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Green Reading for the Green Library in the Park

October 17, 2011 by Reader's Connection

You are about to enter another dimension. Gnomes and trolls roam freely here, and trickster spiders weave their webs.
No, you’re not entering the Twilight Zone. You’re looking at the Storytelling Garden which is under construction at the Garfield Park Branch . Located at 2502 Shelby Street, and formerly known as the Shelby Branch, Garfield Park will have its grand re-opening on November 3rd. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:00 a.m., and storytelling and other programs will commence at noon.

That first picture was put on Facebook on September 26th, the one on the right on October 5th, and you can click on either to see a bigger Facebook image.

The newly renamed branch is also being called “The Green Library in the Park,” and it has been remodeled with an eye torward energy efficiency. That being the case, we have gathered some recommendations for children’s books and adult books related to greener living.

 

Garfield Park Librarian Cindy Childers has sent the following reviews of green children’s books. This list and more of Cindy’s reviews can be seen over on the Kid’s Blog

The Green Mother Goose: Saving the World One Rhyme at a Time

 

j811.54 PEC  
Jan Peck and David Davis  
The Green Mother Goose: Saving the World One Rhyme at a Time

These rhymes sing to the ear, and their “green” twists will plant ecological seeds in your small child’s mind. From the little piggy who “squealed Re-re-recycle! all the way home” to the “Old Woman” who weatherproofed her shoe. Even the illustrations feature recycled materials.

 

 

 

  

Human Footprint: Everything You Will Eat, Use, Wear, Buy, and Throw Out In Your Lifetime

 

j304.2
Ellen Kirk
Human Footprint: Everything You Will Eat, Use, Wear, Buy, and Throw Out In Your Lifetime

Each person’s footprint is incredibly large – 43,371 cans of soda, 13,056 pints of milk, 9,917 pounds of potatoes, 4,376 loaves of bread and many more items during an averagelifetime. Read the suggestions on decreasing your impact on the Earth’s resources.

 

 

  

 

Ants In Your Pants, Worms In Your Plants!  (Gilbert Goes Green)

jP DEG
Diane deGroat
Ants In Your Pants, Worms In Your Plants! (Gilbert Goes Green)
Gilbert has trouble deciding what to do for his “green” school project. All the good ideas are taken. Then, his disappointing school picnic inspires him with the perfect idea for his project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Compost Stew:  An A to Z Recipe for the Earth

 

jP SID
Mary McKenna Siddals
Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth

From apple cores to zinnia heads from flower beds, this rhyming recipe for compost (earth food) is entertaining and informative. The collages feature recycled items such as newspaper and small pieces of cloth. 

 

 

 

Home, and Other Big, Fat Lies

jFIC WOL
Jill Wolfson
Home, and Other Big, Fat Lies

The community of Forest Glen depends on the logging industry. Whitney, a foster child, is placed with a family there to “tide them over” with some income. Termite, as she calls herself, falls in love with the forest environment including Big Momma, a redwood tree. An excellent story with some surprises.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales

 

j398.2 CAS
Dawn Casey and Anne Wilson
The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales

Seven folktales from all over the world present the same message – each person’s special responsibility to protect and preserve the Earth. Each tale is followed by a fun cultural activity such as anything-goes soup, mini water garden, and growing tomatoes.

 

 

 

  

We Planted a Tree

jP MUL
Diane Muldrow
We Planted a Tree

This book features people around the world planting trees. From clues in the pictures, you may be able to determine in which country or city the people are living and why they have planted a tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So in what ways will the Garfield Park Branch be a green library? In addition to its other features, the branch wll have: 

• A dormer window to increase access to natural lighting
• Improved lighting controls to allow better utilization of natural light and reduced energy usage
• Upgrades to a more energy efficient heating and air conditioning system
• Installation of rain barrels to utilize rain water for maintenance of landscaping
• Creation of composting bins for maintenance of landscaping 

 

Facilities Manager Mike Coghlan is shown standing next to the branch’s boiler prior to its installation.  

Click for September 12th tour of Garfield Park Branch under construction

Isn’t this tiny boiler cute? It’s part of a system that will be able to efficiently maintain steady temperatures in the building. Click on the picture to hear Mike say more about Garfield Park Branch’s green features on a September tour of the construction site.

 

 

 

Now on to the green reads for adults. The books were chosen and reviewed by the branch’s new manager, Judy Clem, who says Being “green” does not have to change your life 100%. The following books offer easy and low-cost tips to help make your life more eco-friendly.

Picture Yourself Going Green
333.72 MOR
Erinn Morgan

Picture Yourself Going Green

Picture Yourself Going Green is divided into 8 one week segments. Each week discusses way to make one aspect of daily life “greener”. The areas discussed include your home, energy, food, your yard, your wardrobe, skin care, transportation & travel.

*Tip from this book – Take shorter showers. Taking a 5 minute shower rather than a 12 minute shower will save approximately 40 gallons of fresh water at each shower.

 

 

The Little Green Book: 365 Ways to Love the Planet

333.75 PRO
Joseph Provey
The Little Green Book: 365 Ways to Love the Planet

The Little Green Book truly does have 365 ideas that will help reduce your impact upon the earth. This is a great book for someone looking for ideas on how to be more eco responsible. Each idea is written short and to the point so that readers can browse and not required to sit and read the entire book.

*Tip from this book – Use your microwave to cook or reheat small amounts of food. Typically your microwave will use 50% less energy than your conventional oven on small jobs.

 

 

 

The Everything Green Living Book

640 MCD
Diane Gow McDilda
The Everything Green Living Book

The Everything Green Living Book provides many eco-friendly options for the whole family. This book includes chapters on pets, holidays and other subjects the other books have not covered.

*Tip form this book – Recycle your newspaper, magazines, mail, and other paper items. Every ton of paper recycled saves 3.3 cubic yards of space in a land fill. Many of the Indianapolis Public Library branches have paper recycling bins in their parking lots.

 

 

101 Ways to Reduce your Carbon Footprint

333.72 BOH
Andrea Bohmholdt
101 Ways to Reduce your Carbon Footprint

101 Ways to Reduce your Carbon Footprint offers basic tips to help people become more “green”. It includes sections on personal habits, what to do at home, transportation, and how to get your community involved.

*Tip from this book – If it is time to buy a new television. Do not buy a Plasma Television. Buy an LCD TV. LCD Televisions use an average of 30% less energy than Plasma televisions of the same size.

 

 

The Earth Friendly Home

640 EAR
The Earth Friendly Home

The Earth Friendly Home is the most in-depth of the books listed here. It contains information on how to calculate electricity usage and lists the typical wattage for common household appliances. It also contains a section on energy parasites and what we can do to keep them from using our electricity when not in use. This book also contains earth friendly checklists to create a greener outlook. However, the most important section is on talking “green” with your children.

*Tip from this book – Remember the best example you can set for your children is to live a green life yourself. Do not remind them to turn off the lights when they leave a room unless you are doing it yourself.

 


Grand Re-Opening   Thursday, November 3rd, Ribbon-cutting at 10:00 a.m.  Activities  from noon until 8:00 p.m.

Family Day   Friday, November 4th, 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

Community Day   Saturday, November 5th, 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

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