Dog Ear Publishing Plants more than 50,000 Trees.

Dog Ear Publishing, a leader in self-publishing, has reached a new milestone: planting more than 50,000 trees. Its tree-planting campaign, begun in 2009 in partnership with Trees for the Future, continues Dog Ear's environmentally responsible approach to book publishing.

Trees for the Future has recognized Dog Ear Publishing with a certificate showing 51,150 trees have been planted thanks to the publishing company's support. "The village project is being implemented to save the homes and way of life of people in communities across the globe that have been devastated by deforestation and, increasingly, global climate change," the certificate reads. "These fast-growing, permanent, beneficial trees will help to protect these fragile and eroded lands and assure that families can continue to live in dignity and harmony with the natural resources of their lands."

Dog Ear co-founder Miles Nelson said he's closely followed the organization, which rates very highly in how it uses donations and has a good reputation for planting trees where they are desperately needed. Since 1988, Trees for the Future, based in Silver Spring, M.D., has planted nearly 65 million trees in Africa, Asia and Central America. The trees provide fodder, fuel, food, fertilizer and medicine for farmers, notes the organization's Website, as well as removing Co2 from the atmosphere.

"They focus a lot on the Third World where trees have been cut down such as Brazil and Madagascar," Nelson said. "The tree they plant grows fast, but what is cool about it is that it grows naturally in these areas anyway, and a lot of people in these countries are familiar with these trees." In Ethiopia, for instance, people consume and feed the leaves to their livestock, Nelson said.
Nelson said being environmentally responsible as a company is a smart choice for Dog Ear, which contributes annually to Trees for the Future. "We are passionate about books, and we're passionate about being an eco-friendly, environmentally sustainable publishing company," he said. "For every book we publish, we want to make sure we plant enough trees to cover it. We're planting more than five trees for every book we publish."

Planting trees is not the only way Dog Ear works to stay green. For example, in 2008 the company implemented an officewide recycling program, using 100 percent recycled paper in printers and copiers and choosing equipment that uses less electricity. "We believe in reducing and recycling everything from paper, aluminum and office equipment," Nelson said.

Dog Ear has also created The Dog Gives Back program. A portion of sales goes to support environmental organizations that protect natural habitats, are committed to reforestation and research alternative and renewable fuels.

Dog Ear, a self-publishing company in Indianapolis, has been rated one of the top self-publishing companies by industry watchdog Mark Levine in "The Fine Print of Self Publishing." The company, which publishes children's books, fiction and nonfiction books, offers worldwide distribution as well as e-reader versions of books. Dog Ear authors retain all rights and complete creative control throughout the entire self-publishing process.
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For further information contact: Miles Nelson at 317-228-3656, via email at MilesN@DogEarPublishing.net, or through the website at: www.dogearpublishing.net.