Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination

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Fairfax, VA 22035
John Morrill
Director

Department Resources

Eco-Lit for Every Age: Climate-Related Reads on Book Lovers Day

Post written by Emily Bohr, Outreach Specialist, OEEC and Fairfax County Public Library’s Technical Operations Team

Today is Book Lovers Day, a fantastic occasion to revel in the magic of books! In our rapidly changing world, one of the most urgent issues is the impact of climate change and the pressing need for sustainable energy solutions, a cause championed by Fairfax County's Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination (OEEC). Fortunately, the Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) offers access to a huge list of compelling and accessible books that delve into these critical topics. 

In addition to literature, FCPL also has a collection of items for loan that expands the boundaries of traditionally defined library materials, their Library of Things. Fairfax County residents can check out Conserve (Energy) Kits, thermal cameras and more to easily take climate action. 

In this blog, we'll spotlight some of the standout climate-related books available to Fairfax County residents of all ages, as well as some of the other climate-related items FCPL has in their Library of Things. Whether you're an adult seeking to expand your knowledge of clean energy, a young adult eager to discover ways to take climate action, or a child beginning to learn about the importance of protecting our precious planet, there’s a book tailored just for you! 

Need a library card for Fairfax County Public Library? They’re free! You can apply online or in person at your favorite branch.

ADULT

The Energy Wise Home: Practical Ideas for Saving Energy, Money, and the Planet

Author Jeff Dondero walks you through your home's walls, doors, windows, and roof, room by room and appliance by appliance, breaking them down into simple terms so that you can make the smartest energy and resource choices possible.

Link to Library Listing

Things You Can Do: How To Fight Climate Change and Reduce Waste

Learn how to reduce your carbon footprint with this inspiring, accessible and stunningly illustrated book based on Eduardo Garcia's popular New York Times column.

Link to Library Listing

Explaining Renewable Energy

Author Elaine Moore explains how various forms of renewable energy work as well as current ongoing research. Includes sections on non-scientific aspects that should be considered such as availability of resources.

Link to Library Listing

Breaking The Grid: How to Buy Nothing, Make Everything, and Live Sustainably

When a crisis hits, we all wish we could be a little more self-sufficient. With Breaking the Grid, you can learn to live completely off the grid or just be a little more environmentally conscious.

Link to Library Listing

Not The End of The World: How We Can Be The First Generation To Build a Sustainable Planet

In this bold, radically hopeful book, a data scientist, drawing on the latest research, practical guidance and eye-opening graphics, gives us the tools for understanding our current environmental crisis and making lifestyle changes that actually have an impact.

Link to Library Listing

YOUNG ADULT

The Story of More (Adapted for Young Adults): How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here

Author Hope Jahren takes us through the science behind the key inventions that, even as they help us, release untenable amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. She explains the current and projected consequences of greenhouse gases and shares the science-based tools that could help us fight back.

Link to Library Listing

Urgent Message For A Hot Planet: Navigating The Climate Crisis

This nonfiction book for teens outlines the science behind global heating and its root causes, provides ways to take action and honors the efforts of the millions of people from around the world working tirelessly to help the planet.

Link to Library Listing

Buildings That Breathe: Greening The World's Cities

Urban planners, architects, and scientists are developing high-rise forests that seek to balance human activity and natural regeneration. Discover how green infrastructure will transform the urban landscape and how we think about our future.

Link to Library Listing

Changing World: Cold Data From A Warming Planet

The effects of a warming planet are impossible to ignore, but sometimes it's hard to pick through the facts and to understand exactly what's happening and how. This book of bright, bold infographics illuminates the realities of climate change in hard numbers, digestible data and vivid visualizations.

Link to Library Listing

The 21: The True Story of the Youth Who Sued The U.S. Government Over Climate Change

 A gripping legal and environmental thriller that tells the story of twenty-one young people and their ongoing case against the U.S. government for denying their constitutional right to life and liberty, illuminates the workings of the United States's judicial system and the relationship between government, citizens' rights, and the environment; and asks readers to think deeply about the future of our planet.

