This week’s post was written by Madeleine Charney, Sustainability Studies Librarian at UMass Amherst. She writes that the best part of her job is working one-on-one with students on their sustainability-related projects. Outside of academia, Madeleine is an avid gardener, learning to make medicine from the plants she grows.
As the Sustainability Studies Librarian at the UMass Amherst Libraries, I found Colin Beavan’s tale of transformation, in No Impact Man, fascinating and inspiring. His story is entertaining, educational, and humble. He admits up front to being a newbie in the world of “going green.” We learn alongside him as he navigates (and sometimes stumbles) through unfamiliar territory and shifting ideals and identities. May we all be inspired to “just try.” This is his primary message: Just try.
Along the way, Beavan makes specific references to organizations, projects, places, and people who support his journey. Wisely, he provides all this information at the end of his book. You can find the same information, one click away, in the UMass Amherst Library’s Subject Guide for the Common Read 2013: No Impact Man.
Use the Library’s guide to expand your experience of the Common Read. Click Books and travel up the 26-story tower where you’ll discover other stories of simple living, the local food movement, the history of waste, and more (stop on floor 23 for a spectacular view!). Click Films and pick one of these gems off the shelf on floor 6 (pop some corn and invite friends over for movie night!). Got a research paper or project related to these topics? Click Articles for quick access to databases such as GreenR, GreenFile, and Sustainabilty Watch. Need assistance? Send me an email and we’ll find time to work together.
On your way to checking out your books and movies, stop by the Common Read exhibit in the Learning Commons, on the ground floor of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library.
Finally, the Library invites you to a screening of the documentary No Impact Man on August 23, 2013, at noon in the Teaching Commons (26th floor). I will lead a discussion from 1:30-2:00 pm while we enjoy some light refreshments. Joining us will be staff from the Jones Library, the public library in downtown Amherst. Please RSVP to Linda Merritt.