New & Novel: Sustainability

Multi-ethnic girls holding green balloons. [Photography]. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
http://quest.eb.com/search/154_2903305/1/154_2903305/cite

The Denver Post, meanwhile, notes that hundreds of gallons of toxic water are still leaking every minute from other abandoned mines in the mountains. “These mines are draining as we speak,” Bruce Stover, director of Colorado’s abandoned mines reclamation programme, told the paper. “We had a disaster last week – a surging amount of water coming out. That same amount of water is coming out over six months and harming the Animas. That water is coming out 24/7.”
~David Usborne, "Animas pollution: The toxic orange river that America cannot ignore", The Independent

The recent Gold King Mine disaster and the U.S. government's decision to allow Royal Dutch Shell to drill for oil and natural gas in the Arctic Ocean has got us thinking about environmental issues and sustainability. We all know the catchphrases - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Upcycling! Freecycling! Green living! Carbon footprint! - but how much do we know about the many issues affecting our world today?

There's garbage - as the website Rotten Truth (About Garbage), on-line exhibition created by the ASTC and the Smithsonian Institution's Traveling Exhibition Service, says, "Throwing out garbage, putting it by the curb, taking it to the dump -- try as we might, we can never really make garbage disappear. When we throw garbage 'away,' it just goes somewhere else." There's plastic in our oceans, too, combining with the garbage to form The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Water shortages, over-fished oceans, pollution, global warming, deforestation, overpopulation, species going extinct - there's a lot of things to think about, let alone measures we could put into practice (carbon offsetting, going vegan, greywater reuse, planting bee-friendly flowers in your yard). Sometimes it's hard to know what to do - we like wind power, one of the cleanest and most sustainable ways to generate electricity, but it is not without negative impact on wildlife, for instance.

We've compiled a list of some of the library catalog's most recent sustainability reads for adults and youth, covering a variety of environmental issues. We figure, forewarned is forearmed.  Or, as journalist Martha Gellhorn once said, "Citizenship is a tough occupation which obliges the citizen to make his own informed opinion and stand by it."

For Adult Readers

A Buzz in the Meadow: The Natural History of a French Farm by Dave Goulson

After Preservation: Saving American Nature in the Age of Humans edited by Ben A. Minteer & Stephen J. Pyne

A Man Apart: Bill Coperthwaite's Radical Experiment in Living by Peter Forbes and Helen Whybrow

Rust: The Longest War by Jonathan Waldman   

The Triumph of Seeds: How Grains, Nuts, Kernels, Pulses, and Pips, Conquered the Plant Kingdom and Shaped Human History by Thor Hanson

The Water-Wise Home: How to Conserve, Capture, and Reuse Water in Your Home and Landscape by Laura Allen  

The Human Age: The World Shaped By Us by Diane Ackerman [audiobook]

The Hunt for the Golden Mole: All Creatures Great and Small and Why They Matter by Richard Girling

Gotham Unbound: The Ecological History of Greater New York by Ted Steinberg

Adventures in the Anthropocene: A Journey to the Heart of the Planet We Made by Gaia Vince

The Boom: How Fracking Ignited the American Energy Revolution and Changed the World by Russell Gold

The People's Republic of Chemicals by William J. Kelly and Chip Jacobs

Poison Spring: The Secret History of Pollution and the EPA by E.G. Vallianatos with McKay Jenkins      

Your Water Footprint: The Shocking Facts About How Much Water We Use to Make Everyday Products by Stephen Leahy 

For Kids & Teens

Trash Talk!: Moving Toward a Zero-Waste World by Michelle Mulder

One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia by Miranda Paul

Climate Change: Discover How It Impacts Spaceship Earth by Joshua Sneideman & Erin E. Tawmley

Disney Go Green!: A Family Guide to a Sustainable Lifestyle by Gunndis Finnbogadottir

You Are Stardust by Elin Kelsey

What Happens to Our Trash? by D.J. Ward 

Buried Sunlight: How Fossil Fuels Have Changed the Earth by Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm

