How Green Is My Library

Happy Earth Day @ Your Library!

2010-04-22T15:16:00.004-04:00

Check out these great green reads at your Charleston County Public Library!

Children

*J O' Connor - Fancy Nancy: Every Day Is Earth Day by Jane O'Connor

J 333.9542 Forier - Endangered Animals by Elise Forier (We Both Read Beginning Reader Series)

J 363.7 Mckay - True Green: 100 Things You Can Do To Save the Planet by Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin

J 363.7392 Sechrist - Air Pollution by Darren Sechrist (Saving Our World Series)

J 363.73874 Rockwell - Why Are All the Ice Caps Melting? The Dangers of Global Warming by Anne Rockwell

Teens

Y Greenwald - My Life in Pink and Green by Lisa Greenwald

Y Hiaasen - Scat by Carl Hiaasen

Y 333.72 Sivertsen - Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life by Linda Sivertsen

Y 597.92 Hickman - Turtle Rescue by Pamela Hickman (Firefly Animal Rescues Series)

Adults

261.88 Gottlieb - A Greener Faith: Religious Environmentalism and Our Planet's Future by Roger Gottlieb

333.7 Goleman - Ecological Intelligence: How Knowing the Hidden Impacts of What We Buy Can Change Everything by Daniel Goleman

363.7 Humes - Eco Barons: The Dreamers, Schemers, and Millionaires Who Are Saving Our Planet by Edward Humes

635.0484 Lovejoy - Ann Lovejoy's Organic Garden Design School: A Guide to Creating Your Own Beautiful, Easy-Care Garden by Ann Lovejoy

Coming Soon - Do One Green Thing: Save the Earth Through Simple Everyday Choices by Mindy Pennybacker

Help Close the Loop: Upcycling = (Recycle + Reuse + Reduce) x DIY

2009-12-05T12:09:00.012-05:00

646.4 Rannels - Sew Subversive

To "upcycle" means to reuse recycled materials in such a way that they retain or increase in value according the Sustainablity Dictionary. Using recycled materials for crafting or to create useful items for the home is a popular way for indivduals to practice upcycling.

Check out these upcycling links for cool ideas for projects, crafts, and more that can help you make this holiday season and all year round a little greener.

Gardening

our.windowfarms.org - A nonprofit organization supporting growing edible plants indoors in urban areas using recycled water bottles. - Here's My Farm

sustainablog - Six Creative Upcycling Projects

yougrowgirl - Make Your Own Pop Bottle Drip Irrigation System

Decorative Art/Gifts/Clothe

Upcycle Art

Crafting a Green World - Girl Reconstructed: Upcycling Old Clothes

Hippy Shopper - The Art of Upcycling: Junky Jewelry For Spring

EcoSalon - Green Your Junk: 16 Creative Ways to Upcycle Before You Recycle

More upcycling inspiration from the CCPL catalog!

J Chapman - Making Art With Fabric by Gillian Chapman

J Ross - Earth-friendly Crafts: Clever Ways to Reuse Everyday Items by Kathy Ross

J Monaghan - Organic Crafts: 75 Earth-friendly Art Activities by Kimberly Monaghan

NEW!!! (On Order) Make Your Own Purses and Bags by Anna-Marie D'Cruz

646.4 Rannels - Sew Subversive: Down and Dirty DIY For the Fabulous Fashionista by Melissa Rannels

Sunday, September 27th, 2009: South Carolina Green Fair in Marion Square

2009-09-24T19:07:00.004-04:00

Check out the CCPL table at the 2009 South Carolina Green Fair this Sunday, September 27th, 2009 at Marion Square! Visit the Green Fair website for all the details at http://www.charlestongreenfair.com/.

Close to Home: Charleston International Airport Recycling Program Takes Off!

2009-08-10T15:12:00.007-04:00

Charleston Internation Airport became a Lowcountry environmental business leader in July 2009 when they kicked off a recycling program. Click here to read the Post and Courier article about this exciting initiative!

WCIV News Story

For more travel info for planning that special getaway or to find out more ways to have a great staycation check out CCPL's collection of travel books. Click the links below to see a selection of these resources.
Ecotourism

Travel and Guidebooks

Frommer's Travel Guides

Lonely Planet

South Carolina Travel

Charleston Travel

*Picture from http://www.wciv.com/news/stories/0709/640724.html. Accessed 8/10/09

Go Local

2009-07-10T11:52:00.005-04:00

Charleston County Public Library's Websites of the Week offers some great links for info on local and organic food. CLICK HERE to check it out!

There is also a movement here in Charleston to encourage locals to buy goods and services from locally owned businesses called the Lowcountry Local First (CLICK for Charleston City Paper Article) (CLICK for Post and Courier Article). Lowcountry Local First is starting a grassroots movement called the 10 Percent Shift to get consumers in the Charleston area to buy at least 10 percent of their purchases from local businesses. Doing business locally has positive environmental impact because it reduces transportation costs and helps the local economy by creating more jobs here in the Lowcountry.*

CLICK here to visit Lowcountry Local First's website at http://www.lowcountrylocalfirst.org/.

