Greener Tomorrows

Want to soften your impact on the environment and leave a better planet for the next generation, but don’t know where to start? From inspiring stories of ordinary citizens making extraordinary changes in their communities to how to choose environmentally-friendly products without blowing your budget, these selections offer food for thought about where the environmental movement is headed as well as practical advice for how to live “green.”

Titles

Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit
– Al Gore
Focusing on the impact everyday choices can have on the environment, Nobel Prize winner and former Vice President Al Gore shows how we got ourselves into the global warming mess, and offers hope for a way out.

Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future
–Bill McKibben
In this thoughtful work, prolific environmental author McKibben encourages readers to invest their money in projects that will enhance their communities, enrich their neighbors and encourage self-reliant and value-based local cultures.

Living Green: A Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability
– Greg Horn
A thoughtful, positive guide to making changes that help protect the environment, this book provides an excellent starting point for improving health, home and community.

Myspace/OurPlanet: Change Is Possible **
– Myspace Community, Jeca Taudte & Dan Santat
Full of quick tips, important facts and inspiring eco-ideas from teens across the country, this book breaks down the many aspects of life that can be made more “green.”

Wake Up and Smell the Planet: The Non-Pompous, Non-Preachy Grist Guide to Greening Your Day
– edited by Brangien Davis with Katharine Wroth
This funny, irreverent handbook to making lifestyle changes gives both quick ideas and in-depth information about “greening” a daily routine, from what to eat for breakfast to taking care of pets and everything in between.

Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life
– Ed Begley, Jr.
Author and actor Begley has chosen an environmentally- friendly and cost-conscious lifestyle for nearly forty years. With his wife weighing in with style and comfort tips, Begley shares what he has learned along the way.

The Green Mama Blog
– Manda Aufochs Gillespie
lgpshow.org/blog
Chicago “green mama” Gillespie writes about the ins and outs of being an eco-friendly parent in the city. Her regular updates feature funny stories and helpful tips for Chicagoans looking to raise kids with minimal environmental impact.

Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Social Movement in History Is Restoring Grace, Justice, and Beauty to the World
–Paul Hawken
Hawken follows the worldwide growth of grass-roots groups working for environmental and social justice and outlines their shared interests, calling attention to the changes that they bring through their efforts.

Building the Green Economy: Success Stories from the Grassroots
– Kevin Danaher, Shannon Biggs & Jason Mark
Challenging the notion of the American dream as an individual goal, this book explores the impact of a small group of people through examples of ordinary citizens working to protect the environment and their local communities.

 

**Breezy Reads: light, entertaining books for both adult and teen readers.