Introduction
Dear Friends,
As Mayor and on behalf of the City of Chicago, I invite you to participate in the Chicago Public Library’s second annual adult summer reading program: Read Green, Live Green: Summer Reads for Adults. This program encourages Chicagoans to read about and to explore a subject that I have long been passionate about – the environment and its preservation.
I believe there are few more important issues facing our society today than how we will create a healthier, more sustainable society for ourselves, our children and grandchildren. That’s why I’ve pledged to make Chicago “American’s Greenest City,” investing in citywide infrastructure and programs that will ease our burdens on the environment, create jobs and promote health. As we gaze out at Lake Michigan or toss a ball with our families at one of the city’s hundreds of parks, we must remember that the very same natural features that make our city great are imperiled.
This year, I invite you to connect with your family, friends and fellow Chicagoans by reading together about nature and the environment through both the adult and children’s Read Green, Live Green programs. I encourage you to take part in some of the dozens of exciting and informative events planned for the summer. Get caught in the act of reading and inspire others to read green and live green!
You can sign up for Read Green, Live Green: Summer Reads for Adults at your neighborhood Chicago Public Library. A wide array of reading suggestions, interesting events and fun prizes are planned throughout the summer. Join with the Chicago Public Library as it continues its efforts to promote lifelong reading and learning through the Read Green, Live Green: Summer Reads for Adults program.
Sincerely,
Welcome to Read Green, Live Green
Summer Reads for Adults
It's summer in Chicago (finally!), the time to dip your toes in Lake Michigan, spread a picnic blanket at the park, and slow down to listen for birdsong and bee buzz, those quieter city sounds. What better time to explore the natural wonders at our back door, and to consider their future, than in the sunny, grassy days of summer?
The Chicago Public Library, in partnership with Garfield Park Conservatory and Chicago Department of Environment, presents Read Green, Live Green: Summer Reads for Adults, the second annual summer reading program designed especially for adults. The program celebrates the beauty and complexity of our natural environment while also examining the ongoing threats to it, offering a wide assortment of books to satisfy every literary taste. Events and programs presented throughout the city offer a fun and interesting way to enhance your reading experience and learn “green” living practices you can incorporate into your own life.
The recommended titles presented in this resource guide are only a small sample of the many great books written about nature and the environment. An extended bibliography is also available online.
So grab your library card and head to your local library! Then use your time on the el, at the beach, or in your own backyard reading, learning and rediscovering this beautiful and irreplaceable Earth we call home.
Contents:
- Writers in the Wild
- Plants & Parks
- Water
- Wildlife
- Food & Farming
- Energy & Design
- Climate Change & Waste
- Greener Tomorrows
- Extended Reading List
- Online Resources