Eyes Wide Open: Going Behind the Environmental Headlines by Paul Fleischman  [YA]

Skink--No Surrender by Carl Hiaasen [YA]

Links

Emergency Response to August 2015 Release from Gold King Mine [EPA] 

Gold King Mine Wastewater Spill of Wednesday, August 5, 2015 [New Mexico Environment Department] 

Shell in the Arctic [Shell Global] 

The Alaskan Arctic Oil Drilling Controversy Explained (Infographic) [LiveScience] 
 

Cli-Fi: Speculative Fiction about Climate Change

University courses on global warming have become common, and Prof. Stephanie LeMenager’s new class here at the University of Oregon has all the expected, alarming elements: rising oceans, displaced populations, political conflict, endangered animals.The goal of this class, however, is not to marshal evidence for climate change as a human-caused crisis, or to measure its effects — the reality and severity of it are taken as given — but how to think about it, prepare for it and respond to it. Instead of scientific texts, the class, “The Cultures of Climate Change,” focuses on films, poetry, photography, essays and a heavy dose of the mushrooming subgenre of speculative fiction known as climate fiction, or cli-fi... Climate novels fit into a long tradition of speculative fiction that pictures the future after assorted catastrophes. First came external forces like aliens or geological upheaval, and then, in the postwar period, came disasters of our own making.
~Richard Pérez-Peña, "College Classes Use Arts to Brace for Climate Change"

With Earth Day just behind us, we take the environmental bull by the horns in mentioning a new fiction genre that has been labeled "Cli-Fi". Science fiction readers have most likely read novels featuring a post-apocalyptic future before, but climate-related apocalyptic fiction has been proliferating widely across genres lately. If you are a reader of dystopian fiction interested in some titles envisioning the struggle to survive after catastrophic climate change such as a new ice age, rising sea levels, global warming, natural resources (including our water supply) being sucked dry, and general ecological collapse, we have some titles to suggest!


The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

Solar by Ian McEwan

Odds Against Tomorrow by Nathaniel Rich

On Such a Full Sea by Chang-rae Lee

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

The Healer by Antti Tuomainen

The Rapture by  Liz Jensen

A Friend of the Earth by T. Coraghessan Boyle

After the Snow by S. D. Crockett [YA]

Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis [YA]


Links 

Global warning: the rise of 'cli-fi' [The Guardian]

So Hot Right Now: Has Climate Change Created a New Literary Genre? [NPR]

Weathering the Change: Cli-Fi Settles In For the Duration [VOYA]

Cli-Fi: Birth of a Genre [Dissent]

Climate Change: The hottest thing in science fiction [Grist]

Earth Day

April 22 marks the anniversary of what is considered by many to be the birth of the environmental movement in 1970, when 20 million Americans took part in rallies from coast to coast to protest pollution, pesticides, wildlife extinction, and other environmental issues. The first Earth Day was the impetus for the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts, according to the Earth Day Network's website.

Earth Day is currently coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and celebrated  in 192 + countries annually [Wikipedia]. Additionally, in 2009, the UN established April 22 as International Mother Earth Day, adopting by consensus a resolution spearheaded by the Bolivian government, including President Evo Morales Ayma. 

Why not celebrate Earth Day with one of the latest books in the catalog focusing on the environmental movement and/or sustainability issues?  We have movies too!


