Green Your Local Library: Create a Green Books List

Posted on November 26, 2008 by Samantha Tackeff in Books, DIY, Media+Internet

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.

biomimicry, Green books, library