Books That Inspire Lifelong Environmental Habits
Some books are forgotten within days of reading them. Others stay with me for years, sometimes decades. One book I read as a kid that changed my life was 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth. It inspired me to start a campaign to get my family to use less water, turn off lights, reuse paper, and more.
The power of this book was taking a big problem — like climate change — and breaking it down into steps anyone can do. And even if it didn’t solve the problem of our environment, it started to make me and, presumably, the millions of others who also read it, more aware of how our actions can make a difference.
Thinking of this book as an adult brings to mind the Jewish proverb in Pirkei Avot (Ethics of our Ancestors): “It is not up to you to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” We can’t solve it alone, but we can solve it together.
If you want to embrace the Jewish values of shomrei adamah (partners in creation) and bal taschit (not wasting) as a family, here are some great books to start the conversation:
- 10 Things I Can do to Help My World by Melanie Walsh
- 26 Big Things Small Hands Can Do by Coleen Paratore
Oh, and you can also read the 50 Simple Things book, updated for the 21st century, too!
Happy summer,
Sarah