*For help with job seeking, career building tips, money management tools, and information about local economic resources like social service agencies, CLICK HERE to check out CCPL's new Recession Resources page.

Close to Home: Charleston Battery Soccer = Environmentally Conscious Fun!

2009-06-17T12:09:00.012-04:00

The Charleston Battery soccer team's efforts to make their organization and facilities at Blackbaud Stadium more environmentally friendly made their website the "Website of the Week" for June 17th, 2009, on South Carolina Educational Radio's Business Review.
Click the link below to read about the changes the team made in this interview with Tony Bakker, the Battery's CEO and majority owner, on the Go Green Charleston website or click here to read about solar power usage in Blackbaud stadium from the Post and Courier.

http://www.gogreencharleston.org/2008/01/22/tony-bakker-from-the-charleston-battery/

Checkout their website at www.charlestonbattery.com! The Charleston Battery is one of the many generous sponsors of Charleston County Public Library's 2009 Summer Reading Program. CLICK HERE for more info on ALL-AGES Summer Reading fun and prizes at CCPL!

Learn more at CCPL! CLICK HERE for books on the subject, "environmentalism", from the CCPL catalog! CLICK HERE for books on the subject, "soccer", from the CCPL catalog!

Great Earth Day Links From CCPL's Website of the Week!

2009-04-13T12:41:00.003-04:00

CLICK HERE to check out CCPL's Websites of the Week for April 12th through 18th; they're all about Earth Day!

Click here to see all of CCPL's Websites of the Week!

April 18th, 2009 - Check Out CCPL at the Charleston County Recycling's Earth Day Celebration at Park Circle

2009-04-05T15:45:00.000-04:00

Charleston County Recycling is hosting another Earth Day celebration at Park Circle in North Charleston on Saturday, April 18th, from 11 AM to 3 PM. Stop by the Charleston County Public Library for crafty fun or just to say, "Hi!".

Earth Hour Is Tonight: 8:30 to 9:30 PM

2009-03-28T13:10:00.008-04:00

Earth Hour is a worldwide event sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund to highlight the impact of energy consumption on global warming. To participate turn off your lights from 8:30 to 9:30 PM tonight.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ON Earth Hour 2009!

Earth Hour on Flickr

Carrotmob Charleston on April 11th: Social Networking Consumers with a Green Twist

2009-03-25T14:38:00.005-04:00

Green Drinks Charleston, a local social organization that brings like-minded, environmentally-oriented folks together, is bringing Carrotmob to Charleston. Carrotmob, which has chapters across the US and internationally, tries to identify green businesses and then reward the one selected as the most environmentally conscious by encouraging its membership to go to that business on a chosen day and shop or dine.

Carrotmob is planning an event locally on April 11th. Visit the Carrotmob Charleston site at http://carrotmobcharleston.blogspot.com

Is "Smart" the New "Green"?

2009-01-21T12:50:00.010-05:00

Read and recycle: get a book at a Friends of the Library "That BIG Book Sale"!

"Smart" is a word that is frequently used to describe devices that are energy saving and/or environmentally friendly, like the Smart Car or the "smartgrid". Like the food labeling term, "light" in the early 1990's, the term, "smart" may be used somewhat loosely to suit the purposes of advertisers so, as always, remember that old chestnut, "Let the buyer beware."

Public libraries are "smart" because they save library patrons lots of money by providing free access to a wonderful array of informational and entertainment resources. Public libraries are "green" because they help communities "reduce" consumption and instead "recycle" and "reuse" library materials.

The Friends of the Library also practice the three "Rs" by collecting unwanted books from generous donators and then reselling them to the public at awesome booksales at the CCPL Regional libraries and at two BIG booksales (www.thatBIGbooksale.com) each year.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY!

Sustainable Eating: Something Old, Something New

2009-01-08T15:34:00.019-05:00

One of the issues that crops up frequently in environmentally-conscious media is the subject of sustainable eating. This means factoring in environmental impact when making dietary choices along with the usual determinents of price, quality, convenience, etc. The seminal 1970's classic on this subject is Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe'. Current environmental issues have revived the topics of sustainable eating and socially conscious consumption.

Check out these websites to explore sustainablity options or get ideas for making this part of your "green routine"!

***Cooking Up A Story -

This is a cooking blog that is accompanied by a cooking show, which is broadcast on Youtube and Hulu. Cooking Up a Story was featured on NPR.

The Blog - http://cookingupastory.com/

***Cooking With Clara

Go "old school" Slow Food and watch Cooking With Clara: Depression Era Cooking on Youtube! Ms. Clara, a 91 year-old cook's, show was featured on NPR.

