Buying Textbooks? Rent 'Em Instead... and Plant a Tree, Too

Students' spirits are usually bright at the start of the new college school year, but there's one inevitable burden that always interrupts the joyous occasion: having to buy textbooks. However, an environmentally conscious book-rental service is not only lightening the financial load, but also greening the earth.

With textbook prices constantly increasing – the U.S. Government Accountability Office says that since 1980, they've risen at twice the inflation rate – Chegg.com, the nation’s leading textbook-rental service, has become relevant for its cost-effectiveness. Students can rent textbooks and return them at the end of the semester, and save up to 85 percent off the retail price.

Not only is renting better for the environment (since it reuses the books), but Chegg plants a tree for each textbook rental. Through American Forests' Green ReLeaf program, the company has planted more than 850 acres of trees. Getting your books through them, then, equals common sense you don’t even need Econ 101 for.

--Michael Mullaley