I, like many other house-bound folks during quarantine, have promised myself that I want to spend time doing something OTHER than Netflix: work out, maybe even start baking bread? One thing that’s definitely on the list is reading. For transparency sake, reading also made an appearance on my ‘new year resolution’ list, but trust me – this time, it’s different. 

We’ve compiled a list of environmental must-reads. Some are fiction, some are fact, but all of them are fantastic. We’ve even included a few selections for kids, for the parents who are learning how to homeschool their kids for the first time. 

Braiding Sweetgrass:

Robin Wall Kimmerer (Author)

Robin Wall Kimmerer, a botanist and  member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, shares her knowledge as an indigenous scientist through her new book covering topics like ecological knowledge and teachings that can be found through plants. In Braiding Sweetgrass, she emphasizes how plants and animals are our oldest teachers, and the traditional wisdom we can learn from them. 

 

On Fire: The (Burning) Case for the Green New Deal

Naomi Klein (Author)

 Naomi Klein, a New York Times bestselling author, has delivered thought provoking insights in her previous books, The Shock Doctrine and This Changes Everything. Her new book, On Fire, makes the case for a Green New Deal—explaining how bold climate action can be a blueprint for a just and thriving society. Delving into a variety of topics like “the clash between ecological time and our culture of “perpetual now,” rising white supremacy and fortressed borders as a form of “climate barbarism,” this is a rousing call to action for a planet on the brink.” On Fire captures the burning urgency of the climate crisis, as well as the fiery energy of a rising political movement demanding a catalytic Green New Deal.

 

New York 2140 

Kim Stanley (Author)

This climate fiction book is mostly set in a fictional future New York City, which has been flooded by two major rises in seawater levels caused by climate change. Most of New York City is permanently underwater, however, people still live in the upper floors of the buildings, much like in the Venice of today. The novel is critical of capitalism, unregulated financial systems, and market economies. Take a look at this futuristic prediction of what will happen to our beloved NYC.  

 

Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don’t Know You Have 

Tatiana Schlossberg (Author)

Tatiana Schlossberg, a former New York Times science writer, launches an urgent call to action that will empower you to stand up to climate change and environmental pollution through simple but impactful everyday choices. “By examining the unseen and unconscious environmental impacts in four distinct areas-the Internet and technology, food, fashion, and fuel – Schlossberg helps readers better understand why climate change is such a complicated issue, and how it connects all of us: How streaming a movie on Netflix in New York burns coal in Virginia; how eating a hamburger in California might contribute to pollution in the Gulf of Mexico; how buying an inexpensive cashmere sweater in Chicago expands the Mongolian desert; how destroying forests from North Carolina is necessary to generate electricity in England.” 

 

Drawdown 20 Review: Free! 

Project Drawdown conducts an ongoing review and analysis of climate solutions—the practices and technologies that can stem and begin to reduce the excess of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere—to provide the world with a current and robust resource. The publication of the best-selling book Drawdown was the organisation’s inaugural body of work on climate solutions.

This Review represents the organisation’s second seminal publication and the first major update to their assessment of solutions to move the world toward “Drawdown”—the future point in time when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline. The solutions in these pages are a synthesis of collective wisdom and collective action unfolding around the globe.

 

Children’s book: 

Not For Me Please. I Choose to Act Green! 

Maria Godsey (Author), Christoph Kellner (Illustrator)

Join Luke on his journey to protect what he loves with this engaging children’s picture book about sustainability and acting green.  After noticing the damage caused to the environment and animals due to trash and waste, Luke decides to take action. He believes he can have a big impact on the world around him and invites his readers to join him! Interesting facts, definitions, and statistics can be found in ‘info’ boxes throughout the book. 

 

Follow the Moon Home: A Tale of One Idea, Twenty Kids, and a Hundred Sea Turtles  Philippe Cousteau (Author), Deborah Hopkinson  (Author), Meilo So (Illustrator)

In a story documenting how kids can change the world through teamwork and perseverance, the authors deliver an eloquent environmental message. By showing the multiple channels that the students work through to raise awareness (posters, fliers, bake sales, a town meeting, the local newspaper, and the Internet), the authors expose readers to accessible, affordable ways to raise issue awareness in communities. Illustrations filled with lovely and bright watercolor chronicle each stage of the children’s cause.This collaboration provides an excellent example of how kids can make a difference through careful research, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

 

Seeds of Change: Planting a Pathway to Peace 

Jen Cullerton Johnson (Author), Sonia Lynn Sadler (Illustrator)

 This beautifully illustrated book details the life of the famous Kenyan environmental activist, Wangarĩ Maathai, who was the first African woman, and environmentalist, to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Engaging narrative and vibrant images paint a robust portrait of this inspiring champion of the land and of women’s rights.