Month: October 2013

October 25, 2013

Tweens and Teens Go Green! Art Programming Ideas Online Workshop

gogreenteensValeria Colston is offering another fabulous online workshop  “Tweens and Teens Go Green! Art Programming Ideas Online Workshop.”  Attending will help you “build a portfolio of ideas for creating innovative green art projects and programming.” Many Tweens and Teens are already green and have an  appreciation and sensitivity to going green.  This workshops will give you an opportunity to offer and share some fun and educational art projects and programming

Details:  4 weeks/12 hour, online, with illustrated lecture, discussion board topics, and class assignments

Cost: $59.00 (Library Invoices accepted)

Deadline: Sign up by November 1, 2013.

Instructor:   Valerie Colston, M.A., author and art professor with many years of experience developing and teaching art programs in libraries in San Diego, California and author of   Teens Go Green! Tips, Techniques, Tools, and Themes for Young Adult Programming Libraries Unlimited Dec. 2012 and 200 Projects to Strengthen Your Art Skills

October 23, 2013

“The Greening of America’s Libraries” E-Book From ACRL and LLAMA

greeninglibrariesbookfrom the ACRL insider….

Check out this new ebook from ACRL and the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA)  –  The Greening of America’s Libraries: LEEDing the Way  by Mary M. Carr and Steven L. Carr, United States Green Building Council (USGBC) trained and certified accredited LEED-AP professionals and librarians.   This ebook includes information, standards, and tools necessary to construct or renovate a library in accordance with the USGBC’s LEED requirements and process. It is available for purchase in a variety of e-book formats through the ALA Online Store and Amazon.com; and through EBSCO for library e-book collections.

October 21, 2013

Join the new ALA roundtable: SustainRT

The new Sustainability Round Table of ALA, called SustainRT,  is open for  membership so consider adding SustainRT to your membership now! There are no official officers yet just a group of us helping to get it started.  This interim Steering Committee is in the process of creating by-laws  and putting together a ballot of nominees for the ALA election in the spring. *** If you are interested in running for office you can self nominate up until Jan 31, 2014 by going to this online form, adding your bio and other information (you must register first). ***

Want to learn more or find ways to get involved?  Stay tuned for a SustainRT virtual discussion in early December, TBA,  to help draft our goals and objectives and shape SustainRT in the direction you see as most useful.

ABOUT:  The ALA Sustainability Round Table (SustainRT) is the newest professional forum within the American Library Association. The motion to create a sustainability round table was passed unanimously by ALA Council at Midwinter 2013 in Seattle.

MISSION:  SustainRT was created as a venue in which members exchange ideas and opportunities regarding sustainability in order to move toward a more equitable, healthy and economically viable society. The mission of the organization is to provide resources for the library community to support sustainability through curriculum development; collections; exhibits; events; advocacy, communication, library buildings and space design. SustainRT is open to all ALA members and will include both individual members and organizational members.

Stay in touch with SustainRT:
ALA listserv 
ALA Connect 
Facebook 
LinkedIn

October 18, 2013

Sustainable Themed Film ideas

I have updated my Sustainable Themed Film page on this blog to include films we have shown the last few years on campus through our Sustainable Film and Discussion series.  We have offered a variety of themes from gardening (Truck Farm, Dirt, The Garden…)  to environmental issues related to energy sources (The Last Mountain, carbon nation, crude…) and many other themes and topics. I cannot recommend any one film over another as they all tell various sustainability themed stories and information that hopefully inspires action.  Perhaps these films will give you ideas for hosting film and discussion night or series at your library!  Feel free to comment and share other worthwhile films on the theme.

October 9, 2013

Ample Harvest

Does your library or community have a garden? are you seeing a growing gardening movement in your community? More and more gardens are popping up across the country and many times we have more vegetables than we can use. As harvest time is nearing its end this fall, its might be a time to consider what to do with left overs – instead of tossing them or letting them sit and rot in the garden over winter.

ample

With over 33,500 food pantries (also called food shelves, food closets, food cupboards or food banks in some areas)  trying to help feed America’s hungry,  in 2008 AmpleHarvest.org (a not-for-profit charity) was founded to help coordinate this need. They begin a movement of educating, encouraging and empowering growers to share their excess harvest with the needy in their community instead of letting it go to waste.  They established this website where you can search by zip code and find out what orgs in your area is in need of your access garden harvest.  In August 2010 (mid harvest) when AmpleHarvest.org was only 15 months old, a survey of then registered food pantries indicated that more than 3 million pounds of freshly harvested locally grown produce had been donated to food pantries. At the end of 2011, it had increased to more than 20 million pounds.

Find out more, share your ample garden delights and tell your gardening groups and patrons about this opportunity to support the needy in your community! 

Watch founder & ED Gary Oppenheimer share more in this TEDtalk.