Sustainability Section of the Monona Public Library

I received this info from Heather Gates of Natural Step Monona . Go to the library and check it out (get it? 'check it out'?).

The Sustainability Section of the Monona Public Library

The Sustainability Section at the Monona Public Library opened Saturday, November 4, 2007. The section offers books, DVDs, pamphlets, and guides that provide information about a multitude of topics related to sustainability. A joint effort of The Natural Step Monona and the library, the section opened with nearly 100 donated items to lend. More than 30 different brochures and guides are available for library patrons to take and keep.

The topics in the Sustainability Section are of wide range, including: eco-friendly gift giving, emerging home energy technologies, how to reduce or eliminate the problems created by packaging, raising environmentally-aware children, worm composting, the hidden costs of oil, and an account of a personal experiment to drastically reduce consumption. As Monona residents work toward living more sustainably, they will find these materials a valuable asset in creating positive change in their households and in the community.

Almost all of these materials are the result of donations—either the items themselves or the funds to purchase them. Due to a tight materials budget the library had few funds for materials. Says Public Service Librarian, Erick Plumb, “Thanks to the generous donations of materials from community members, we have a solid collection that will only grow richer in the future. None of this would have been possible without the dedication of the members of The Natural Step Monona.”

Chris Whelley, an original member of The Natural Step Monona and the first person to donate to the drive in April, is thrilled the Sustainability Section is open. "I'm excited about this venue for making information on sustainable living available to all the people of Monona," says Whelley.

Donated books include, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough, Superbia! 31 Ways to Create Sustainable Neighborhoods, by Dan Chiras and Dave Wann, The Citizen-Powered Energy Handbook: Community Solutions to a Global Crisis, by Greg Pahl, and Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating, by Jane Goodall, Gary McAvoy, and Gail Hudson.

Free literature includes How to Build a Rain Garden from the Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission, Remodeling Checklist from Green Built Home, Map for Bicyclists from the Madison Area Transportation Planning Board, and Public Transportation: Moving People, Connecting Communities, and Growing our Economy from 1000 Friends of Wisconsin. Twelve Wisconsin organizations and businesses have contributed this free literature.

Materials for the Sustainability Section are located next to the Main Desk. All materials are available for checkout. “In the coming year, the Library will begin purchasing additional materials for the collection,” says Plumb, “but we will continue to need the support of the community to keep the Sustainability Section vital.”

Materials may be donated to the library at any time. Monetary donations for the purchase of new materials for the Sustainability Section are greatly encouraged and can be made to: Monona Public Library: Sustainability Section, 1000 Nichols Road, Monona, WI 53716.