The environment is important to Canton Public Library and the Canton community. Canton Green Resources include:

Green/Environment

Love Your Earth

May 17, 2021 | agudenburr
View from forest floor looking up to the sky. Trees tower overhead with bits of sky peeking through.

Today is a great day to love the planet! Respecting the Earth today ensures that we have a beautiful place to call home in the future. Use the resources and ideas below to learn about ways to enjoy nature, lower your environmental impact, and more!

 

Image "low angle photography of high angle trees during daytime" by Angela Benito on Unsplash. 

Love Your Earth Book Lists

Take a Ride

June 15, 2020 | Patton

If it's about time for a change of scenery, bicycling is a great way to escape. Biking offers benefits to your health, your finances, and the environment. It's easy to hop on your bike and take a ride with no particular destination. And if you build your bicycle knowledge and skills, who knows where the ride might take you. Check out the links below to get all the info on bicycling. Be safe and wear a helmet. 

Head back to the 62 Days of Summer page for more ways to participate in the summer program!

Michigan Bike Laws, Health, and Safety

Fast Fashion: Going Green With Your Wardrobe

January 23, 2020 | Alyssa Y

So, you've started bringing reusable bags to the grocery store, and maybe have started using less straws when you get drinks. But have you ever thought about the eco-impact of your clothes? How about the human impact? Do you know about the fabrics in your wardrobe? Or who made your clothes, and if they're paid living wages?

These authors and documentarians dive into all these issues and more. 

Overdressed : the shockingly high cost of cheap fashion by Elizabeth L Cline
Also available in: e-audiobook
The conscious closet : the revolutionary guide to looking good while doing good by Elizabeth L Cline

Share a Story: Flowers Storytime

December 9, 2019 | strande

 

Did you miss our Flowers Storytime this week? Don't worry, here's what you missed, plus a few more suggestions so you can create your own blooming storytime at home, complete with songs and stories.

Don't need a full storytime? Borrow a rhyme when you need a short distraction, or check out these materials and spend a few minutes reading together.

Caterpillar and bean by Martin Jenkins

What's that wedged in a crack in the ground, small and hard and wrinkly and brown? A bean seed! Soon it develops roots and leaves. And whats that on the leaf? An egg! The egg hatches a caterpillar, and the caterpillar eats the leaves, getting bigger until it forms a chrysalis. Meanwhile, the plant grows, too: it develops flowers, then bean pods as it reaches up toward the sun. 

 

SNAP SNAP WENT THE VENUS FLY TRAP (inspired by jbrary)

Snap snap went the venus fly trap one day, snap snap went the venus fly trap.

Snap snap went the venus fly trap one day, and they all went snap snap snap. But…

We know fly traps go [clap] la de la de la [wavey arms]

[clap] la de la de la [wavey arms], [clap] la de la de la [wavey arms]

We know fly traps go [clap] la de la de la [wavey arms], they don’t go snap snap snap.

 

Buzz buzz went the bee on the flower one day, buzz buzz went the bee on the flower.

Buzz buzz went the bee on the flower one day, and they all went buzz buzz buzz. But…

We know flowers go [clap] rub a dub a dub [running arms]

[clap] rub a dub a dub [running arms], [clap] rub a dub a dub [running arms]

We know flowers go [clap] rub a dub a dub [running arms], they don’t go buzz buzz buzz.

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Veganism and Plant-Based Lifestyles

October 25, 2019 | Alyssa Y

In October, the Canton Public Library has a beautiful display and collaboration with VegMichigan about the health benefits of going vegan or plant-based. Additionally, we had a presentation on reversing chronic illness with a plant-based diet from Marc Ramirez of Chickpea and Bean (and former U of M football player). Whether you are curious about the display or presentation, or want a refresher on some of the books and documentaries available, here is just a taste of the many vegan and plant-based offerings the library has. 

Documentaries / Movies

Forks over knives [videodisc]
Also available in: e-video

National Honey Bee Day is August 17

August 1, 2019 | sobczakd

Honeybees are responsible for pollinating crops and producing honey that provide one third of the food we eat. National Honey Bee Day recognizes the contribution of honeybees and how much of a positive impact they have on our world. Honeybees are amazing. They can fly for miles, defend their hive against predators, and survive harsh weather conditions. But they are vulnerable to climate change. National Honey Bee Day aims to raise public awareness to not the flight of the bumble bee but their plight. Interested in bees or beekeeping? Here are some resources to inspire any bee enthusiast. 

