Meet Xavier Helgesen, Co-Founder of Better World Books

How does someone become a change maker at the young age of 30? By starting as early as college, of course! That's exactly what Xavier Helgesen did, co-founding a socially conscious company fresh out of school.

Spurred by the vast amount of textbooks that get used only once and then left to collect dust or clutter up the landfills, Xavier and his roommate were inspired to model a business around collecting books and textbooks from book drives on campuses and libraries across the country and then re-selling them online. And thus, in 2002 Better World Books was born. But what makes the bookseller a bit more special than their competitors is that a portion of the revenue goes towards major global literacy groups like Books for Africa.

Beyond being good for global humanity and its aspiring green globe, the business is a boon for consumers. Book seekers can find titles that are up to 80 percent cheaper than their new counterparts and get free shipping in the process. Even better, the shipping is carbon offset.

Let's gab with the bookworm behind it all

How did you get into this line of work?

I can't say I ever expected to be a bookseller. But now I proudly write that as my ?profession? when I fill out customs documents and the like. It all started when my roommate Kreece asked me if I knew a website where you could sell used textbooks online. I suggested Half.com, but said I didn't know if anyone actually bought books there. Turns out they did. After Kreece and I had sold off our roommates' books, we hatched a plan to run book drives for charity, and that planted the seed that started Better World Books.

What was your "a-ha" moment?

The real a-ha moment was the day that we put the books from the first book drive up for sale. We were expecting them to sell well, but I think $5,000 in sales in the first day beat our wildest expectations. The other great moment early on was when we sent a $20,000 check to Books for Africa. Needless to say, we got their attention.

Who is your green hero?

Besides the Incredible Hulk and Yoda? I would have to say that Robert F Kennedy Jr. stands out for me. His eloquence, strength, and passion for defending our environment (and going after environmental criminals) are an inspiration.

What is your ultimate green goal?

I would love to see "utilization" replace "consumption" as the main driver of our economy. Consuming resources is a dead-end. By utilizing a product for a given time, then sharing, repurposing, giving or upcycling it, we could decouple our economy from the depletion of our natural capital.

What is your motivation?

The chance to do work that has real and lasting meaning, and has the potential to inspire and affect far more people than I could ever meet physically.

What is most important to you, ecologically speaking?

Food. My wife and I are incredibly conscious of what we eat and where it comes from. Our industrial food economy disgusts me on so many levels, and I do everything in my power to "opt out" of it.

What is the most challenging part of your job?

We have to innovate in a business that is thousands of years old. There were booksellers a long time before there were printing presses. We face competitors with sales hundreds or thousands of times greater than ours. We also are seeing the evolution of the printed word into digital formats. So in the face of this, we have to continue to come up with creative ways to collect and sell more books. We are very bullish on the printed word, however, and believe there are huge opportunities as more people become more literate worldwide.

What is the most rewarding?

Hands down, it is the visits to our literacy partners. I have been fortunate enough to tour schools and libraries in Malawi, Tanzania, Brazil, South Africa, and Zambia. Seeing the gratitude of teachers and students for access to books, and knowing that I played a part in making that happen, is incredibly rewarding.

Of the people you have worked with, who impresses you most?

Our employees awe me every day and it is very hard to pick an individual out above others, so I'll have to speak to someone outside the company. One person who comes to mind is Adam Smith, the product manager of Google Book Search. A true class act, Adam has led the implementation of an incredible and complex product that is one of the most monumental achievements since the printing press.

What green thing do you do everyday?

I'm a passionate advocate for the bicycle as a means of everyday transportation, so I try to make a point of biking every day. I just moved to Atlanta, so it is a little harder here than in my former home of San Francisco, but that makes it all the more important to do.

What do you wish you could do?

Farm. Or be a bike messenger surrounded by a force field.

What is your biggest eco-sin?

Hands down, it is flight and travel. I wish we had an appropriate global price on carbon that was built into the cost of flights. I might even fly less, but I'd feel better about it when I did.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

The full cost or benefit to society of a product or service would be included in its price. People have said that the real cost of a gallon of gasoline in the USA is more like $8-10. If you only pay $2 at the pump, you're getting a huge subsidy from taxpayers and the environment.

What is your best green advice?

Vote with your dollars or euros or whatever you spend. Every purchase is a vote for or against a way of doing business. Companies like Better World Books rely on customers voting with their dollars for a world in which every child has access to books and education. We believe that is one of the easier voting decisions you can make.

Change Makers is series of interviews with people famous and obscure who are creating a more sustainable world through their work. Meet more Change Makers here.