Before the Lights Go Out: Conquering the Energy Crisis Before It Conquers Us by Maggie Koerth-Baker

The Man Who Planted Trees: Lost Groves, The Future of Our Forests, and a Radical Plan to Save Our Planet by Jim Robbins

Green Illusions: The Dirty Secrets of Clean Energy and the Future of Environmentalism by Ozzie Zehner

Clean Energy Nation: Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels by Jerry McNerney and Martin Cheek

Zapped: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn't Be Your Alarm Clock and 1,268 Ways to Outsmart the Hazards of Electronic Pollution by Ann Louise Gittleman

The Pure Cure: A Complete Guide to Freeing Your Life From Dangerous Toxins by Sharyn Winters [eBook only in our catalog]

Fighting Light Pollution: Smart Lighting Solutions for Individuals and Communities by the International Dark-Sky Association

Toxic Free: How to Protect Your Health and Home from the Chemicals That Are Making You Sick by Debra Lynn Dadd

Prefabulous + Almost Off the Grid: Your Path to Building an Energy-Independent Home by Sheri Koones

Plastiki: Across the Pacific on Plastic - An Adventure to Save Our Oceans by David de Rothschild [eBook only in our catalog]

On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson by William Souder

Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too by Beth Terry

Mr. Hornaday's War: How a Peculiar Victorian Zookeeper Waged a Lonely Crusade for Wildlife that Changed the World by Stefan Bechtel

In Pursuit of Giants: One Man's Global Search for the Last of the Great Fish by Matt Rigney

Wildlife Heroes: 40 Leading Conservationists and the Animals They are Committed to Saving by Julie Scardina and Jeff Flocken


DVDs

Flow: For Love of Water

Gashole

Fuel

Revenge of the Electric Car

Houston, We Have a Problem: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Cheap Energy

Heavy Water: A Film for Chernobyl

Last Chance to See: Animals on the Verge of Extinction


Links

Earth Day on CABQ.gov (City of Albuquerque)

Earth Day on EPA.gov
EPA.gov suggests Pick Five: Choose at least 5 actions you’ll commit to. Use less water and electricity, commute without polluting, reuse and recycle, and more.

Recycling, Upcycling, & Salvage for Fun, Profit, & Practicality!

Reduce, reuse, recycle, is the catchphrase of environmentalists, but another phrase we hear a lot lately is "upcycling", also referred to as "trash into treasure" - Upcycle magazine defines this process as "taking an item that is no longer needed or wanted and giving it new life as something that is either useful or creative". Don't just throw away your plastics, junk mail, electronics, old clothes  - use your rescued resources to make something! If you are a craft-oriented person looking for a new hobby (or an activity to do with your kids) that's easy on your wallet and good for the planet, consider taking advantage of upcycling ideas from the library catalog.

Cool Odds and Ends Projects: Creative Ways to Upcycle Your Trash into Treasure by Pam Scheunemann

Cool Plastic Projects: Creative Ways to Upcycle Your Trash into Treasure by Pam Scheunemann

Trash-to-Treasure Papermaking: Make Your Own Recycled Paper from Newspapers & Magazines, Can & Bottle Labels, Discarded Gift Wrap, Old Phone Books, Junk Mail, Comic Books, and More-- by Arnold E. Grummer

Reinvention: Sewing with Rescued Materials by Maya Donenfeld

Recycled Home: Transform Your Home Using Salvaged Materials by Rebecca Proctor

Upcycling Celebrations: A Use-What-You-Have Guide to Decorating, Gift-Giving & Entertaining by Danny Seo

Puppet Play: 20 Puppet Projects Made with Recycling Mittens, Towels, Socks, and More! by Diana Schoenbrun [eBook only in our catalog]

Unscrewed: Salvage and Reuse Motors, Gears, Switches, and More from Your Old Electronics by Ed Sobey [eBook only in our catalog]

Salvage Secrets: Transforming Reclaimed Materials into Design Concepts by Joanne Palmisano

Make It!: Don't Throw It Away...Create Something Amazing! by Jane Bull

Cut-Up Couture by Koko Yamase

The Life of a Bowerbird: Creating Beautiful Interiors with the Things You Collect by Sibella Court

Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun by Joshua Glenn & Elizabeth Foy Larsen

Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too by Beth Terry

Weather

The weather
is often a subject for discussion, especially lately with a dry-grass summer and our teasing monsoon rains. Are the local weather patterns changing? If so, what can we expect?

The books below will help you learn more about the atmospheric ocean that envelops us all and the currents in that ocean that we call "weather" - both the everyday and the phenomenally unusual.

