Taking the time to educate ourselves about the world around us is always a good idea and finding an entertaining book that accomplishes that goal is priceless. In the words of Dr. Seuss, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Here are 5 favorite environmental reads for all ages to get you started.
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Silent Spring by Rachel Carson should be at the top of any environmental must-read book list. Originally published in 1962, this wonderfully written cautionary tale is just as relevant today as it was almost 60 years ago. In her book, Carson calls for us to “act responsibly, carefully, and as stewards of the living earth.”
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Don’t Let Them Disappear by Chelsea Clinton is a beautiful children’s book about the animals we share our planet with and how we can help them survive. “Did you know that blue whales are the largest animals in the world? Or that sea otters wash their paws after every meal? The world is filled with millions of animal species, and all of them are unique and special. Many are on the path to extinction.” This book “talks about rhinos, tigers, whales, pandas and more, and provides helpful tips on what we all can do to help prevent these animals from disappearing from our world entirely.”
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Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by Michael Braungart (German chemist) and William McDonough (U.S. architect) takes a look at a way of designing things that is smart, simple and doesn’t take a toll on our planet. “Elaborating their principles from experience (re)designing everything from carpeting to corporate campuses, William McDonough and Michael Braungart make an exciting and viable case for change.”
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This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate by Naomi Klein is an important book (which has also been made into a documentary) that “exposes the myths that are clouding the climate debate. We have been told the market will save us, when in fact the addiction to profit and growth is digging us in deeper every day. We have been told it’s impossible to get off fossil fuels when in fact we know exactly how to do it—it just requires breaking every rule in the ‘free-market’ playbook: reining in corporate power, rebuilding local economies, and reclaiming our democracies.”
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The Lorax by Dr. Seuss is a wonderful way to expose kids of all ages to the notion that we are all interconnected. When something is done to one part of our ecosystem it impacts all of it. This classic teaches “not only about the importance of seeing the beauty in the world around us, but also about our responsibility to protect it.”
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.
