Southeast Michigan Council  of Governemnts (SEMCOG) and the Southeast Michigan Partners for Clean Water announce the eighth annual Water Week to be held from June 1-9, 2013. The purpose of Water Week is to celebrate, learn about, and enhance the abundant water resources in Southeast Michigan. Numerous Water Week activities will be held in Southeast Michigan this year, hosted by organizations such as Friends of the Rouge and the Clinton River Watershed Council.

Once again, the library is celebrating Earth Day with an extended week's worth of programs for all ages. Join us for the following programs:

• Meatless Mondays: April 22, 7:00 PM. One meatless day per week helps take a big strain off the environment. Door to Door Organics explains.
• Michigan Made: April 23, 7:00 PM. Taste and experience Michigan made products from Heart of Michigan.
• Rain Gardens and Live Walls: April 25, 7:00 PM. Learn to create eco-friendly rain gardens and living plant walls with landscaper Jeremy Christianson.
• Native American Dancers for Mother Earth: April 27, 2:00 PM. Enjoy the rhythmic sounds and beautiful dance that celebrates Mother Earth.

On Sunday, April 14 from 2:00-3:00 PM, The Organization for Bat Conservation will present Biodiversity LIVE!  Explore the amazing variety of wildlife on planet Earth. Discover the interconnectedness between plants and animals. Topics include the balance of natural ecosystems, how humans are impacting biodiversity (habitat destruction, invasive species, climate change), and simple actions that can be taken to protect wildlife from extinction. Live animals include a bearded dragon, sugar glider and a large fruit bat.

2nd-5th Graders: Join us Tuesday, April 16th from 7:00-8:00 PM in the Purple Room to celebrate the start of Earth Week 2013 by building your own plant terrarium out of recycled materials.  Plant yummy herbs and/or beautiful flowers in a portable garden that you can take home, and enjoy a dirt-tastic dessert! 

We're celebrating Earth Day from April 14-27 and want you to join us! There will be events for everyone including:

• Biodiversity LIVE! — Sunday, April 14, 2:00-3:00 PM
• Meatless Mondays with Door to Door Organics — Monday, April 22, 7:00-8:30 PM
• Heart of Michigan - Michigan Made Products — Tuesday, April 23, 7:00-8:30 PM
• Rain Gardens and Live Walls — Thursday, April 25, 7:00-8:30 PM
• Native American Dancers — Saturday, April 27, 2:00-3:00 PM

Earth Hour began as a symbolic action of switching off lights for an hour and has grown into a continuous movement attempting to change the world we live in.

Let's kick off the Earth Week festivities with Meatless Monday.  Learn from Door to Door Organics Jessica Gurney how to eat locally grown, healthy meals.  By making at least one meal per week a meatless meal, not only do we benefit, but so does our environment and our beloved Michigan.  Join us on Monday, April 22 at 7:00 PM for this informative program that might change your eating habits for the better.

Earth Week presents the Heart of Michigan featuring Michigan-made products onTuesday, April 23 at 7:00 PM.  See, taste and experience some the fabulous items grown and made locally.  Support our great state of Michigan as well as our environment. 

As we continue our Earth Week celebrations, we invite you to meet Jeremy Christianson, a local landscape designer.  Christianson will share the secrets to an eco friendly rain garden and a live wall garden.  See how you can make your yard beautiful while having a positive impact on our precious Earth on Thursday, April 25 at 7:00 PM. 

Celebrate Mother Earth with authentic Native American Dancers led by Reg Pettibone. To wrap up our week-long Earth Week activities, we welcome the Native American Dancers who will entertain us in a very special way on Saturday, April 27 at 2:00 PM. Everyone is welcome to see the beautiful, colorful costumes and the outstanding dance moves that praise our planet.

The Huron River Watershed Council (HRWC) seeks volunteers for its annual Winter Stonefly Search on Saturday, January 26. Interested individuals are invited to come on their own or bring a small team of friends and family for a unique wintertime activity in the Huron River. Children are welcome to attend with an adult. First time volunteers need to fill out a basic information form and a program registration form. Registration closes on Wednesday, January 23.

The Nature Conservancy announced a first-of-its-kind television and Web special, designed to convene a discussion on the solutions to the threats posed by dangerous invasive species in the Great Lakes. This special event "Great Lakes Now Connect: Invasive Species" broadcast on January 15, but you can still view it as an archive. For more information on invasive species search CPL's Science in Context database for "invasive species" or "biological invasions."

[Goby by Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory is licensed by CC BY-NC 2.0]

Send your old incandescent holiday lights to HolidayLEDs.com and not only will they recycle them for you but they will also send you a coupon for 15% off anything on their website. You can also drop them off at Whole Foods Market in Ann Arbor. For more green holiday ideas, check out "I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas: Gifts, Decorations, and Recipes that Use Less and Mean More" by Anna Getty.

Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is another day, one dedicated to the businesses that boost the economy and invigorate neighborhoods across the country. It's Small Business Saturday®, and this year it’s happening on November 24th. Remember that while shopping small can help boost the economy, shopping local can also help the environment.

Join us on Sunday, October 14 from 9:00 AM-1:00 PM at the Canton Farmers Market's Annual Harvest Celebration. Held at the historical Preservation Park, this celebration will include crafts, stories, and Halloween Parade, so come dressed in your finest costume garb. See you there!
[After our trip to the pumpkin patch by knitsteel is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0]

Did you receive your last energy bill and wonder where all that money is going? You may want to "check out" the Kill A Watt energy meters (available for check out at CPL). The Kill A Watt energy meter can help you find out how much energy your appliances are consuming. By connecting appliances to the meter it will assess how efficiently they are running. The LCD display will count consumption by the kilowatt-hour, same as your local utility. You can calculate your electrical expenses by the day, week, month, even an entire year.

On Sunday, August 19, CPL staff visits the Canton Farmer's Market to host storytimes and crafts. On this Sunday, Canton Leisure Service will also be holding a book exchange. All are invited to bring their gently used books to the market where you may exchange with other book lovers for some fresh titles to add to your home library. The Canton Farmer's Market is open from 9:00 AM-1:00 PM. Storytimes are at 10:00 AM and Noon. Open to all ages.

The fourth annual Buy Michigan Now Festival begins today, August 3rd, and runs through the weekend. The festival takes place in Northville and is a celebration of the state’s annual Buy Michigan Week. It includes sidewalk sales, street vendors, live music, and children’s activities, all highlighting Michigan-based businesses and Michigan-made products.