This is a little pep talk from our friends at Sustainable Jungle, because sometimes we just need to know someone understands.
Confession: Sometimes I Miss Convenience
A little grief, a little guilt — and why it’s still worth it.
Amber McDaniel Sep 04, 2025
https://sustainablejungle.substack.com/p/confession-sometimes-i-miss-convenience
Here is an Audubon article from 2 years ago!
This pretty bird makes quite a journey and has an interesting story.
A Migrating Cuckoo Named Hummus Makes a Tasty Case for Land Conservation
https://www.audubon.org/magazine/migrating-cuckoo-named-hummus-makes-tasty-case-land-conservation
File this one under "I always forget that I can do that!" Or is it that we have been so conditioned to think we always have to buy things? Either way, I think renting or borrowing sounds like a good idea to consider, for saving $ and the planet!
Where to rent (almost) anything
Need a tent, a tool, a tablescape? Borrow before you buy.
ByCorinne Iozzio August 28, 2025
https://one5c.com/where-to-rent-camping-gear-and-more-137208684/
Well, you can bet that this e-mail from Sustainable Jungle caught my attention!
"My Secret to a More Sustainable Summer? Doing Less."
Yesss! Sign me up!!
https://preview.mailerlite.io/emails/webview/1343109/160360014427456849
I am happy to share this upbeat story from Evanston that everyone can benefit from and enjoy. You may remember that last year I told you about our library and their creation of the Blueberry Awards, for children's books about climate and nature. They have just announced the 2024 awards.
March 21, 2025 by Betsy Bird
You won't save what you don't love" I once heard someone say. So it's important to spend time enjoying nature- the sights, sounds, and all it has to offer. Going back into the archives, I found this nice story about the songs of birds from Sierra. There are links to other bird stories at the end of the article, too. I love the author's name!
Playing to the Beat of the Birds
Podcast: Composers and musicians who draw their inspiration from birdsong
By Marlowe Starling August 24, 2023
More about birds: Here is another one from the archives, this time from Audubon:
When It’s Okay (or Not)
to Feed Birds
Providing food—for photography or simple enjoyment—can be a thorny issue. For guidance, ask yourself these three questions.
https://www.audubon.org/magazine/when-its-okay-or-not-feed-birds
Here is a very interesting story about mushrooms from Sierra, with some facts you might not know!
I took a little trip into the "archives" to see what I might find. I know it's not summer (not even close!), but if you're looking for something to read to get your mind off the news, or perhaps to take on a vacation, here are some ideas from Sierra.
3 Must-Read Books for Your Climate-Heating Summer Reading List
These stories illuminate the realities and the stakes of life in a warming world
By Jason Mark , Jonathan Hahn , Osha Gray Davidson August 6, 2023
Well, here's something different. A trip back to the "archives" unearths this article from Sierra:
Your Cli-Fi Starter Pack
Explore the possibilities of climate change with these five reads
By Aarohi Sheth August 13, 2023
"Climate fiction, or cli-fi for short, is an emerging genre that centers on the consequences—and possibilities—of the climate crisis. Though the term itself is pretty new—coined in 2007 by English teacher and former journalist Dan Bloom, eager to push climate science stories into the mainstream—the elements of climate fiction have been written about for centuries.
In the late 1880s, Jules Verne imagined climate change due to the tilting of Earth’s axis in The Purchase of the North Pole. In the early '60s, Brian Aldiss’s book of short stories, Hothouse, created a world of omnivorous, sentient plants, hot temperatures, and humans living on the brink of extinction. Similarly, J.G. Ballard wrote body horror-esque, insidious tales of rising seas and an Earth that turns more and more unrecognizable. In her 1993 novel Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler suffused themes of climate change, capitalism, and injustice, mirroring—even foretelling—reality. Margaret Atwood pushed the genre into the 2000s with the dystopian MaddAddam trilogy."
