Building a sustainable world involves big changes at the government level and the corporate level, but it also involves personal choices about how we live our lives. Many of us are already taking small steps to use less energy and other natural resources. My family has converted to compact fluorescent light bulbs, reduced our use of household chemicals and gets ever-stingier with water. We insulated the house, recycle or reuse just about everything that can be reused or recycled and carpool whenever possible. Needless to say we (and I’ll bet, you) could do a whole lot more to lessen our impact on the earth. And, also needless to say, the Library has a ton of books to help us. For all-purpose, all-spheres-of- life ideas, try browsing the non-fiction number 640. It used to be the place to find books on organizing your home and the Hints from Heloise books. Nowadays you’ll also find Green Housekeeping, Real Simple: 869 New Uses for Old Things, Scaling Down, the Urban Homestead and dozens more on sustainable themes. These books (and many others) explain everything from composting and tree planting to bee-keeping and mattress-flipping. Elsewhere, for more specific areas of sustainable living, there are books on weatherizing your home, solar power, organic gardening, green building, green shopping, green investing, running your car on vegetable oil and motorizing your bicycle. Next time you’re at the Library, why not take some time to browse the shelves for creative ideas that fit your own life style and match your own level of commitment?
--RL
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