***The Sierra Club's True Cost of Food - http://www.truecostoffood.org/truecostoffood/

***Selections from the Librarians Internet Index - http://lii.org/pub/subtopic/6050

Confessions of an Eco Sinner by Fred Pearce

CCPL Selections on Sustainable Living

179.1 Lappe' - Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe' and Anna Lappe'

Subject - Sustainable Living

The SLOW FOOD MOVEMENT - CLICK HERE FOR CCPL SELECTIONS ON the Slow Food Movement.

Leave No Trace at Charleston County Parks!

2008-12-23T15:41:00.009-05:00

Charleston County Parks and Recreation is a member of Leave No Trace: Center For Outdoor Ethics, a non-profit organization which, according to its website, is "an educational, nonprofit organization dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and active stewardship of the outdoors by all people, worldwide."
Click here to visit the Charleston County Parks and Recreation website!

Save a tree and use the online version of the CCPRC events quarterly instead of using a print copy. Click here to read the CCPRC quarterly!

Check out these great kids books from the CCPL catalog about exploring the great outdoors!

Camp Out!: The Ultimate Kids Guide, From the Backyard to the Big Woods by Lynn Brunelle

This is Daniel Cook On a Hike (based on the TV series, This Is Daniel Cook)

Outdoor Authors

Jim Arnosky

Jean Craighead George

Gary Paulsen

Roger Tory Peterson

New Outdoor Sports Series for Kids!

*Ultimate Thrill Sports

*Adventures Outdoors

*Outdoor Adventures

***New Year, New, Greener You

2008-12-17T14:38:00.022-05:00

Big Green Purse by Diane McEachern

The New Year is a good time to start practicing the 3 "R's"; recycle, reduce, and reuse.

Already in the "green" swing? Check out these random tips and resources to up your game!

For even more ideas, check out this blogger's 52 Green Resolutions for 2009!

**GREEN YOUR COMMUTE: Thinking Outside of Your Ride

Carpooling. Is carpooling an option for you? Check out Carolina Commuter, a website devoted to greening South Carolina workers' commutes by promoting carpooling. Carolina Commuter, which was featured on the SC Educational Radio program, SC Business Review (12/17/08), offers an online social-networking venue for Charleston area workers to connect with potential carpool buddies. The site is free for individuals to use and is also available to individual businesses and organizations wanting to promote carpooling within their company workforces for a fee.

Biking to work. Can you live without a car? One local woman is not afraid to try. Check out http://livingcar-free.blogspot.com/ to follow the car-free adventures of "Nikki", a Charleston resident, who uses her bike to get around town.

Bus-riding. CARTA (Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority) offers great savings and options for Charleston area bus riders. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ON CARTA!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE OF CHARLESTON MOVES, A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION PROMOTING WALKING, RUNNING, BIKING, AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN THE LOWCOUNTRY!

The Green Book by Elizabeth Rogers

**WORKPLACE/SCHOOL

B(ring) Y(our) O(wn) _____ : fill in the blanks with anything that replaces a typically disposable item that you would use at work like eating utensils, dishes, coffee cups, water bottles, or drinking glasses, cloth napkins, etc.

BYO lunch in reusable containers and avoid driving off-site ot eat out.

Turn off equipment, lights, computers, etc, whenever possible.

Reduce waste and printing cost by maximizing the use of electronic communications and paperwork.

Reduce waste and pollutants by using nontoxic cleaners around the office like vinegar, non-clorine cleansers, etc.

Recycle office waste - paper, printer cartridges, etc.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE GREEN WORKPLACE TIPS FROM PLANET GREEN.

**EATING OUT

Reduce paper, plastic, and styrofoam waste by eating on-site at restaurants that use reusable dishes and utensils.

Don't be shy about bringing your own stuff to reduce waste.

BYO eating utensils and decline plastic cutlery.

BYO drink or bottle water and avoid ordering drinks in styrofoam or plastic cups. If you purchase a drink, order a smaller size in a paper cup if available.

BYO bag to put your carry-out food in.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE GREEN DINING TIPS FROM THE GREEN PARENT!

The Green Home by Philip Schmidt

**HEARTH AND HOME

Put on a cozy sweater and turn down the thermostat.

Reduce waste and energy by making your own "convenience meals" by dividing casseroles into reusable containers and microwaving individual servings at mealtime. This saves packaging waste and microwaves are more energy efficient (and quicker) for reheating food than stoves.

Recycle. CLICK HERE FOR RECYCLING INFO FROM CHARLESTON COUNTY WASTE AND RECYCLING!

Compost vegetable waste. READ ABOUT ADVENTURES IN COMPOSTING FROM GO GREEN CHARLESTON!

MUSC USES WORMS! CLICK FOR MORE INFO ON MUSC'S RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING AND MUSC'S "VERMICOMPOSTING" TIPS.

