One Book, Many Hands
by Stef Tousignant
Guilty. Even though I read 41 books last year, my purchases doubled that. I'm a reader, but more than that I am a typical American consumer. Under the guise of supporting local authors and independent bookstores, influenced by raving heartfelt reviews from friends, family and, I'll admit it…#booktok, I look at my busting shelves not at all shocked when the host of Freakonomics Radio mentioned that 320 million books a year are thrown away. Thrown away!
Book donations at the 2024 Santa Rosa Reuse Bazaar
The energy it takes to produce one book is equivalent to driving 4 to 5 miles in a gas-powered car. Throwing that many books away is like driving to Jupiter and back - twice! The circular economy isn't a new concept, but sometimes it doesn't feel like we are making an impact. Used bookstores don't keep the publishers from pumping out 450 million+ books a year, but when global companies and social media giants push policies we dislike, shopping used, along with unsubscribes and economic boycotts become ways to voice our preferences and slow down the carbon machines of big publishers.
I've never worked at a bookstore before, so the thing that surprised me most when starting my own used bookstore was that a small store holds around 10,000 - 12,000 books. At home if you are an average reader with maybe one or two bookshelves you probably have 300-400 books growing dusty. Between your collection at home and mine at one small shop, that's a lot of books we can share. That's a lot of stories that can be reborn, laughed and argued about, learned from and more. Books build community, and when we pick up a used book because a neighbor said it made them cry, and share the books that got us through hard times with others, we not only shrink the footprint of our own consumption and reduce the profit these publishers make, we also increase the impact on our hearts, minds and neighborhoods.
So clear a shelf, find a used bookstore (or bring your books to the next Repair Fair with a Book Swap!) One book, many hands.
Stef hosting a book swap at the Marin City Repair Fair.
Stef Tousignant is a reader, researcher, and founder of The Phoenix Used Bookshop, opening in Marin in Spring 2026. Because books build community.
Resources for Used and Borrowed Books:
Find an independent used bookstores near you or try the book section of your local thrift store.
Shop for used books online through sites like Thriftbooks, AbeBooks, Goodwill Books, or Better World Books (but not Alibris which is owned by Amazon).
Visit your local library for books, ebooks, audiobooks, and much more! Many libraries also have Friends of The Library Bookstores where buying used books helps support library programs.
Find or start a Tiny Free Library to share books with your neighbors.
If you want to buy new to support the author buy directly from them or their publisher (or your local independent bookshop).
Visit our Upcoming Events Page for details, to pre-register, or to volunteer.
On the Upcoming Events page you’ll find a full list of our upcoming Repair Fairs and other community events including details on location, how to pre-register and how to get involved. Click here to sign up to volunteer at an event.
Sun Mar 29 : Cotati Repair Fair + Clothing Swap : 1pm - 4pm : The Cotati Room at Cotati City Hall
Sat Apr 19 : Windsor Repair Fair, Clothing Swap, + Earth Day Event : 10am - 1pm : Huerta Gymnasium
Sat May 2 : Mill Valley Repair Fair, Clothing + Book Swap : 1pm - 4pm : Mill Valley Library
Upcoming Workshops at the Reuse Hub (visit our workshops page for more details)
Resell School : Level up Your Online Shopping and Selling Skills : Friday March 27 - 4:00pm
Reusable Easter Eggs from Fabric Scraps : Saturday April 4 - 1:00pm
Introduction to the Sewing Machine : Sunday April 12th - 2:00pm
Basics of Mending and Patching : Sunday April 18th - 1:30pm
Miniature Modding: Wasteland Cars : Friday April 24th - 5:00pm
Trash Printmaking : Saturday April 25th - 1:00pm
Other Opportunities
Mar 26 : Reuse Roundtable at the Reuse Hub : Summit Recap Edition
Apr 1 : Info Session for the MassDEP Reduce, Reuse, Repair Micro-Grant Program (applications due May 15)
Apr 9 : Info Session for the People’s Air Grant Program (applications due May 29)
May 3 : Be a part of the 2026 Future Fest in Petaluma.
May 7 : Registration is now live for the North Bay Zero Waste Symposium. You can also still sponsor this great event.
The Reuse Hub is half a year old.
Any excuse for a party. Come learn about the new Library of Things, do some reuse crafts, and hang our with other volunteers and reuse fans. Stay tuned for an exciting new offering launching at the party.
April 11th 5-7pm at The Reuse Hub.
Want to help us get the word out about Reuse? The volunteer who tables a the most Earth Month events will get a prize. See all the opportunities here. Or find other ways to get involved by emailing volunteer@reusealliance.org
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