Books first step to going green
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” — The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
About two weeks ago I was invited to join a Facebook group called Gang Green. The premise was very simple: it was a group for people who were dedicated to and cared for such issues as pollution, recycling, and global warming. I thought about the invitation, and it made me start thinking about my actions on Earth, and whether my actions were positive or negative.
Mostly, I was in the negative category. This made me uneasy. I wanted to help but wasn’t sure how to go about it. Then one night I stumbled upon a book. I leafed through it, and was surprised. The book, “50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth”, by the Earth Works Group, listed actions that were not hard, complex things, but rather steps that I could do on a day-to-day basis, such as snipping six-pack rings and carpooling to work. It made it seem so easy!
After searching some more, I found many other books about the environment. One titled “A Fierce Green Fire”, by Philip Shabecoff, charts the history of the American environmental movement from the first settlers to Rachel Carson. The library also has books on various topics related to environmental problems. Two newly published books geared more toward young adults are “Land Abuse and Soil Erosion” and “Saving the Natural World”, both written by Janice Redlin. A widely known book, and now documentary, is Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth”. Gore talks about the issue of global warming, and makes a powerful argument as to why it is an emergency that needs our attention.
The library also has books for children that deal with helping the environment. There is a kid’s version of “50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth”. “Endangered Planet”, by David Burne, gives children great background information about the various environmental problems, such as expanding cities, air pollution, the greenhouse effect, and wildlife protection. Finally, “Ecology Crafts for Kids” has many cool ideas for both simple and complex craft projects that teach kids the lesson of recycling, and how to use nature for their art materials. My favorite craft is the light bulb puppets, in which you take burned out light bubs and create a puppet out of them with newspapers and papier-mâché.
For people who are ready to take action and become more knowledgeable, the library subscribes to the "Sierra" magazine. Each month’s issue is filled with articles to keep you up to date about the environment, and it also has columns like "One Small Step" and "The Green Life".
The Once-ler in "The Lorax" was right when he said that unless someone cares, nothing is going to get done. Come check out what the library has to offer on the environment, and make your small step to doing something to help it!