Create your own mulch by raking leaves around the bushes and trees in your yard rather than bagging them up or burning them.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE TIPS ON GREENING YOUR YARD FROM EARTH911.

**GREEN LEISURE

Get out and visit a Charleston County Parks and Recreation or other Lowcountry area park for outdoor fun and exercise! CLICK HERE FOR CHARLESTON COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION!

Let Charleston County Public Library be your home entertainment provider! Libraries are naturally a green, shared resource. Why buy when you can borrow from CCPL? Click here to see posts on ways to make using the library part of your greener lifestyle!

Happy New Year!

KS/STA

Holiday Cheer @ Your Library!

2008-12-02T12:16:00.012-05:00

Greening up your holiday can also save you a bundle! Recycling and reusing what you have doesn't have to cost a thing. Reducing things like wrapping paper and other waste is another great way to keep your budget on track and is one of the hottest suggestions on environmental holiday tip lists.

Check out some of these great books and websites to find a number of ways you can make this year's celebration special, budget-friendly, and environmentally conscious!

Books from the CCPL Collection

A Greener Christmas by Sheherazade Goldsmith

Sew It For Christmas by Barbara Weiland

Christmas Doughcrafts by Elisabeth Bang

Organic Crafts by Kimberly Monaghan

Earth Friendly Holidays: How to Make Fabulous Gifts and Decorations From Reusable Objects by George Pfiffner

Earth-Friendly Crafts for Kids: 50 Awesome Things to Make With Recycled Stuff by Heather Smith

Holiday Tips from Environmental Websites

SC Department of Health and Environmental Control

The Sierra Club

The Environmental Defense Fund

Treehugger

The Environmental Protection Agency

Radio, Radio: Living On Earth and More

2008-10-04T13:18:00.009-04:00

Environmental news is a hot topic with new discoveries being published all the time. If you are hungry for some audio, tune in to quality programs on your radio or listen to an online broadcast or download a podcast and take your news on the go.

The Environmental News Network (ENN) is a long-running online news source and a great way to find fresh stories.
The Society of Environmental Journalists includes radio, online, and print journalists who cover environmental issues. Learn more about environmenal journalism or find a journalist that covers the kind of stories that you want to hear.
Public radio has some great environmental programming. One of the best shows is Public Radio International (PRI)'s program, Living on Earth, which offers podcasts of its show.
National Public Radio (NPR) has a page with links to all its environmental news.

Good Dirt Radio "reports inspiring stories about people helping to solve environmental challenges affecting life on Earth."
Local/regional radio shows are another source of environmental news. The Allegany Front covers Western Pennsylvannia.

Charleston Green Fair

2008-09-08T09:22:00.002-04:00

Here is the Green Fair Press release (9/8/08) with all the info about the Fair and how it is trying to be "green" in deed as well as name!

The experience of smelling and tasting new foods, being prepared right before your eyes, is one of the main attractions of any large festival. And it will be no different for the Charleston Green Fair, coming to Marion Square on Sunday, September 28. What will be different about this event, is that you won't see all that leftover food and disposable ware overflowing trash receptacles and bound for the landfill.

So how does a fair make itself "green" while still offering delicious food? One of the ways is by composting. Local co-sponsor EverGreen Concepts will supply all food service vendors with compostable foodware made from a by-product of sugar mills. Unlike plastic, paper or styrofoam, these Enviroware containers, utensils, napkins and straws are made from a readily renewable resource and are 100% compostable. They will be mixed with food waste and composted on site. In conjunction with recycling at their resource recovery stations, Charleston Green Fair aims to divert from the landfill a minimum of 85% of the waste generated at this event.

Other ways of "greening" the fair include encouraging food vendors to be eco-conscious with all materials they bring in and to feature food that is prepared with local ingredients, eliminating the cost and energy inherent in packaging, handling and shipping. Vendors such as Aluette's Café, The Glass Onion, Home Team BBQ, Monza and Taco Boy will all be there with the freshest of foods to tantalize your taste buds. So bring your family and your appetites, and join us at the Charleston Green Fair on September 28!

Don't Miss Charleston Green Fair!

Sunday, September 28th 12-6pm at Marion Square

What Is A Green Event?

Charleston Green Fair Shows How!

75+ Vendors and Exhibits

Interactive Demonstrations

Kid's Area with Rock Climbing Wall

Beer and Wine Garden

Delicious Local and Sustainable Food

Speakers and Musicians Throughout the Day

Oh yeah, admission is FREE!

Check out our website for more info...

Sunday, September 28th: Charleston Green Fair

2008-09-03T13:43:00.000-04:00

Join Charleston County Public Library at the Charleston Green Fair on Sunday, September 28th, 2008 for some environmentally-friendly fun! The Charleston Green Fair will be held at Marion Square in downtown Charleston (corner of Calhoun and King Streets) from 1 PM to 6 PM. There will be live music, exhibits, and children's area with lots of fun activities for the kids!