Link to Library Listing

CHILDREN

Maker Comics: Live Sustainably!

This book presents step-by-step instructions for eight sustainability projects that will help kids roll up their sleeves with confidence to make worm farms, beeswax food wrappers, a bee garden, and more.

Link to Library Listing

Our Green City

Welcome to our green city! You'll find flowers, trees, animals... and wind turbines, electric cars, and solar panels, too. As readers are invited on a journey through the city, they learn about what makes it environmentally friendly, from electric transportation to green classrooms to community gardens.

Link to Library Listing

We Are Better Together

From environmentalist and bestselling author Bill McKibben comes a hopeful, inspiring picture book celebrating the power of human cooperation and the beauty of life on Earth, beautifully illustrated by artist Stevie Lewis.

Link to Library Listing

The Earth Experiment: A Handbook on Climate Change For The World's Young Keepers

A look into the history of global warming, and the domino effect down to minute organisms. With every rise in temperature, what happens? This book does not seek to tell young readers what they need to do, but to tell stories such that they will take on this knowledge as their own, and their own impetus to make change.

Link to Library Listing

Less Is More: Join The Low-Waste Movement

Part of the nonfiction Orca Footprints series for middle grade-readers, this book explores the low-waste movement and how kids can get involved. Illustrated with photographs throughout.

Link to Library Listing

LIBRARY OF THINGS

Conserve Kits

To help county residents weatherize their homes and save money, FCPL offers Conserve (Energy) Kits as a part of their Library of Things. Each kit includes tools and consumable items that will seal leaks in your home and help you understand more about how various appliances and devices use energy. Some of the items included in the kit are considered consumables – use what you need and return the rest; all other items are to be returned with the kit along with any unused consumables.

You can learn what is included in these kits and place one on hold at the link below. 
 

Link to Library Listing

Meters and Readers

FCPL’s Library of Things also includes nine different meters and readers that can help borrowers measure many different values in their homes, yards and, even, their cars to ensure energy efficiency and a healthy environment. The collection includes air quality monitors, battery testers, carbon monoxide meters, kilowatt usage meters, laser thermometers, moisture meters, on-board diagnostic code readers, radon gas monitors and soil meters.

For more detailed information about each type of meter, visit the link below. 

Link to Library Listing

Light Pollution Monitoring Kits

Light Pollution Monitoring Kits, also known as Dark Skies kits, are part of the citizen science initiative, allowing people from all walks of life to contribute data that can be used in the analysis of a scientific problem. This particular kit allows borrowers to measure light pollution. Light pollution not only affects our view of the stars, but can also waste energy and money, cause sleep disorders in people, and disrupt sleeping and breeding habits of animals. It can even affect air quality and the environment.

Learn more about the kits at the link below. 

Link to Library Listing

Thermal Cameras

Thermal imaging cameras use color to show the relative temperature of objects. This allows you to see where you might have leaky outlets, drafty doors, missing insulation, and more. These cameras are available for Fairfax County residents to inspect their home or business for hot and cold spots, which often indicate energy saving opportunities. By implementing some of the weatherization improvements indicated, residents can make their home a more comfortable place to live while reducing utility bills. 

Learn more at the link below.

Link to Thermal Camera Loan Program Webpage

Ready to go from knowledge to action? Check out OEEC’s Climate Action Checklists and track your progress in adopting sustainable habits and making environmentally conscious choices that can also save you money.

Explore Climate Action Checklists

Emily Bohr headshot - woman with long brown hair wearing a green shirt
Emily Bohr has served as OEEC's outreach specialist since 2022, supporting the office’s communications and public outreach. She holds a degree in Environmental Studies from George Mason University.
fairfax county's public library's logo

 

The Technical Operations team of Fairfax County Public Library includes staff who select, catalog and process new titles for the library collection.

 

Climate Matters is the blog of Fairfax County’s Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination, where we share stories, insights and information related to climate change and environmental sustainability. Posts are written by knowledgeable and passionate OEEC staff members and guest authors. To read all blog posts, visit Climate Matters.

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