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Skywatch: The Western Weather Guide by Richard A. Keen

"Provides an understanding of how weather actually works. Richly illustrated with color and black-and-white photographs, maps and drawings, Skywatch covers such phenomena as fronts, jets, cyclones and whirlwinds. Learn how to build your own home weather station and how to read weather maps. Compare the climates from dozens of sites throughout the West - from the heights of Pikes Peak in Colorado, to below sea level in Death Valley. Nontechnical and easy to understand, Skywatch will make a 'weather nut' of every reader." - from the book jacket

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The Handy Weather Answer Book by Walter A. Lyons, Ph.D.

Frequently Asked Questions about weather, organized by concept. What are crepuscular rays? Browse and find out! From the same folks who brought you The Handy Science Answer Book.

Contents:  Weather Fundamentals - Instruments and Observations - The Upper Atmosphere and Beyond - Clouds - Hurricanes and Tropical Storms - Thunderstorms, Floods, and Hail - Lightning and Thunder - Optical Phenomena - Tornadoes - Cold and Winter Storms - Heat and Humidity - Earthquakes and Volcanoes - Air Pollution and the Environment - Weather and the Human Body - Weather Forecasting - Climate Change - Careers in Meteorology

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 Freaks of the Storm: From Flying Cows to Stealing Thunder, the world's strangest weather stories by Randy Cerveny

We've all heard the stories: people and livestock picked up by tornadoes but deposited safely, boards blown through posts, absurdly big hail, "rains of blood". How many are true? Weather expert Randy Cerveny collects the strangest stories and reveals the truth and the science behind them.

From Booklist:
"In October 1947, in Marksville, Louisiana, hundreds of fish were falling from the sky. In November 1915, in Great Bend, Kansas, a tornado picked up five horses that landed unhurt a quarter mile from their barn. During a hurricane in 1938 along the eastern seaboard, residents discovered chickens with their feathers completely plucked by the wind. In Udall, Kansas, in 1955, a local barber was thrown out of bed, through a window, and into the street. He did not wake up. Cerveny, a professor who specializes in weather and climate, drew on his database of 8,000 recorded events to explain these occurrences. There are chapters on tornadoes, lightning, hail, rain, hurricanes, snow, wind, dust devils, and water spouts. He chronicles the oddest weather extremes (136 degrees in El Azizia, Libya, in 1922, and 129 below zero at the Russian research facility in Antarctica in 1983). The official world's record for a one-minute rainfall is 1.23 inches on July 4, 1956, in Avondale, Maryland. Cerveny's stories will captivate readers, or frighten them, or maybe a little of both." George Cohen Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Extreme weather : a guide to surviving flash floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, heat waves, snowstorms, tsunamis, and other natural disasters by Bonnie Schneider, Meteorologist

If you believe some people, weather is becoming apocalyptically destructive. Other people maintain that there are just more people on the planet to be affected by extreme weather and our pervasive media makes us more conscious of it.

Whichever way you lean, the chances are that sometime in your life you will be affected by extreme weather, if only a heat wave or a winter storm. National television meteorologist Bonnie Schneider interviewed a wide variety of experts to get you the most practical and straightforward information about the challenges weather can offer us and how to cope with them.

This book helps you analyze the likelihood of your being affected by different types of weather and gives you guidelines to handle scenarios whether in a car, outside, at work, on a boat, or at home. Extreme Weather also provides checklists to help you be prepared to protect your family and home should extreme weather occur.

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The heated debate about climate change and global warming continues.  (Pun intended, but the arguments are indeed sometimes very vigorous.)  The consensus of the scientific community is that global warming is occurring, with a significant portion of the affect attributable to human activity. But a very vociferous group counters that this is just a misinterpretation of natural cycles, and part of an alarmist "hoax."

The questions remain: Is our planet growing warmer? Is this part of a natural cycle? How much of the change can be attributed to human activities? What can we do about it?