The CCPL booth will be located in the children's area of the festival and will feature storytime read-alouds, displays of environmental books for kids and adults from the library's collection, library card sign-up (September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month), and more! Stop by and say hello and see just how green our library is!

Mayor Riley endorses the Charleston Green Fair!

KS/STA

Green Theme Flicks

2008-08-20T12:58:00.016-04:00

Wall E is the latest hot, environmental feature film. Check out some of these other great titles on DVD from the CCPL collection!

For Kids (DVD J)
Ferngully
Arctic Tale
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Hoot

For Adults (DVD)
Soylent Green
Logan's Run
The China Syndrome
Silent Running
The Day After Tomorrow
Zardoz
Waterworld
March of the Penguins
Erin Brockovich

KS/STA

More Green Goodness From CCPL!

2008-08-06T09:43:00.000-04:00

***Brown Bag It!

Charleston County Public Library now offers patrons Earth-friendly paper bags to use to transport their library materials from the library to home and back!

***Two Ways to Save Gas: Placing Holds and Returning Items to the Branch Nearest You

Be sure to use one of the most energy-saving services the library offers: our book shipment services. Place a hold for any library item at any library branch and have that item sent from any branch to the branch closest to you! When you return library materials, return them to the closest branch and let the CCPL book truck take them back to their home branch. CLICK HERE FOR CCPL LOCATION INFO.

KS/STA

Locavores: Think Globally and Eat Locally

2008-05-30T14:23:00.000-04:00

A "Locavore" is a person who makes a lifestyle commitment to eating high-quality local food whenever possible. "Locavore" is also the name of a San Francisco-based website that founded this movement, which is very similar to the older Slow Food movement.

Click here for locavore links!

Click here for Slow Food links!

KS/STA

Paperless News

2008-05-30T10:31:00.001-04:00

Newspapers are going electronic. This requires reformatting and rethinking the medium in order to compete in the online environment. Increasing use of social networking/web 2.0 technologies, staff downsizing, and evaluating ways of generating online revenue streams in the face of fierce competition are among the strategies used by newspaper publishers as they struggle to survive.

Social networking/web 2.0 technologies used include podcasting, blog-like formats, and social-networking in the form of commenting. Suscribers become users and newspapers become interactive in this brave new world of journalism.

The internet provides users with incredibly easy access to up-to-the-minute national and world news because of the proliferation of news media content providers like Google, Yahoo, and CNN. Becoming a provider of more detailed local news appears to be one of the most promising niches for newspapers to fill.

Click here for Charleston newspapers online.

Click for SC Newspapers online.

Click here for links to newspapers online.

Magazines are also going digital. Some magazines, like Salon and Slate, exist only on the internet. Ezines (online magazines) range from slick counterparts to print publications to solo blog journals.

Click here for ezine (online magazine and newspapers) links.

Reading news and magazines online is environmentally-friendly and economically sound because it saves money and creates less waste. Still want to read print copies? Visit the Periodicals section of any branch of the Charleston County Public Library and enjoy free access to some of the most popular magazines and most respected newspapers in print. Using library materials instead of purchasing individual items is always a greener choice!

CCPL's electronic resources also offer access to periodicals from around the world including Grolier's World Newspapers, Newsbank, Sirs Knowledge Source, and General Onefile periodical databases.

Click here for periodicals from CCPL's Electronic Resources.

(Click here for access instructions.)

KS/STA

Environmental Series for Children

2008-05-21T13:49:00.000-04:00

Charleston County Public Library has a great selection of children's nonfiction series on environmental issues!

Click to see more!

Earth Friends

Our Environment

Early Bird Earth Science

Infosearch

KS/STA

DIY: An Idea Whose Time Has Come...Again

2008-05-07T07:15:00.000-04:00

The "do it yourself" or DIY concept fits in nicely with environmentalism. Making things rather than buying them or making something new out of things already on hand is a great way to reduce waste and packaging and to reuse and recycle.

DIY is not a new concept but a return to an older, practical lifestyle that existed before post-WWII hyper-consumerism spawned the current excess of malls, megastores, and specialty shops. In those days the average American was familiar with floursack dresses, jury rigging, and jokes about Rube Goldberg contraptions, humorous caricatures of DIY run amok.

DIY resurfaced in the late 1960's and early 1970's as part of the same "back to the land", self-sufficiency movement that also spawned Earth Day and recycling. The Whole Earth Catalog, a directory of environmentally-friendly DIY resources and activist info, which was last published in 1972, is considered a forerunner of the internet.

Today's DIY trend is considered by some afficiandos as artistry because of the handcrafting involved and also, perhaps, because it is more often a personal lifestyle choice than a necessity for many trend followers. DIY may also be considered useable/wearable/edible "art" because of the unique characteristics of each individual piece or product as compared to the soulless consistency of store-bought, manufactured goods.

