Buying brand new books is not actually required by the school I attended in College. It’s a state university and many students rely on photocopying and buying secondhand textbooks. I go to the library for hard to find books and do my research there especially if the subjects require a lot of reading. I would photocopy the materials so I can study them at home. For some of my major subjects, I see to it to buy secondhand books if the brand new ones are expensive. Together with my classmates, we would visit the bookstores along Recto Avenue in Manila to look for used textbooks.

Study and reference materials are more accessible these days because of the Internet. You can check out online resources for used books. By reusing secondhand textbooks we are also doing ourselves and the environment a big favor as it helps us reduce carbon footprints.