Honey bee hobbyist : the care and keeping of bees by N. E. (Norman E.) Gary

A Practical Guide to an Enjoyable HobbyBee keeping isn't just for the professional farmer--bees can be kept in any situation from simple backyards and rooftops to large expanses of farmland. Discover whether honey beekeeping is right for you, and find out everything you need to know to keep and acquire bees in this updated guide. Honey Bee Hobbyist, 2nd Edition will help novice beekeepers fully understand this exciting pastime. Dr. Norman Gary, a world-renowned honey bee expert and enthusiast, counsels beginners on all things honeybee related. He takes readers from finding bees and housing them to collecting honey and using their produce for pleasure and possible profit. With more than 100 fascinating color photographs and tips and tricks acquired over half a century of beekeeping, this practical handbook is your first step toward a wonderful and rewarding lifelong hobby.Honey Bee Hobbyist, 2nd Edition will show you how to: Start your own hive; Understand the life and times of honey bees; Care for your bees in each season and at every stage of life; Expand your apiary; Keep your neighbors happy; Educate others about bees; Get the most out of your new hobby.

The backyard beekeeper : an absolute beginner's guide to keeping bees in your yard and garden by Kim Flottum

More than a guide to beekeeping, this handbook features expert advice for:

  • Setting up and caring for your own colonies
  • Selecting the best location to place your new bee colonies for their safety and yours
  • The most practical and nontoxic ways to care for your bees
  • Swarm control
  • Using top bar hives
  • Harvesting the products of a beehive and collecting and using honey
  • Bee problems and treatments

What's New in the guide? Information for urban bees and beekeepers such as:

  • Using your smoker the right way 
  • Better pest management
  • Providing consistent and abundant good food 
  • Keeping your hives healthy

With this complete resource and the expert advice of Bee Culture editor Kim Flottum, your bees will be healthy, happy, and more productive. 

Reduce, Reuse, Upcycle

stenzell

In honor of Earth Day 2019, come learn some simple ways to reduce your use of plastics and create a beautiful flower craft from recycled plastic bottles. Supplies are provided - just bring yourself and your creativity!

This program is for adults 18 years and older. 

plastic flowers, plastic bottles, craft
Registration required.

Upcoming sessions

There are no upcoming sessions available.

The Great Backyard Bird Count

February 12, 2019 | kimba
Cardinal

You can participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)! The GBBC is a joint project of Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society and is sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited and takes place February 15-18, 2019. Count the birds in your backyard, and then simply report the information online. Your information becomes part of an extensive data base that is analyzed by scientists to better understand important trends in bird populations, range expansions, habitat changes and shifts in migration patterns. [Photo courtesy of AP Images]

Free SE Michigan ParkFinder App

June 11, 2018 | Patton

SEMCOG announces the launch of Southeast Michigan ParkFinder, a new mobile app that makes it easier than ever to explore recreation opportunities throughout the seven-county region. The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) created a mapping app to help you find parks in the region on your smart phone or on the web. Simply go to maps.semcog.org/ParkFinder to use the map and get access to the ParkFinder app for iPhone and Android smart devices. 

Best Non-Fiction of 2017

January 1, 2018 | madame librarian

Every year the Canton Public Library staff name their favorite book of the year.  This list is a mixture of  Adult, Teen, Tween, and Children's Non-fiction published between December 2016 - December 2017.

There's no such thing as bad weather : a Scandinavian mom's secrets for raising healthy, resilient, and confident kids (from friluftsliv to hygge) by Linda Akeson McGurk

When Swedish-born Linda McGurk moved to small-town Indiana with her American husband to start a family, she quickly realized that her outdoorsy ways were not the norm. In Sweden children play outside all year round, regardless of the weather, and letting young babies nap outside in freezing temperatures is not only common--it is a practice recommended by physicians. In the US, on the other hand, she found that the playgrounds, which she had expected to find teeming with children, were mostly deserted. In preschool, children were getting drilled to learn academic skills, while their Scandinavian counterparts were climbing trees, catching frogs, and learning how to compost. Worse, she realized that giving her daughters the same freedom to play outside that she had enjoyed as a child in Sweden could quickly lead to a visit by Child Protective Services. 

Birding without borders : an obsession, a quest, and the biggest year in the world by Noah K Strycker

Traveling to 41 countries in 2015 with a backpack and binoculars, Noah Strycker became the first person to see more than half the world's 10,000 species of birds in one year.  In 2015, Noah Strycker set himself a lofty goal: to become the first person to see half the world's birds in one year. For 365 days, with a backpack, binoculars, and a series of one-way tickets, he traveled across forty-one countries and all seven continents, eventually spotting 6,042 species--by far the biggest birding year on record. This is no travelogue or glorified checklist. Noah ventures deep into a world of blood-sucking leeches, chronic sleep deprivation, airline snafus, breakdowns, mudslides, floods, war zones, ecologic devastation, conservation triumphs, common and iconic species, and scores of passionate bird lovers around the globe. By pursuing the freest creatures on the planet, Noah gains a unique perspective on the world they share with us--and offers a hopeful message that even as many birds face an uncertain future, more people than ever are working to protect them.

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