It's getting chilly in New England! What is better than curling up with a blanket, mug of hot chocolate and a good book. This winter I'm going to be buckling down and re-reading some of my favorite "green books", and picking out some new ones to expand my horizons. Feel free to add to the list.
For full disclosure, I have a bit of a problem. I'm addicted to books. After I determined that books were comprising the majority of my discretionary spending (and the majority of space in my bedroom...5 full bookshelves), I decided to shift to a more sustainable method of reading: taking full advantage of my local library. It was here that I came across a bit of a problem- how do I find what to read? And so, working with my local librarians (it required a quick conversation and a list), I devised a quick project to organize all of my favorite books in one place.
For a Quick Project in your own town, take a little bit of initiative and head to your local library:
Green Books: Consider creating a Green Corner in your library. With a little help from the librarians, organize a shelf with all of the environmentally themed books in the library in one place. Make a challenge checklist of green reading and encourage all library members to participate over the winter. (In many cases this just requires a little bit of initiative. Most libraries already are looking to highlight sustainability).
Some of my absolute favorites include: 'Natural Capitalism' by Paul Hawken, 'Biomimicry' by Janine Beynus, 'Silent Spring' by Rachel Carson, 'Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things' by William McDonough, 'Green to Gold' by Daniel Esty and Andrew Winston, 'Animal, Vegetable, Miracle' by Barbara Kingsolver, 'The Omnivore's dilemma' by Michael Pollan, 'The Green Collar Economy' by Van Jones, and really anything by Bill McKibben.
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Another green way to get the books you want is do book swaps online…you only have to pay postage, and unlike library books, you get to keep them!
If you liked omnivore’s dilemma, you might like ‘food revolution’ by John Robbins, or ‘green for life’ by Victoria Boutenko.
Great blog… keep up the good work.
EcoPrintworks
I would suggest using GreenTextbooks.org
Save Money, Save The Planet
GreenTextbooks.org specializes in the recycling of textbooks, DVDs, CDs. Buying used textbooks not only saves you money, but cuts down on greenhouse gases caused by the manufacturing of new textbooks.
With GreenTextbooks.org you’re not only saving trees, you are saving some green.
http://www.greentextbooks.org
If you like Rachel Carson, you might enjoy “Women in Green: Voices of Sustainable Design”. It was written by two authors, one of which works with William McDonough who authored the great “Cradle to Cradle” book. It’s a fun book packed with information that’s easy to pick up whenever you need a solid inspirational dose of green!