Want to teach your kids about living green? Not sure where to start? The Green Parent is a handy guide with helpful tips that show parents and kids how to live environmentally-friendly lives. With this book, you'll learn how to make a waste-free lunch, buy organic foods, give green gifts and much more. There are even hints for buying eco-friendly clothes and helping your pets be earth-friendly, too! Your family will be on the path to living a greener life in no time...you just might become the greenest family on the block!

The CAR Allowance Rebate System (CARS), commonly referred to as Cash for Clunkers officially began on July 24th. Under this $1 billion government program consumers qualify for a cash credit towards the purchase of a more environmentally-friendly vehicle from a participating dealer when they trade in a less fuel-efficient car or truck. This program is also designed to help energize the economy; boost auto sales and put safer, cleaner and more fuel-efficient vehicles on the nation's roadways. Eligibility requirements and other details can be found at the official website for the program, CARS.gov.

Beatrix Potter's birthday is July 28th, so spend this weekend celebrating! Beatrix Potter was an author, illustrator and environmentalist. You can check out one of her amazing books about Peter Rabbit and his friends, and while you're in the library see if you can spot her illustration hanging behind the Children's Reference Desk. If you're interested in learning more about Beatrix Potter and her work, take a look at The World of Peter Rabbit or the Beatrix Potter Society.

Are you a passionate young person who wants to help the environment? Why not become an environmentalist? Check out these books on what an environmentalist does for the planet. Also, take a look at this eMagazine called Young Environmentalists for resources, tips and advice on making the planet a healthier place to live.

State Representatives Dian Slavens (D-Canton) and Marc Corriveau (D-Northville) will hold a special green town hall meeting on Thursday, July 23 at 6pm in the Community Room. They will share information about job opportunities in new and emerging industries like renewable energy. Slavens and Corriveau will be joined by Liesl Clark, deputy director of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth. No registration is necessary.

According to greentechmedia.com, a small rooftop wind turbine will be available in the fall from ACE Hardware. The Honeywell Wind Turbine, produced by EarthTronics (a Muskegon, Michigan-based company) is being advertised as an affordable wind turbine at an estimated MSRP of $4,500 (plus $1,500 installation fee) and can produce power from winds that range in speed from two miles per hour to 45 miles per hour.

An April, 2009 paper by the National Resources Defense Council found that certain flea and tick pet collars have such a high concentration of toxins that they may cause cancer and other health disorders. These chemicals are especially dangerous to young children who are more likely to ingest them than adults.
For natural alternatives to pet care, read Pets and the Planet by Carol Frischmann.

Greenpeace International has released its annual "Guide to Greener Electronics" which ranks the 17 top manufacturers of personal computers, mobile phones, TV's and games consoles according to their policies on toxic chemicals, recycling and climate change. Greenpeace provides a score for each company from 1 - 10 (10 being the best) with a brief explanation. If you can't get enough of green technology resources, check out what CPL has to offer.

Did you enjoy Dr. Seuss' The Lorax? Want to learn more about what you can do to help the environment? Check out The Lorax Project. Besides great information about how to protect the forests and other endangered species, you can also play games, look at pictures of different habitats, track the Lorax in different parts of the world and meet friends of the Lorax like lemurs, red pandas and golden lion tamarins all on this website.

Today is so beautiful out, friends! Take advantage of the sunshine and warm weather and make a trek outside. Celebrate Nature Photography Day and create some art by capturing the world around you.  Michigan is full of parks, lakes, and gardens. Check out an old favorite or discover a new one. Good luck and happy snapping!

Do you wish you could change your life and make it just a little more environmentally sound? Many people do, but with so much information out there on how to go green, it can be overwhelming. Here are a few handpicked, current titles to help you work toward a more eco-friendly existence.

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown is one of our new picture books, located on the new shelf in the children's department. It is about a young boy named Liam who decides to grow a small garden in the midst of a new cement filled city. Before he knows it the whole city is becoming greener as his garden grows and his efforts inspire others to grow their own gardens. The pictures are busy and fun to look at again and again. This is a great book about spring, gardens and making a difference in the environment.

Backyards: A Sunset Design Guide by Bridget Biscotti Bradley is full of beautiful images of backyard spaces that are, unlike those in many landscaping books, realistic for suburban homeowners like us. The spaces are reasonably sized and range in style from clean modern to cozy cottage and beyond. A bonus is that throughout, the author of the book provide tips on how to use native materials for a greener, more sustainable result.

"Green" and "eco" are popular terms today, but how do we explain these concepts to young children? Why not teach them about nature through a series of picture books based on the life of Henry David Thoreau? In these books, Henry is a bear and a very self-sufficient one. He walks to work, grows his own food, hikes thirty miles to a neighboring town, barters and builds his own home. These picture books are a wonderful way to begin a conversation about the environment and an appreciation for nature.

• Henry Hikes to Fitchburg
• Henry Builds a Cabin
• Henry Climbs a Mountain
• Henry Works
• Henry's Night

You love your pet. You care about the environment. Pets and the Planet helps you make informed decisions when it comes to involving your four-legged or feathered family members in your mission to leave less of a footprint on the planet. This book gives you all the information you need to understand sustainability as a pet owner and how to make the best choices for your pet and the environment.

As part of our ongoing effort to make Canton Library an environmentally friendly building, our Housekeeping staff will be trained and certified in "green" cleaning procedures. It doesn't cost more to use safe effective cleaning products and procedures. In fact, in most cases, it costs less. The benefits are obvious. You get a clean , healthy building without using the products which are harmful to our environment. Using "green"  cleaning products is also much healthier for our Housekeeping staff. There is a wealth of information about "green buildings" available from the U.S. Green Building Council website.  We are also changing over our hand soap to a foaming cleanser and will be installing roll towel dispensers in our restrooms.

Wayne County parks are 90 years old this year and they are celebrating with a host of activities throughout the park system. From Movies at Dusk and Jazz on the River, to Pirate Palooza or Mud Day, there's something to appeal to all tastes. Pick up your copy of the 2009 Wayne County Parks Schedule of Events brochure in our lobby and find the event that's right for you.

The Goode Family is an obsessively “green” family who live a politically correct lifestyle. They are continually trying to do “good” things like reusing shopping bags, driving hybrid cars, recycle and generally maintain a small footprint - much to the annoyance of everyone around them.

What's the Rachel Carson Sense of Wonder Contest 2009 about? The EPA, Generations United, the Dance Exchange, and the Rachel Carson Council, Inc., announce a poetry, essay, photo and dance contest "that best expresses the Sense of Wonder that you feel for the sea, the night sky, forests, birds, wildlife, and all that is beautiful to your eyes." Entries need to be by a team of at least 2 people from different generations. Teams can be of people who are related or not related to one another.

What the World Eats, photographed by Peter Menzel and written by Faith D'Aluisio, is a look at families from around the world and what they eat in a typical week. The menu varies widely, as you can imagine, and there is quite a bit of variety represented. Interspersed with the photos and interviews with the families are facts about nutrition, health, wealth, and a bunch of other topics that relate to what we eat.