List offered by Emma Sleeth for “Greening Your Library: Cool Environmental Books to Check Out”
– True Green: 100 Everyday Ways You Can Contribute to a Healthier Planet by Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin ó “A quick and interesting read filled with practical, easy tips and yup, lots of pictures. It contains many interesting statistics and is formatted in an accessible way so you can find the information you want quickly.”
– Saving God’s Green Earth: Rediscovering the Church’s Responsibility to Environmental Stewardship by Tri Robinson ó “In a simple, easy-to-read voice, author and pastor Tri Robinson makes the case for Christian environmental responsibility and shares the story of how his large church was transformed into the vanguard of the Christian conservation movement.”
– Serve God, Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action by J. Matthew Sleeth, MD “(a.k.a. my dad)” ó “Of course, I’m a little partial to this book. In fact, I wouldn’t hesitate to say it’s the best book on Christian environmentalism out there ó and that’s not just because my dad wrote it … I’ve seen the transformational power his story has had on people from all walks of life. If you’re only going to read one book on the environment, make it this one.”
– The Little Green Handbook: Seven Trends Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ron Nielsen ó “Well organized and researched, ‘The Little Green Handbook’ is a great resource for in-depth study ó or just to have around to look up a thing or two.”
– The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono ó “This is a short, inspirational story about the power one person has to change the world. ‘The Man Who Planted Trees’ tells the story of how one simple peasant transformed a desolate region, one seed at a time.”
“Picture This: Movies You Might Want to See”
– Affluenza ó “This one-hour film produced by PBS explores the ‘epidemic of affluence’ that is spreading across the United States. It is a great resource to help middle-class Americans living in a nation of unprecedented wealth examine the social and environmental costs of our lifestyle.”
– Winged Migration ó “A well-done and engaging film that offers a ‘bird’s eye view’ of the amazing wonder of God’s creation.”
– The Great Warming ó “Here’s an informational work about global warming that presents the facts in an understandable manner. A lot of the details are focused on Canada, but it contains a great deal of universal principles and information.”
– An Inconvenient Truth ó “Even if you don’t agree with everything Al Gore says, this is probably the most frequently viewed and talked about documentary ever made about the critical issue of climate change.”
– Kilowatt Ours ó “This is one of my favorite films about the environment. It focuses on where energy comes from ó with a special focus on the southeastern United States ó and then explains how to cut down personal energy use and what others are doing to go to green power.”
“Getting Involved: A Few Organizations That Might Interest You”
– Restoring Eden (www.restoringeden.org) “is a Christian environmental organization that seeks to make ‘your heart bigger, your hands dirtier, your voice stronger for God’s creation.’ Started by Peter Illyn, the ministry has chapters on many college campuses.”
– A Rocha (www.arocha.org) “is the largest international Christian conservation organization in the world. A Rocha, which means ‘The Rock’ in Portuguese, offers great volunteer positions at field centers around the world as well as a growing branch in the United States.”
– Floresta (www.floresta.org) “is a Christian nonprofit working to reverse deforestation and poverty in the world, by empowering the rural poor. Floresta has planted more than 2.5 million trees around the world, and educates people in poverty about sustainable agricultural practices.”
– Sierra Student Coalition (www.ssc.org) “is the student branch of the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club is not specifically Christian, but I still believe in what it’s doing all the way. The group now has chapters on more than 250 campuses across the country ó and loves to have both high school and college-age students involved.”