Learn About and Celebrate Earth Day

Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. You can learn more about Earth Day, recycling, sustainability, green living and more through the library! Below you will find a list of some of our newest books on these topics. You can also browse the library catalog searching any of the above terms to find more. The list includes picture books, as well as Junior and Adult Non-Fiction.

Come to Haggard Library on Monday, April 22 from 3-4pm to celebrate Earth Day with us! You will learn about recycling and composting, soil erosion and make your own upcycled flower art. All ages are welcome.

Recycling and Sustainability

Can I Recycle This? by Jennie Romer Print Book
In this book, pollution expert Jennie Romer introduces all the smart machines and conveyor belts, cameras, and magnets that make recycling work. You’ll discover not only why we recycle, but also how–and then how to do it better. This book will give you the tools you need to be a recycling expert and a plastic pollution warrior.

Yasmin La Recicladora by Saadia Faruqi Print Book
Yasmin is thrilled about her school’s new recycling program, but getting her friends to pitch in is no easy task. Book is in Spanish

Cardboard Activity Lab: 25 Exciting Recycling Projects for Crafty Kids by Jemma Westing Print Book
Recycle household cardboard into incredible art projects that you can wear, share, and play with. Learn how to build and decorate more than 25 amazing creations, including costumes and castles, gifts and games, puppets and pirate ships.

Life of a Plastic Bottle by Louise Nelson Print Book
There’s a lot that makes a plastic bottle easy to use. But what happens to a single-use item when a drink is finished? It can become something new again! Follow a plastic bottle as it is melted down and then reshaped into a new bottle. Colorful photos paired with engaging illustrations bring the information to life, and a final quick quiz tests your knowledge before you go.

Life of a Piece of Paper by Louise Nelson Print Book
It’s dandy to draw on a piece of paper. But what happens to that single-use item when you’re finished with it? It can become something new again! Follow a piece of paper as it turns into wet pulp, dries onto huge rolls, and then is made into new paper to be used again.

Life of a Glass Jar by Louise Nelson Print Book
Glass can be great. But what happens to a glass jar when the food is all gone? It can become something new! Follow a glass jar as it is smashed to tiny pieces, melted and shaped into something new, and then reused and recycled all over again.

Sew Sustainable: Make 22+ Stylish Projects to Reuse and Reduce by Jennifer Warren Print Book
Readers will help cut down on waste through reduction and reuse. Inside features several eco-friendly projects including furoshiki wraps (reusable no-sew bags), reusable fabric versions, including “paper towels,” produce bags, snack bags, and more.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle by Nick Rebman Print Book
This book examines how the production of goods and waste affects the environment, as well as ways that people can reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Zero Waste by Allan Drummond Print Book
Kamikatsu, Japan is known worldwide for its sanitation innovations. This small community of 1700 people is leading the way in recycling and up-cycling, and as of 2022, had nearly achieved its goal of zero waste. Told in Allan’s hallmark narrative style, Zero Waste is the story of a group of citizens who dared to break out of their comfort zone and make radical change for the good of their town and the planet.

Green Living

Green Living: a Comprehensive Guide to a Happy and Sustainable Life by Green Matters Print Book
Who says living a green lifestyle has to be a chore? Part reference, part lifestyle–with a dash of inspiration–Green Living is full of approachable, accessible, and easily implemented strategies to quickly and easily bring sustainability into all areas of your life and home.

Epic Homesteading by Kevin Espiritu Print Book
Epic Homesteading is the ultimate guide to starting a modern, high-tech homestead with advice on growing and preserving food, raising chickens and bees, utilizing solar power, harvesting rainwater, and so much more.

Compost Science for Gardeners by Robert Pavlis Print Book
This comprehensive, plain-language, science-based book covers everything from the inputs required to the beneficial impacts on the environment and soil health.

Buildings that Breathe: Greening the World’s Cities by Nancy Castaldo Print Book
Urban planners, architects, and scientists are developing high-rise forests that seek to balance human activity and natural regeneration. Discover how green infrastructure will transform the urban landscape and how we think about our future.

The Green Gardening Handbooks by Nancy Birtwhistle Print Book
Going green in the garden has never been easier with Nancy Birtwhistle’s sustainable, eco-friendly tips that will help you make the most of your space, and what it can grow. Whether you have a sprawling garden, a modest patch of grass or just a spare windowsill, this handbook with over 100 tips will help you embrace the joy of growing and eating from your own garden.

Mothering Earth: the Busy Family’s Guide to Saving the Planet by Julia Rockwell Print Book
Expert author Julia Rockwell provides a road map to simplify and streamline our lives in a way that benefits overall well-being and the health of the planet-all without sacrificing comforts or turning our lives upside down.

About Earth Day and the Earth

Dino-Earth Day by Lisa Wheeler Print Book
What do dinosaurs do on Earth Day? They care for the planet! They ride bikes and scooters, clean up a park, plant an urban garden, visit a recycling center, and more.

Black Beach: A Community, an Oil Spill, and the Origin of Earth Day by Shaunna Stith Print Book
Based on actual events, this picture book tells the story of the first Earth Day through the eyes of a young girl named Sam.

The Day the River Caught Fire: How the Cuyahoga River Exploded and Ignited the Earth Day Movement by Barry Wittenstein Print Book
The true story of how a 1969 fire in one of the most polluted rivers in America helped foster awareness of water pollution and how the river’s fate contributed to the environmental movement.

La Tierra Tiene Ciclos by Christian Lopetz Print Book
Earth has many natural cycles. Day and night repeat over and over again. Seasons happen year after year. Even plants and animals have cycles. This book helps young readers understand how our life cycle and Earth’s cycles work together. Book is in Spanish

Green: the Story of Plant Life on Our Planet by Nicola Davies Print Book
Take a lively look at the biology of plants on Earth and their vast importance to our planet, with this wide-ranging exploration from an award-winning team.

You can learn more about green living with the City of Plano’s Sustainability and Environmental Education division (SEED). This group teaches classes year-round, including at the library, covering topics about waste, recycling and gardening. Here are some of their upcoming workshops:

Vegetable Gardening for North Central Texas – May 11, 2024 at Haggard Library at 3pm – Adults
Recycling Game – June 1, 2024 at Schimelpfenig Library from 10am-12pm – All ages
Don’t Toss It, Compost It! – June 1, 2024 at Parr Library from 2-4pm – All ages
Success with Seeds – June 20, 2024 at Schimelpfenig Library from 6:30-8pm – Adults
Water-Wise Gardening – August 15 at Parr Library at 6:30pm – Adults

Previously recorded virtual workshops are available on the library’s YouTube channel.