boreal for survival. Several leading authors, such as J.K. Rowling, Alice Walker, and Alice Munro, are working with their publishers to print their books on forest-friendly materials. As readers, we can help protect the Boreal as well by letting the publishing industry know that we like forest-friendly publishing.

Sincerely,

The Boreal Songbird Initiative