[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/TitlesGreen09.jpg” caption=”Bookstore employees wear Don’t Be Trashy t-shirts to show their support for sustainable initiatives. Photo courtesy of Titles.”]The campus bookstore is the latest campus partner doing its part to further McMaster's initiatives for a sustainable campus. Titles has launched several programs promoting sustainable practices while reducing its environmental footprint

“It's important that we all do our part to help the environment, especially when there are small steps that everyone can take that make a bigger impact,” says Stacey Gabitous, web and marketing specialist for the bookstore.

This spring, the store has expanded its lines of green-themed products. These expanded offerings include specialized environmentally-friendly papers, inks and toners. The store is also now offering more books and resource information on environmental subjects.

The campaign also includes Textbook Buyback, where students are encouraged to sell back their textbooks so they can be reused. The first thousand students selling back their books receive a free “Don't Be Trashy” t-shirt to show their support for sustainable initiatives.

Perhaps the most noticeable change will take place this September when the bookstore will stop handing out free plastic bags. To launch this program in the fall, Titles will provide 20,000 free cloth bags to customers who spend more than $25.

After that supply is depleted, the cloth bags will be available for sale at a reasonable price. Plastic bags will continue to be available but at a price of 15 cents each. The money collected will be donated to green initiatives on campus.

“We know that plastic is not good for the environment and that plastic bags are filling up our landfills,” says Gabitous. “By offering free cloth bags at our busiest time we hope to continue to reduce plastic bag use by customers. We've already seen a significant reduction of plastic bag use since 2005 when we started promoting cloth over plastic.”

For more details, please visit Titles Bookstore's website.