First held on April 22, 1970, Earth Day has become a time to reflect on humanity’s relationship with our planet and to take actions to protect the only home we have.
“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." - Native American Proverb
Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years, DB104934, by Stacy McAnulty
The author presents key moments in the planet's life, from its formation more than four billion years ago to the present, including the Earth's position in the solar system, its layers, and when plants and animals began to inhabit the planet. For grades K-3. 2017.
The EARTH Book, DB079690, by Todd Parr
Illustrates how children can help protect the Earth and make it a better place. For grades K-3. 2010.
Our Planet! There's No Place Like Earth, DB107562 and BR 24408, by Stacy McAnulty
Earth is home to all the plants and animals in the solar system, including eight billion people. Humans have accidentally moved Earth's climate change into the fast lane, and Earth describes how people can help put on the brakes. For grades K-3. 2022.
Gaylord Nelson: a day for the earth, BR09440, by Jeffrey Shulman and Teresa Rogers
Gaylord Nelson devoted his career to speaking out about the need to preserve natural resources, the dangers of pollution, and the plight of endangered species. As a U.S. senator he promoted the idea of a national day to teach people about the environment--an Earth Day. The first Earth Day, April 22, 1970, may have been the largest demonstration in U.S. history. For grades 3-6 and older readers. 1994.
Hey There, Earth Dweller! Dive into this World We Call Earth, DB098267, by Marc Ter Horst and Laura Watkinson
A quick overview about how our planet was formed, its composition, and how it continues to evolve. Includes discussion on climate change and Earth dwellers. Translated from the 2014 Dutch edition. For grades 4-7. 2014.
Protecting the Planet: Environmental Activism, BR019060, by Pamela Dell
Discusses effects of climate change and describes what governments are doing to protect the earth and its inhabitants--both people and animals. Explains actions individuals can take to conserve resources. Uncontracted braille. For grades 5-8 and older readers. 2010.
Taking on the plastics crisis, DB127203, by Hannah Testa
In this personal, moving essay, youth activist Hannah Testa shares with readers how she led a grassroots political campaign to successfully pass state legislation limiting single-use plastics and how she influenced global businesses to adopt more sustainable practices. Through her personal journey, readers can learn how they, too, can follow in Hannah's footsteps and lower their carbon footprint by simply refusing single-use plastics. Unrated. For junior and senior high readers. 2025.
No one is too Small to make a Difference, DB097476, by Greta Thunberg
Collection of speeches made by Swedish teenager and environmental activist, Greta Thunberg. Speeches made in 2018 and 2019 at the United Nations, the United States Capitol, and at street protests call for urgently addressing and fighting climate change. 2019.
Here on Earth: A Natural History of the Planet, DBC02907 and BR019363, by Tim F. Flannery
Biography of our species and the evolution of the planet. Examines the Medea hypothesis, which proposes species left unchecked will destroy their ecosystems, and the Gaia hypothesis, which asserts the Earth is a self-regulating system. Argues that humans can prevent environmental exploitation through cooperative, sustainable behavior. 2010.
American earth: Environmental Writing since Thoreau, DB080262, edited by Bill McKibben; foreword by Al Gore
Anthology of the most significant American environmental writings of the last two centuries, including works by Thoreau, Muir, Burroughs, Carson, and more. Covers topics such as overpopulation, consumerism, energy policy, and endangered habitats. Provides a detailed chronology of American environmental history and the environmental movement. 2008.
Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis, BR018812 and DB070703, by Al Gore
In this follow-up to An Inconvenient Truth (BR17455 & DB67444), the former vice president evaluates alternative energy sources--solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear--and offers suggestions for conserving power and reducing humans' impact on the earth. 2009.
Living on Earth: forests, corals, consciousness, and the making of the world, DB124034, by Peter Godfrey-Smith
The author takes us on a grand tour of the history of life on earth. He visits Rwandan gorillas and Australian bowerbirds, returns to coral reefs and octopus dens, considers the impact of language and writing, and weighs the responsibilities our unique powers bring with them, as they relate to factory farming, habitat preservation, climate change, and the use of animals in experiments. Ranging from the seas to the forests, and from animate matter’s first appearance to its future extinction, Godfrey-Smith offers a novel picture of the course of life on Earth and how we might meet the challenges of our time, the Anthropocene. 2024.
Fen, bog & swamp: a short history of peatland destruction and its role in the climate crisis, DB118358, by Annie Proulx
A lifelong acolyte of the natural world, Annie Proulx brings her witness and research to the subject of wetlands and the vitally important role they play in preserving the environment-by storing the carbon emissions that accelerate climate change. Fens, bogs, swamps, and marine estuaries are crucial to the earth's survival, and in four illuminating parts, Proulx documents their systemic destruction in pursuit of profit. 2022.
Mycelium running: how mushrooms can help save the world, DB117322, by Paul Stamets
A manual for the mycological rescue of the planet. That's right: growing more mushrooms may be the best thing we can do to save the environment, and in this groundbreaking text you’ll find chapters detailing each of the four exciting branches of what Stamets has coined “mycorestoration,” as well as chapters on the medicinal and nutritional properties of mushrooms, inoculation methods, log and stump culture, and species selection for various environmental purposes. Heavily referenced and beautifully illustrated, this book is destined to be a classic reference for bemushroomed generations to come. 2024.