After one of the hottest and driest summers in New Mexico's recorded history, it is hard not to come down on the side of those who maintain that our climate is shifting. But the debate continues, with new publications coming out at both poles of the discussion.

Inform yourself with these library resources, and draw your own conclusions.

Global warming titles

Climate change titles

Current magazine articles on the subject from the InfoTrac Environmental Issues and Policy resource center

Browse titles regarding weather

A link to a map showing current wind patterns
over the continental U.S., based on information
from the National Digital Forecast Database:

Wind map

Fascinating and educational, hypnotic and captivating!
Don't be surprised if you become lost in it...

2 New & Noteworthy Sustainability Reads

The United States Environmental Protection Agency defines sustainability thusly: "Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations. Sustainability is important to making sure that we have and will continue to have, the water, materials, and resources to protect human health and our environment."  Here are two brand spanking new titles (& some older readalikes) that each, in its own way, tackles the issue of sustainability:

Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash by Edward Humes

"A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist takes readers on a surprising tour of the world of garbage. Trash is America's largest export. Individually, we make more than four pounds a day, sixty-four tons across a lifetime. We make so much of it that trash dominates America's place in the global economy--now the most prized product made in the United States. In 2010, China's number-one export to the U.S. was computer equipment. America's two biggest exports were paper waste and scrap metal. Somehow, a country that once built things for the rest of the world has transformed itself into China's trash compactor. In Garbology, Edward Humes reveals what this world of trash looks like, how we got here, and what some families, communities, and other countries are doing to find a way back from a world of waste. Highlights include: Los Angeles's sixty-story garbage mountain, so big and bizarrely prominent that it has spawned its own climate, habitat, and tour business. The waste trackers of MIT, whose "smart trash" has exposed the secret life and dirty death of what we throw away. China's garbage queen, Zhang Yin, who started collecting scrap paper in the 1990s and turned it into a multibillion-dollar business exporting American trash to make Chinese products to sell back to Americans. Artisan Bea Johnson, whose family has found that generating less waste has translated into more money, less debt, and more leisure time. As Wal-Mart aims for zero-waste strategies and household recycling has become second nature, interest in trash has clearly reached new heights. From the quirky to the astounding, Garbology weighs in with remarkable true tales from the front lines of the war on waste. "-- Provided by publisher.

Readalikes:

Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage by Heather Rogers

Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash by Elizabeth Royte

Plastic Ocean: How a Sea Captain's Chance Discovery Launched a Quest to Save the Oceans by Capt. Charles Moore with Cassandra Phillips

American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half of Its Food (and What We Can Do About It) by Jonathan Bloom

Straphanger: Saving Our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile by Taras Grescoe

""I am proud to call myself a straphanger," writes Taras Grescoe. The perception of public transportation in America is often unflattering--a squalid last resort for those with one too many drunk-driving charges, too poor to afford insurance, or too decrepit to get behind the wheel of a car. Indeed, a century of auto-centric culture and city planning has left most of the country with public transportation that is underfunded, ill maintained, and ill conceived. But as the demand for petroleum is fast outpacing the world's supply, a revolution in transportation is under way. Grescoe explores the ascendance of the straphangers--the growing number of people who rely on public transportation to go about the business of their daily lives. On a journey that takes him around the world--from New York to Moscow, Paris, Copenhagen, Tokyo, Bogota, Phoenix, Portland, Vancouver, and Philadelphia--Grescoe profiles public transportation here and abroad, highlighting the people and ideas that may help undo the damage that car-centric planning has done to our cities and ient, affordable, and sustainable urban transportation--and better city living--for all"-- Provided by publisher.

Readalikes:

Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Cities by Jeff Mapes

Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (And What It Says About Us) by Tom Vanderbilt

Bike to Work Day

National Bike to Work Day is Friday, May 18th, part of the League of American Bicyclists' National Bike Month, & you are invited to be part of Albuquerque's celebrations!

