Celebrate Earth Month in April

Since the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, people worldwide have gathered together every April to celebrate our planet and commit to being better stewards of it. Earth month is an opportunity to reconnect to the natural world, our local environment, and our impact within it. Whether you get out hiking, commit to a new waste reduction plan, or join local Earth Day festivities, there are plenty of ways to celebrate the Earth this month.

Ways to Celebrate

• Sunday April 19: Join in the fun at the Palo Alto Earth Day Festival! Don’t miss a special Storytime with Librarian Jennifer!
• Explore your natural environment by getting started with Nature Journaling or borrow a parks pass to visit your local parks.
• Participate in a Citizen Science project. Visit SciStarter to join a project and contribute to building knowledge about our local environment.
• Stop by the Rinconada Seed Library this April and throughout the summer to get seeds for your garden

Newly Added to our Library of Things

Reduce waste and live more sustainably with free resources from your library! Library cardholders can now borrow induction cooktops, making it easy to try this fast, safe, and energy-efficient cooking method. Thanks to an interdepartmental collaboration from Palo Alto Utilities and a generous donation from Acterra, we have added three high efficiency, all-electric induction cooktop kits to our Library of Things collection.

Each kit includes:

• A guide sheet
• 1 large canvas carrying case
• 1 induction cooktop
• 1 pan
• 1 magnet clip
• 1 quick start guide
• 1 owner's manual

These induction cooktop kits can be borrowed for 7 days, requested and sent to your local branch, and are non-renewable.

Library Events

All Ages:

Join our monthlong celebration of birds with our Flight Path programs. Learn about bird migration and safety and make some cool crafts to help our feathered friends.

• Wednesday April 8: Birds in Your Backyard
• Wednesday April 22: Basic Birdwatching

For Kids:

• Sunday April 19: Earth Day Storytime with Librarian Jennifer! At the City of Palo Alto Earth Day Celebration

For Adults:

• Saturday, April 11: Seed Swap - Connect with fellow gardeners and discover new plant varieties to try
• Saturday April 11: Community Threads: Alterations - Extend the life of your clothes by learning to alter and mend items
• Wednesday, April 22: Learn English: Online Conversation Group - Join other English language learners and discuss Earth Day

Booklists

Celebrate Earth Month with these inspiring book recommendations.

Children:

• Getting Outside with Kids!
• Planet-Friendly DIYs: Crafting for a Sustainable Tomorrow
• Geology for Kids
• Growing in the Garden
• Backyard Creepy Crawlies
• Storytime with Animals

Adults:

• Climate Fiction
• Make It New: DIY Ideas for Repairing, Reusing, and Reinventing
• Stewards of Nature
• Environmental Lives
• From Farm to Table
• Saving Green & Going Green in the Kitchen: Budget & Leftovers Cookbooks
• Time to Unplug and Go Outside
• Worried about plastics?
• Eco Sci-Fi

eLibrary

Access these online resources with your library card.

• Watch The Future of Nature and other environmental documentaries on Kanopy
• Check out one of the many local nature centers and experiences available through Discover and Go! (Palo Alto residents only)
• Learn more about a variety of environmental topics with the Gale in Context: Environmental Studies collection of science articles, news and media

More Resources

• Learn more about the Mitchell Park Library’s Pollinator Garden
• Earthday.org