Books, Videos and DVDs listed here for your convenience to supplement lesson plans or discussions. Some materials have been reviewed and others have been recommended by educators.  We welcome suggestions for additions to the list or feedback on the materials provided.

This is a selection of books, media and curriculum guides that have an environmental focus.  For more selections, visit www.amazon.com or visit your local library.

 

 

BOOKS - Elementary/Middle level unless specified

 

Waste Reduction/Solid Waste Technologies

 

Earth Friends at…, by Francine Galko:

     Home – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

     School – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

     Play – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

     The Grocery Store – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

How Paper is Made, by Meish Goldish

Materials and Their Uses, by David Byrne (Rigby)

Recycle It!, by Brenda Parkes (Grolier)

Recycle That!, by Fay Robinson (Groiler)

Recycling, by Rhonda Lucas Donald

Seeing Earth from Space, by Patricia Lauber

Waste Disposal, by Sally Morgan (Grolier)

What Happens When You Recycle?, by Katie Sharp (Rigby)

Where Does All the Garbage Go?, by Melvin Berger (Grolier)

Where Does the Garbage Go?, by Paul Showers

 

 

Our Environment

 

The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle, by Alison Inches, (early elementary) 

Can Kids Save the Earth? by Melvin Berger (Grolier)

Earl the Earthworm, by Tim Magner (Green Sugar Press)

Earth Book for Kids, by Linda Schwartz

Earth Day, by David F. Marx (Grolier)

Ecology for Every Kid, by Janice VanCleave

An Environmental Guide from A to Z, by Tim Magner 

Fifty Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth, by Earthworks Group (6 to 12)

Global Resources, by Peggy Parks

The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein

Greening School Grounds: Creating Habitats for Learning, Edited by Tim Grant and Gail Littlejohn

I Can Save the Earth, by Alison Inches (early elementary) 

Judy Moody Saves the World!, by Megan McDonald

Just A Dream, by Chris Van Allsburg

Kids for the Earth, by Melvin Berger (Grolier)

The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss

Low Carbon Diet – A 30 Day Program to Lose 5,000 Pounds, by David Gershon 

N is for Nature, by Tim Magner (Green Sugar Press)

Our Earth, by Lisa Trumbauer (Grolier)

Our Environment – Global Warming, by Peggy Parks

Our Environment – Recycling, by Eleanor Hall

Our Environment – Energy, by Bonnie Juettner

Our Environment – Oil Spills, by Peggy Parks

Sooper Yooper, by Mark Newman

Taking Care of Our Trees, by Meish Goldish

Teaching About Climate Change: Cool School Tackle Global Warming, Edited by Tim Grant and Gail Littlejohn

The Day the Trash Came Out to Play, by David M. Beadle (ages 3 to 8)

The Next Step: Fifty More Things You Can Do to Save the Earth, by The Earthworks Group (6 to 12)

To the Young Environmentalist, by Linda Leuzzi (Grolier) (6 to 12)

Volunteering to Help the Environment, by Suzanne J. Murdico (Grolier) (6 to 12)

Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein

Wump World, by Bill Peet

 

 

Activities – Arts and Crafts – for all ages

 

ArtScope, by Larry Crost, ATR /MFA

The Best of Making Things, by Ann Sayre Wiseman

Dig Your Hands in the Dirt, by Kiko Denzer

Earth-Friendly Holidays, by George Pfiffner

Fun with Recycling – 50 Great Things for Kids to Make from Junk, by Marion Elliot

Good Earth Art, by MaryAnn F. Kohl and Cindy Gainer

Handcrafted Journals, Albums, Scrapbooks & More, by Marie Browning

Imagination Factory’s CD, by Marilyn Brackney

Kid Concoctions and Contraptions, by John E. and Danita Thomas (The Kid Concoctions Company)

The Ultimate Book of Kid Concoctions, by John E. and Danita Thomas (The Kid Concoctions Company)

The Ultimate Book of Kid Concoctions 2, by John E. and Danita Thomas (The Kid Concoctions Company)

Landfill Lunch Box, by Karen Riley

Making Cool Crafts & Awesome Art, by Roberta Gould

Paper by Kids, by Arnold E. Grummer

Ready Made - How to Make (Almost) Everything, by Shoshana Berger and Grace Hawthorne

Recycled Crafts Box,  by Laura C. Martin (all ages)

Trash to Treasure, by Leisure Arts, Inc.

 

 

Books About Vermi-Composting (worms)

 

Charles Darwin’s, The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Actions of Worms  

Compost By Gosh!, by Michelle Eva Portman (Flower Press)

Compost Critters, by Briana Laview

Diary of a Worm, by Doreen Cronin

Dirty Jobs: Worm Dung Farmer, by Discovery Channel

Earthworm Feed and Feeding :  A Research Report Giving New Methods Of Using Old and New Materials, by Charlie Morgan

Earthworms, by Robert C Knott, Kimi Hosoume, Lincoln Bergman

Earthworms, by  Keith Pigdon and Marilyn Woolley

Earthworms for Ecology and Profit:  Volume 1, Scientific Earthworm Farming, by Ronald E. Gaddie, Sr. and Donald E. Douglas

Harnessing the Earthworm, by Thomas J. Barrett

How to Eat Fried Worms, by Thomas Rockwell

In Their Own Words: Interviews With Vermiculture Experts, edited by Peter Bogdanov

Manual of Therapeutic Medications and Pesticides for Worm Growers, by Charlie Morgan