Click for DIY Weblinks

Some DIY Subject Headings (Click for Catalog Links)

DIY

Handicraft

Sewing

Knitting

Canning and Preserving

Fruit Preservation

Cheesemaking also Cheese Cookery

Herb Gardening

Beer Brewing

Soap and Handicraft

Herbal Cosmetics

Household Supplies (make your own cleaning products) and House Cleaning - Environmental Aspects

Rube Goldberg Pencil Sharpener

Rube Goldberg gets his think-tank working and evolves the simplified pencil-sharpener.
Open window (A) and fly kite (B). String (C) lifts small door (D) allowing moths (E) to escape and eat red flannel shirt (F). As weight of shirt becomes less, shoe (G) steps on switch (H) which heats electric iron (I) and burns hole in pants (J). Smoke (K) enters hole in tree (L), smoking out opossum (M) which jumps into basket (N), pulling rope (O) and lifting cage (P), allowing woodpecker (Q) to chew wood from pencil (R), exposing lead. Emergency knife (S) is always handy in case opossum or the woodpecker gets sick and can't work.

From http://www.rubegoldberg.com/. Accessed 5/30/08.

KS/STA

Random News Flashes

2008-05-05T07:40:00.000-04:00

**Slow Foods get a boost from the SC Department of Agriculture. Check out their website promoting Certified South Carolina (grown) produce. (click here) This site includes lists of seasonal fruits and vegetables, useful links, recipes, and more.

**List of Local Farmer's Markets - A pril 8, 2008 from the Post and Courier (http://www.charleston.net)

**On Saturday, May 3rd, 2008, The Parent's Journal on SC Educational Radio Network reviewed the book, Camp Out! The Ultimate Kids Guide by Lynn Brunelle, author and Emmy-winning television writer for Bill Nye, the Science Guy. This book has lots of great ideas for natural and/or science-oriented fun like having kids put old socks on over their shoes and walk around in the woods and then wetting the socks and sprouting the seeds on the socks. Click here for a review of this book from a book review blog.

We are putting in a request for purchase for this one at our library! Remember, that if you are a patron of Charleston County Public Library, you can ask the library to purchase books, movies, music, etc, too.

KS/STA

Greener, Better: Health Info @ Your Library

2008-04-29T13:14:00.000-04:00

Thinking about taking "green" to a personal level and making changes in diet and exercise? Want to know more about how to do it and maximize the health benefits? The Charleston County Public Library provides library users with access to top-of-the-line health information through the CCPL Electronic Resource Databases. These databases are also available at home, paper-free, via the internet and provide different selections of information to meet the varying needs of library users. This is the real deal, so don't rely on questionable sources like Google and Wikipedia, let CCPL provide you with access to the best information available!

(Click here for database access information.)
(CLICK HERE to go to the Health and Medicine Databases)

Here are descriptions of a few of the databases:

Hands on Health provides health information specifically for South Carolinians.

The Health and Wellness Center provides health reference information for the general user about diseases and conditions, alternative medicine, and other health topics, and includes a dictionary and a directory of high quality health websites.

The Health Reference Center Academic database allows you to take charge of your health by accessing information from the same academic research sources used by medical providers like Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), The Lancet, and others.

KS/STA

Farmer's Markets: Fresh, Local, and Green

2008-04-21T18:44:00.000-04:00

Cooking with fresh, local food is a key component of "green" living and the Slow Food movement. This is because local food that is unprocessed has not been shipped, refridgerated, or stored, therefore less energy is used from the time it leaves the farm until it gets to your table. If the food is organic, then it is even "greener", because producing it has not caused as big an environmental impact as food grown with the use of agricultural chemicals.

Post and Courier article on local Farmer's Markets - 4/2/08 (click here)

Farmers Markets in the Charleston Area

Charleston Farmers Market

James Island Presbyterian Church Foundation Farmers Market

Mount Pleasant Farmers Market

North Charleston Farmers Market

Summerville Farmers Market

Slow Food and Fresh Food Selections From the CCPL Menu

*Slow Food

*641.5973 Madison - Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating From America's Farmers Markets by Deborah Madison

*Vegetable/Vegetarian/Vegan Cookbooks

Charleston Farmer's Market in Marion Square Music Video!

KS/STA

Check Out These "How To" Guides to Green Living

2008-04-20T15:12:00.000-04:00

Going green is a hot topic right now. The library has guides for making small or large lifestyle changes to make your home more environmentally friendly.

Here a few suggested items from the CCPL collection and subject headings to check out.

