Earth Day is April 22, and this year’s theme is Our Power, Our Planet.
The library offers events, information, and resources focused on sustainability and environmental issues all year. In April, we continue to learn, take action, and collaborate on special events.
Below, find events for all ages and staff-curated collections of books focused on the climate crisis, urban foraging, native gardening, and more.
Earth Month events
Join us for these special Earth Month events in April, and see more upcoming sustainability events on the library calendar. Click on the name of each event for more information and registration.
Earth Month Community Collage
Wednesday, April 8, 3:30–5:30 pm, Main Library
Join us for this all-ages program in contributing to a community Earth Month collage. Drop by and decorate a square with words, scraps, patterns, and/or pictures to convey a message for or about the Earth, things you love, and things you do to care for it.
Earth Lounge Book Discussion: You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World
Wednesday, April 15, 6 pm, Main Library
Edited and introduced by the twenty-fourth Poet Laureate of the United States, Ada Limón, this collection challenges what we think we know about “nature poetry,” illuminating the myriad ways our landscapes—both literal and literary—are changing. The book features 50 previously unpublished poems from some of the nation’s most accomplished poets, including Joy Harjo, Diane Seuss, Rigoberto González, Jericho Brown, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, and Paul Tran.
Earth Day Activities for Kids & Families
Wednesday, April 22, 3:30–5 pm, Main Library
Let’s celebrate Earth Day! Participate in fun hands-on activities that promote environmental awareness, sustainability, and a connection to nature.
One Earth Film Festival: How to Power a City
Friday, April 24, 5:45–8:30 pm, offsite at Oak Park River Forest High School
How to Power a City explores the front lines of the clean-energy revolution. From zeitgeist solar adopters to hurricane survival and communities fighting to keep the lights on, How to Power a City showcases a diverse group of people leading the way to our nation’s clean-energy future.