Primary tabs
You don't need to be an ALA Member to purchase from the ALA Store, but you'll be asked to create an online account/profile during checkout to proceed. This Web Account is for both Members and non-Members. Note that your ALA Member discount will be applied at the final step of the checkout process.
If you are Tax-Exempt, please verify that your account is currently set up as exempt before placing your order, as our new fulfillment center will need current documentation. Learn how to verify here.
- Description
- Table of Contents
- About the authors
With an emphasis on nurturing curiosity, action, and community-building, this book's rich assortment of sustainability- and climate justice-centered programs helps school and public librarians and educators move beyond simply providing information to becoming catalysts for empowerment—supporting young people as they cope, connect, and take meaningful climate action.
Sustainability, one of the Core Values of Librarianship, is spurring libraries to lead the way in guiding their communities towards climate action. However, because people’s lives are affected every day by the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters, engaging with the impacts of climate change can be an isolating and difficult experience for adults and youth alike. This hands-on guide offers a solution to cool down eco-anxiety by transforming it into a force for engagement and hope. Through programming that centers agency and belonging, librarians and educators can reframe the negative impacts of eco-anxiety into positive goals designed to inspire young people towards climate action.
Presenting 60 research-based ideas and supporting resources designed to promote collaboration and partnership, the authors walk readers through concrete, adaptable steps to impactfully integrate climate action into programming regardless of a library's size or budget. This book
- grounds its approach in the “triple bottom line” framework of sustainability used by ALA and the Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI) while also aligning with the six Shared Foundations of the AASL Standards;
- directly addresses the emotional realities of eco-anxiety such as apathy, fear, and isolation by offering strategies that foster connection and resilience;
- shows librarians and educators how to help K-12 learners develop the mindset, skills, and knowledge required to become climate-actionable;
- provides primary and secondary school library lessons, children and young adult public library programs, and collaborative programs for all ages that are geared towards curiosity, agency, community, and real-world impact; and
- includes book lists, information about activists and organizations, and links to additional resources.
Preface: Cultivating Common Ground
Introduction: What is Eco-Anxiety?
Chapter 1: Battle Apathy Through Curiosity
School Library Lessons and Programming
Primary School Library Lessons
Minecraft Education Challenge
Rube Goldberg Design Challenge
Wonder Stations
Understanding Through Images
Secondary School Library Lessons
Sustainability Scavenger Hunt
Eco-Solution Pitch
Building for Equity
Sustainable Solutions Dice
Public Library Programs
Children’s Programs
Upcycled Field Journal
Color Wheel Scavenger Hunt
Sustainable Art Night
Bug Off!
Young Adult Programs
Eat This Book
Citizen Scientist
Follow That Shirt!
Climate Change Around the World
School Library-Public Library Collaborative Opportunities
Science: It’s Alive!!
Collaborative Coding
Tech Take Apart Day
Together We Read
Chapter 2: Directing Anxiety into Action
School Library Lessons and Programming
Primary School Library Lessons
The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
Mindful Time Capsule
Misinformation Marble Run
Earth Heroes Video Production
Secondary School Library Lessons
Birds Aren’t Real
Ethical Technology Audit
Survival Island
Spot the Bad News
Public Library Programs
Children’s Programs
Bee Highway
Sustainable Stations
Favorite Lies
Climate Action Challenge
Young Adult Programs
Werewolves in the Library
Climate Action Group
Living Off the Land
Reality Check
School Library-Public Library Collaborative Opportunities
Becoming Media Literate
National Park Road Trip
The Great Debates
Our Evolving Community
Chapter 3: Mitigating Isolation Through Community Connections
School Library Lessons and Programming
Primary School Library Lessons
Human Knot
Building Perspectives
Same Story, Different Lens
Our Shared Table: A Community Recipe Book
Secondary School Library Lessons
Climate Action Escape Room
Global Connections
Upcycle Fashion Show
Empathy in Innovation
Public Library Programs
Children’s Programs
Teamwork Extravaganza
Eco Pen Pals
Blingo
Sustainable Superheroes
Young Adult Programs
Improv Class
Community Craftivism
Climate Stories Project
Emergency Preparedness for Everyone
School Library-Public Library Collaborative Opportunities
Collaborative Art
Tradition of Generosity
“The Next Step” Community Event
Mic Drop for the Planet
Conclusion: Reframing Eco-Anxiety
Appendix: Resources & Recommendations
Works Cited