Pee Wee’s Great Adventure:  A Guide to Vermicomposting, by Larraine Roulston

Recycle With Earthworms:  The Red Wiggler Connection, by Shelley C. Grossman and Toby Weitzel

Squirmy Wormy Composters, by Janine Schaub and Bobbie Kalman

Teaming with Microbes:  A Gardner’s Guide to the Soil Food Web, by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis

The Earth Moved, by Amy Stewart

The Farmer’s Earthworm Handbook, by David Ernst

The Wonderful World of Wigglers, by Julia Hand and Carolyn Peduzzi

The Worm Book, by Loren Nancarrow and Janet Hogan Taylor

Vermillennium Abstracts, published by Flowerfield Enterprises

Wonderful Worms, by Linda Glaser

Worms Are a Class Act, by Cori Kyle.  Can-O-Worms workbook for younger students

Wormology, by Michael Ross

 

 

Books – Adult Level

 

American Alchemy – The History of Solid Waste Management in the United States, by H. Lanier Hickman Jr.

A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle

Backyard Composting, by Harmonious Technologies

Big Green Purse, by Diane MacEachern 

Blessed Unrest, by Paul Hawken

The Better World, by Ellis Jones

Choose to Reuse, by Nikki and David Goldbeck

Clean and Green, by Annie Berthold-Bond

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Living, by Trish Riley 

Confessions of an Eco-sinner, by Fred Pearce

Conscious Style Home: Eco-Friendly Living for the 21st Century, by Danny Seo

Cradle to Cradle, by William McDonough & Michael Braungart

Deep Economy, by Bill McKibbon

Eaarth, by Bill McKibben

The Earth Moved: The remarkable achievements of Earthworms, by Amy Stewart

Ecological Literacy –  Educating Our Children for a Sustainable World, by Stone and Barlow eds.

Energy Use Less - Save More, by Jon Clift and Amanda Cuthbert 

Environmental Careers in the 21st Century, The Complete Guide To, by The Environmental Careers Organization

The Everything Green Living Book, by Diane Gow McDilda

Fifty-Seven Ways to Protect Your Home Environment (and Yourself), by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Fostering Sustainable Behaviors, Doug McKenzie-Mohr and William Smith

Garbage Land, by Elizabeth Royte

Go Green, How to Build an Earth-Friendly Community, by Nancy H. Taylor

Go Green, Live Rich, by David Bach

Gorgeously Green, by Sophie Uliano

Green Chic, by Christie Matheson

Green Greener Greenest, by Lori Bongiorno 

Green Guide, by National Geographic

Green Living, A Practical Guide to Eating, Gardening, Energy *Greening Your Office, by Jon Clift and Amanda Cuthbert

Green Weddings that Don’t Cost the Earth by Carol Reed-Jones

Saving and Housekeeping for a Healthy Planet, by Sarah Callard and Diane Millis

Green Living, The E Magazine Handbook for Living Lightly on the Earth, by the Editors of The Environmental Magazine

Green Living for Dummies, by Yvonne Jeffery, Liz Barclay and Michael Grosvenor

Green Up Your Cleanup, by Jill Potvin Schoff

Hot, Flat and Crowded, by Tom Friedman 

It’s Easy Being Green, by Crissy Trask 

Books – Adult Level, Continued

Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv

The Lazy Environmentalist, Your Guide to Easy, Stylish, Green Living, by Josh Dorfman

The Lost Gospel of the Earth – A Call for Renewing Nature, Spirit and Politics, by Tom Hayden

Living Green, A Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability, by Greg Horn

Long Emergency, by James Howard Kunstler

Natural Capitalism, by Paul Hawken

Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan

Patchwork: Stories of Gardens and Community, by Friends of Burlington Gardens

Reduce, Reuse Recycle by Nicky Scott

Return to Common Sense, by John Ikerd

Rubbish, by William Rathje and Cullen Murphy

Seven Wonders for a Cool Planet, by Eric Sorensen

Shopping With a Conscience, by Duncan Clark and Richie Unterberger

Small Farms Are Real Farms, by John Ikerd

Story of Stuff, by Annie Leonard

Stuff, by John C. Ryan and Alan Thein Durning

Sustainable Capitalism, by John Ikerd

Teaching Green: The High School Years, Edited by Tim Grant and Gail Littlejohn

There’s A Hair In My Dirt!, by Gary Larson

Use Less Stuff, by William Rathje and Robert Lilienfield

Wake Up and Smell the Planet, by Grist

Waste and Want –  A Social History of Trash, by Susan Strasser

What Can I Do? – An Alphabet for Living, by Lisa Harrow

 

When the Rivers Run Dry: Water--The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-first Century by Fred Pearce

 

MEDIA

 

Bill Nye the Science Guy on "Garbage", (VHS/DVD 26 mins – grades 3 to 6 - Disney Productions)

Bill contrasts how much garbage each person makes each day vs nature. He highlights ways to take care of our environment and make less waste.

 

Busy, Busy Planet, (VHS 11 mins – grades 3 to 8 - American Plastics Council)

This video takes a look at plastics manufacturing, packaging made for goods, how recycled materials are made into new products, and the ways we benefit from these technologies.

 

Buy Recycled, (VHS 15 mins – all ages - Solid Waste Agency of N. Cook Co.)

This video focuses on how consumer-purchasing choices impact the waste stream and encourages consumers to buy recycled-content products whenever possible.

 

The Car, (VHS 10 mins – grades 6 to adult - Bullfrog Films)

Thanks to the ingenuity of people in the scrap metal business, automobiles are the most well recycled of all common industrial products. See the process from start to finish.