From the folks at Bike Hub New Mexico: "Get Fit, Look Good, Save Money on Gas: Bike To Work Day, brought to you by the City of Albuquerque and BikeABQ, is a morning of events to celebrate, encourage, and give a 'leg up' to people biking to work. Food stops will be located throughout Albuquerque and in Rio Rancho and Los Lunas, with goodies including T-shirts, leg bands, patch kits, cycling safety and commuter info and much more, while supplies last."


To read more about Bike to Work Day in Albuquerque, visit these sites:

Bike Hub New Mexico

Bicycling - from the City of Albuquerque website

To view items about bicycle touring, racing, trails, design, & more, visit the library catalog.

Earth Day

In honor of Earth Day, contemplate what you can do to take sustainable action. You can:

Recycle. It's easy when the City of Albuquerque picks it up outside your front door.


Replace lights with CF bulbs. Cold Cathode Fluorescent bulbs contain 85% less mercury than regular bulbs and save anywhere from $80 - $250 per year.


Use cold water for laundry loads and save up to $60 per year. Use less energy to boot.


Bike or walk to work. In addition to saving anywhere from $300 - $600 a year, there are health benefits as well.


Eat less meat. Cutting your meat consumption in half on average is like walking to work rather than driving.
~about.com


Tomorrow is Earth Day - how will you be celebrating? Every moment we make simple decisions that affect the planet. What would you considering changing in your life to help the environment? Let us know in the comments below!

Consider a green celebration with ABC Libraries - visit with the Master Gardeners this month or sign up for a future Xeriscape Seminar!  Or, search in the catalog for items about Earth Day, the environment, sustainability, & recycling.

Some other websites & events that might be of interest:

Earth Day 2012 (Earth Day Network)

Earth Day 2012

Earth Day - freebies!


Bigbyte Earth Day eRecycling (Albuquerque)

E-Waste Drop Off Earth Day at Coronado Center Parking Lot

Earth Day Celebration at the Biopark - today!  Until 2 p.m.

Madrid Earth Day Arts & Crafts Fair

Earth Week events listing from The Green Fire Times

Recycle Your E-Waste for FREE in September

September is Electronic Recycling Month!

E-waste is a popular, informal name for electronic products nearing the end of their “useful life”. Computers, VCRs, stereos, copiers, and fax machines are common electronic products that can be reused, refurbished, or recycled.

Research has estimated that nearly 75 percent of old electronics are in storage in part because consumers are uncertain of how to manage these materials. In addition, the computer industry is continually marketing new and improved products. As manufacturers make these technological advances, consumers follow the saying, “Out with the old and in with the new”. As a result, an overwhelming influx of e-waste is bombarding the world and challenging it to create an environmentally conscious disposal process.

E-waste that is not recycled often ends up in landfills. As a result, toxic substances commonly found in electronics such as lead, cadmium, and mercury have the capability of contaminating land, air, and water. Computers contain an average of 6 pounds of lead. Accumulation of these substances in the environment is toxic to humans, animals, plants, and microorganisms.

Mayor Richard J. Berry announced that the residents of Albuquerque can take their E-waste to the City’s Eagle Rock Convenience Center for FREE recycling during the month of September. The Eagle Rock Convenience Center is located at 6301 Eagle Rock NE (on the north side of town-off I-25 & Alameda to Eagle Rock, just south of the Coronado Airport-& is open 7 days a week 8 am to 5 pm).  The City is expecting an overwhelming response to the FREE promotion and encourage individuals to take advantage of this great deal during the week and avoid the weekend crowds. The City's partners for this event are Intel, KOAT 7,& Natural Evolution, Inc.

For a complete list of items that will be accepted for recycling & answers to other FAQ, visit the Solid Waste Management Department's webpage.

Earth Day 2011: A Billion Acts of Green®

As Earth Day approaches, the price of gasoline increases again and the government once again starts talking about an energy plan it seems like a good time to gather some knowledge on the environmental state of the world. The library offers several resources that you may find helpful:

The Kill-a-watts are now available for checkout. Test your appliances and see how much energy each is using. Maybe you can cut back and save some money.