363.70525 Riley - The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Living by Trish Riley (Complete Idiot's Guide Series)

618.2 Greene - Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care by Alan R. Greene and others

648.5 Sandbeck - Organic Housekeeping: In Which the Nontoxic Avenger Shows You How to Improve Your Health and That of Your Family, While You Save Time, Money, and, Perhaps, Your Sanity by Ellen Sandbeck

Green Subject Headings

Environmental Home
Organic Living
Slow Food
Renewable Energy
Recycling
Composting
Ecological Houses
Architecture-Environmental Aspects

KS/STA

Earth Day Celebration at Park Circle 2008

2008-04-19T22:51:00.000-04:00

A beautiful day, music, food, games, and fun made Charleston County Recycling's Earth Day Festival at Park Circle in North Charleston a fantastic event! I would like to thank The Sanctuary volunteers, Andrea, John, Patrick, and Sarah, that helped out at the CCPL table!

Charleston News and Courier article on 2008 Earth Day Festival at Park Circle

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Naturalists: Environmental Explorers

2008-03-28T17:48:00.000-04:00

Naturalists are scientists who study the world around us. Rachel Carson of Pennsylvania and John Muir of California are two of America's most famous naturalists. Some famous naturalists who studied South Carolina's flora and fauna in colonial times were William Bartram, Mark Catesby, and John James Audubon. They observed the beautiful native birds of South Carolina including the Carolina Parakeet and the Passenger Pigeon, which are both extinct today but which can be seen in mounted form at the Charleston Museum.

Two famous modern naturalists from South Carolina are Anne Worsham Richardson, a modern day painter of birds and flowers like Bartram, Catesby, Audubon, and Rudy Mancke, educator and host of SC Educational Television's Naturescene program.

Picture above: Passenger Pigeons by John James Audubon. From http://www.environ.sc.edu/Mancke%20bio.htm. Accessed 5/30/08.
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Current Information + Environmental Friendliness = CCPL Electronic Databases!

2008-03-28T17:36:00.000-04:00

Scientific knowledge about environmental issues is rapidly growing and changing. One of the hottest, most controversial topics in this field is the theory of "global warming". This theory is constantly being debated and scientificly tested with new issues, changes, and challenges emerging all the time.

Stay on top of the "global warming" debate and other environmental issues from the comfort of your home by using the CCPL electronic databases! Electronic databases are green because they are paperless and because most of the databases are enabled for home-access with a CCPL library card, which saves library patrons time and the transportation cost of traveling to the library. They are also extremely current because they are updated so frequently and are very user-friendly. (Click here for database access instructions)

(Click here to go to CCPL's Ask-A-Question Services link
for help with CCPL electronic resources and all your other reference needs!)

Some databases to check out for current info on global warming and other issues are the Science databases and the Magazines, Newspapers, and Journals databases.

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CCPL Email Notification: Save a Tree

2008-03-24T13:56:00.000-04:00

Click here to sign up!

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April 19th, 2008, Earth Day Celebration at Park Circle

2008-03-24T13:30:00.000-04:00

Charleston County Solid Waste and Recycling's annual Earth Day celebration will be held Saturday, April 19th, 2008, from 11 AM to 3 PM. Stop by the Charleston County Public Library table and say hello!

CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE DETAILS!

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Giving a Hoot: Anti-Pollution Campaigns

2008-03-24T09:41:00.000-04:00

Anti-pollution campaigns have been bringing environmental issues, like the dangers caused by pollution to living creatures and ecosystems, to the forefront of the American conscious through popular media for over half a century.

Famous Anti-Pollution Campaigns Slogans (click links for more info)

Don't be a litter bug. - Created in 1952 by the Pennsylvania Resource Council, the PRC allowed this slogan (and the litterbug character) to be used in an anti-litter campaign by the National Council of State Garden Clubs.

Keep America Beautiful - Anti-pollution organization formed in 1953 whose name is also a slogan. - History

Give A Hoot: Don't Pollute - 1970 US Forest Service slogan spoken by the character, "Woodsy Owl". Woodsy's current message is, "Lend a hand. Care for the land." Woodsy is Smokey the Bear's anti-litter counterpart.

People start pollution. People can stop it. (1971 Earth Day ad from KAB)

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1970 Woodsy Owl public service announcement from YouTube

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1971 "Crying Indian" People Cause Pollution PSA from YouTube

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Image of Native American actor, Iron Eyes Cody, in the famous, 1971 "crying Indian" Earth Day Ad from Keep America Beautiful from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:People_Start_Pollution_-_1971_Ad.jpg. Accessed 3/24/08.

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The Greening of the White House

2008-03-24T09:33:00.000-04:00

Some US presidents and First Ladies who have championed environmental causes and the preservation of US lands and monuments include:

+Theodore Roosevelt - Established the National Park System

+John F. Kennedy - After reading Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson, appointed his science advisor, Dr. Jerome B. Wiesner, to study the risks of pesticide use in the USA. The resulting study, "The Use of Pesticides", issued in May, 1963, called for limitations in the use of some pesticides and was the first step toward the eventual ban of DDT use in the United States.

