Never be bored on a train again

Did you know, half of all books in Britain are never read? And up to 13 million books are sent to landfills every year, while only a fraction of books are printed on recycled paper. The London Book Swap wants to change all that.

Creator Chris Gilson is launching the scheme at all tube and train stations across the city around the 2012 Olympics. The rules are simple. You, the weary London tube/train trekker, go to the book stalls (you’ll find them in every London station), and pick up books you’d like to read. For free. Or you can drop off those books that are cluttering up your shelves.

The campaign aims to ‘help to cement London as a capital of literacy as well as sport’. And London’s own peroxide, floppy-haired mayor thinks it’s: ‘a very good idea and would say something powerful about the kind of city we are and our commitment to literacy, which obviously we are trying to demonstrate in lots of ways particularly with young people.’

The project needs help spreading the word, so pass it on to any book lovers you know. You can find more info here.