The April featured databases are:

Home Improvement Reference Center: contains repair information for all your projects including decorating, electrical, maintenance, outdoor, plumbing, remodeling, and woodworking. See our tip sheet.

Garden, Landscape & Horticultural Collection: Gardening hobbyists, master gardeners and biotechnologists alike will find practical tips as well as the scientific theories of horticulture studies in this searchable collection of books and articles. See our tip sheet.

Some books that I found interesting:

Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman

This book looks at how warming temperatures, increasing population and a worldwide desire to live like middle class Americans are worsening environmental problems and some suggestions on what needs to be done.


Running Dry by Jonathan Waterman

National Geographic writer Jonathan Waterman makes his way down the Colorado River from its beginnings in the Colorado snowpack to it’s dry end in Mexico. Along the way he compares the current health and flow of the river to observations recorded in the late 1800s and talks to local people, park rangers and river managers about their use and needs of this dwindling resource.


A View From Lazy Point by Carl Safina

I really enjoyed this book because of its poetic and vivid descriptions of wildlife throughout the year and the framing of environmental damage in terms of future generations.


Other environmental books I hope to soon read:


Bird Cloud by Annie Proulx

The Quiet World: Saving Alaska’s Wilderness Kingdom 1910 -1960 by Douglas Brinkley

There's more information on "A Billion Acts of Green®: Personal, organizational and corporate pledges to live and act sustainably" at the Earth Day Network website.

Also check out the Earth Day Celebration at the ABQ BioPark tomorrow!!

 

Written by Laura of the Cherry Hills Library staff.

Living Green

My sister & her girlfriend having been raving about the Santa Fe Farmers' Market, so I made a special trip up there yesterday to check it out. (Note: I actually spent the night in Santa Fe, since the optimum time to arrive is between 7-8 a.m.) It is quite an event! Lots of local produce, meats, eggs & other handmade items (mostly baked goods & soaps & toiletries) from a variety of vendors, much of it pesticide-free or organic. I didn't end up buying much myself, as schlepping it back to Albuquerque by train seemed like a chore, but it made me think about what I've been missing not checking out Albuquerque farmers' markets, in my case the Downtown Growers' Market. (I like that many markets now have websites with information like locations, hours, vendors, even a mission statement-the Downtown Growers Market, for instance, "is a growers' only open air market featuring 100% locally grown New Mexico produce. All produce is grown within 60 miles of the market, so you are guaranteed to find only freshly picked produce at every booth.")

While I was up in Santa Fe, hanging out with Nancy (an environmental educator through her Recycle Runway program-couture fashions designed from trash!), we discussed her suggestions to keep a green home. Here are some of Nancy's tips:

In the kitchen

• Compost! Nancy collects all her kitchen scraps in a bucket to take to the compost pile in the backyard. This includes all vegetable & fruit scraps, used paper products (paper towels, napkins), & eggshells. No meat! For more composting tips, visit the city website.
• Nancy keeps a plastic tub/dishpan in the sink all the time. She puts dirty dishes in there to soak, & also uses it to collect the water when she rinses fruits & vegetables. This water, ofen called 'gray' water, she uses to water her garden.

In the bathroom

• Does your water heater take a long time to heat up? Nancy keeps a bucket in her shower to collect the water as she waits for it to heat up. When the bucket is full, she uses the water to flush the toilet. She usually tries to do the same with the water from the bathroom sink.
• There are two trashcans in Nancy's bathroom-one for non-compostable trash, & the other for compostables (including hair, gently-used tissue, cotton balls).

For more environmental questions, check out the GreenFILE database from the library's resource center. GreenFILE is a research database covering all aspects of human impact on the environment, drawing on disciplines including agriculture, education, law, health and technology in providing information about the issues facing our planet. If you're interested it what the City of Albuquerque is doing about sustainability, visit the city's website.