+Lyndon Baines Johnson -Sponsored the America the Beautiful Inititive, which included The White House Conference on Natural Beauty and the Highway Beautification Act

+Lady Bird Johnson, First Lady of Lyndon Baines Johnson - Was a major player in the 1965 Highway Beautification campaign and championed the preservation of America's wildflowers.

+Richard M. Nixon established the Environmental Protection Act.

+Gerald Ford continued the legacy of presidental support for environmental issues. Ford signed the Toxic Substances Control Act in 1976, a law designed to control the proliferation of lethal, manufactured chemical substances in the USA.

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Green Documentaries @ Your Library!

2008-03-23T17:52:00.000-04:00

Check out a documentary film on environmental issues at your library!

No matter whether the film supports or challenges your personal beliefs, one thing is clear: sharing DVDs and books and other library materials with fellow library patrons rather than buying individual copies is a greener, more environmentally conscious way to keep up with hot topics like green and/or organic living, global warming, and wildlife conservation. Libraries are naturally green!

Feature Documentary Films

Who Killed the Electric Car? (film website)

An Inconvenient Truth (film website)

Koyaanisqatsi = Life Out of Balance - An artistic take on environmental issues with a soundtrack by composer, Phillip Glass.

Nova Television Special

Dimming the Sun (WGBH Nova Program website)

More Hot Green Topics on DVD

Global Warming

Conservation

Environment

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All About Earth Day

2008-03-23T16:47:00.000-04:00

Earth Day was first celebrated the United States in 1970. It was started by Gaylord Nelson, a US Senator from Wisconsin.

Earthday is now celebrated worldwide. According to the Earth Day website (http://www.earthday.net/) over 1 billion people will celebrate on April 22, 2008.

Earth Day FAQs from the Earth Day Network - http://www.earthday.net/about/faq.aspx

History of Earth Day from Envirolink - http://earthday.envirolink.org/history.html

NOAA Earth Day 2005 image from http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2005/images/earthday2005.jpg. Accessed 3/23/08

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Random Online Lowcountry Greenness

2008-03-23T16:32:00.000-04:00

Here are few interesting local "green" websites to consider if you are looking for ways to go green or if you are already green and want to kick it up a notch!

Charleston County Solid Waste and Recycling Home Page- Get the facts on recycling in Charleston County.RECYCLING INFO FOR CHARLESTON COUNTY

Coastal Conservation League - http://coastalconservationleague.org/

Go Green Charleston - a blog/directory of Green resources in the Charleston, SC, area - http://www.gogreencharleston.org/

The Little Green Bag Project - local inititive to promote using reusable grocery bags - http://www.littlegreenbagproject.com/

For more "greenness" from our del.icio.us links,

CLICK HERE for "environmentalism" websites!

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Rachel Carson: Green Pioneer

2008-03-23T14:48:00.000-04:00

Rachel Carson (1907 - 1964), a biologist and nature writer, published Silent Spring in 1962. This groundbreaking, well-documented book revealed that widespread environmental devastation was being caused by unchecked use of chemical pesticides (Carson called them "biocides") in post-WWII United States. The furor and controversy over the issues raised by Silent Spring triggered federal inquiries into the impact of pesticide use. It also gave birth to the environmental movement.

Rachel Carson's work stressed the importance of remembering that all living things are part of the same web of life. What effects one part of that web will also impact the whole. Forty-six years after the publication of Silent Spring, this is still one of the main themes of current environmental thinking.

Rachel Carson Tribute website - http://www.rachelcarson.org/

Rachel Carson in Time Magazine's Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century

CCPL Research Database Articles

(click here for database access instructions - after clicking on article and logging into databases use the "back" arrow to come back to this blogpost and then click on article link to read article.)

Children - Rachel Carson - Kids Infobits

Teens - Rachel Carson article from Sirs Knowledge Source

Adults - Rachel Carson Biography from Biography Resource Center

Note: CCPL's Research Tools electronic databases provide library patrons with paper-free, current informational resources that are accessable from anywhere with internet access; home, office, or school.

Check out the CCPL Ask-A-Question Services for even more "away from the library" reference help!

Picture of Rachel Carson from http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/whatsnew/events/carson/agenda.cfm. Accessed 3/23/08.

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Check Out Something Green!

2008-03-12T12:29:00.000-04:00

Green is the color for environmentalism. Look for green goodness @ your library!

Click here for some GREEN selections from the CCPL Catalog

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Libraries Are Naturally Green

2008-03-04T15:00:00.000-05:00

Libraries are naturally green because they are a shared community resource. In this blog we are going to talk about environmental books, movies, and other good stuff in the library's collection, community environmental resources and organizations, and more. We also hope to explore all the ways that our library is green and all the ways that library patrons can use library services to become greener, too!

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