Meet the Bibliomaniac: The HPB Woodshoppe

It’s simple; you can’t sell books without something to put them on. That’s where the Half Price Books Woodshoppe comes in. With a staff of 11 employees, our Woodshoppe provides shelves and materials for all 125 HPB stores.

Established in 1984, the Woodshoppe’s work goes beyond a bookshelf that holds your next read. Shelves, counters and chairs are just a small portion of what is handmade at our 50,000 sq. ft. work space in Dallas, Texas. The Woodshoppe strives to stay true to our company mission. Be kind to the environment.

HPB’s Tips to Go Green for Earth Day

Earth Day was established on April 22, 1970 by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, who believed in taking care of the earth. For many people who care for the environment, Earth Day is an opportunity to join in a nationwide effort to protect our planet. If everyone did something, we could all contribute to saving our environment. Half Price Books fully believes in reducing and reusing, and we hope you do, too. As we get ready to celebrate Earth Day this year, read on to discover our top tips for going green!

Save Energy
One of the first things you can do to save energy is to switch out your old light bulbs. If every U.S. home swapped out one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), we’d save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes each year! Another great way you can help save energy is by putting your computers to sleep. Activating “sleep mode” on just one computer can prevent roughly 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Want to save even more energy? Unplug your electronics. When you’re not using your electronics or are done charging up your items, unplug them to conserve electricity.

At Half Price Books, saving energy is part of our day-to-day operations. We contract with green energy companies like Green Mountain Energy Company, which provides pollution-free wind energy for 31 of our stores and other facilities in Texas. We have also installed light- and heat-repellent window tints in our stores, which allows them to be eligible for energy code rebates.

Half Price Books Does Earth Day Every day

Happy Earth Day, everyone! Here at HPB, we make preserving and recycling part of our business. In 2012, we donated more than 2.3 million books to non profit organizations and schools, helping to keep them out of landfills, and we continue to donate books all the time as part of our Million Book Donation Project.

And we don’t limit being green just to books. Each of our new stores is constructed with 100% recyclable flooring, handmade wood shelves and eco-paints. We also offer post-consumer waste shopping bags and recycled gift cards.

We’re always looking for ways to b(eco)me greener and view the protection of the environment as a journey, not a destination. I hope you’re doing something fun (and more importantly, green) today to celebrate. Let us know how you’ll celebrate in the comments! — Emily 

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Emily is PR Manager at Half Price Books Corporate.

You can follow her on Twitter at emilytbruce.