David Lipsky’s "The Parrot and the Igloo" delivers a noir-ish take on the climate change saga
By Jason Mark August 8, 2023
Every New Year, I get the urge to organize and clean out the "old", the same goes for computer files. So I went into the "archives" of old emails, and was surprised to find a book review from Sierra Club that just happened to be the same book that was recommended by a member of my League of Women Voters Climate Interest Group, Steve! Yes, men are in the League. Anyway, it sounds an interesting read, about climate and science denial: The Parrot and the Igloo.
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/book-review-parrot-igloo-lipsky
By Pope Francis
All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned
and forgotten of this Earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the Earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize
that we are profoundly united with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace.
Amen.
Catholic Climate Covenant Oct 11, 2024
“He hushed the storm to silence, the waves of the sea were stilled. They rejoiced that the sea grew calm, that God brought them to the harbor they longed for.” (Psalms 107:29-31)
https://catholicclimatecovenant.substack.com/p/statement-praying-for-those-impacted-3ee
The Northeast Has
Unexpected Old-Growth Forests
That Survived Colonial Axes
Expanding the remaining patches may hold the key to ecological resilience in the centuries to come
By Krista Langlois June 10, 2024
How about a book review? The books are about animals, and probably not what you would expect! This article is from Sierra: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2024-2-summer/critic-s-notebook/more-human-points-view
August 1, 2024 Do you like stories about animals, and people who try to help them? Here's a story about whales affected by climate change from Sierra that you might like:
Where Compassion and Conservation Meet
Marine biologists are claiming compassionate conservation as a new ethos
By Christopher Preston July 1, 2024
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2024-2-summer/notes-here-there/whales-compassionate-conservation
‘It’s the fight of our life,’ says Jack Hanson
by Wendy Pollock June 16th, 2024
Here is a great article from our local news source about one of Evanston's own becoming a climate activist and telling about his journey that brought him back to Evanston!
By Laurie Lawlor March 24th, 2024
And the Winners are...
The Blueberry Awards are here! And there are more than one! Here in our local online newspaper, The Evanston Roundtable, you can read about the 2 winners, and some of the special awards, too! To find out who won, click the link below!
https://evanstonroundtable.com/2024/03/16/and-the-winners-are/
the blueberry award
This weekend I went with Gary to a "convening" of climate groups at our community center, organized by Climate Action Evanston.
https://www.climateactionevanston.org/
One of the speakers was a librarian from the Evanston Public Library. She told us about their Blueberry Award program for "kids' books that inspire love of nature & action for planet earth". What a great idea! "The Blueberry Awards honor literature that best supports kids' connection to and stewardship of the Earth in a given year." She also told us that children are very concerned and worried about climate change, so the books must approach the subject in a way that doesn't scare them. They are hoping that this idea can spread and become nation wide! Wouldn't that be awesome! She had many of the candidates for this year's award there for us to look at, and they all looked wonderful! I think books like these would make great gifts, perhaps for Easter, Passover, or birthdays.
I will put links below to the library and the name of last year's winner.
2022 Blueberry Award Winner:
Listen to the Language of the Trees: a story of how forests communicate underground
By Tera Kelley Illustrated by Marie Hermansson
Here are some of the nominees:
AGATHA MAY AND THE ANGLERFISH
By Nora Morrison & Jessie Ann Foley Illustrated by Nora Song
"A funny, fish-filled story about the joys of learning, and the rewards that come with staying true to who you are"
More: I wanted to update this now that I have shared these Blueberry Award nominated books with my grandson. He liked them all! I read them to him once, then he has had me read them (all) to him 2 more times! So I would say that's a thumbs up. He is 4 going on 5, loves animals the outdoors. Just in case you need a gift idea, or ideas for a spring break library trip.
Uncle John's City Garden by Bernette G. Ford, illustrated by Frank Morrison
Hidden Animal Colors by Jane Park
Building by Henry Cole
Maybe You Might by Imogene Foxell, illustrated by Anne Cunhao
Prayer for the ability to listen in everyday life
Lord, You have gifted me with the sense of hearing. I can hear well the noise of the street, the clicking of the keyboard, my voice raised in anger. I have a harder time hearing the birds when they sing of the hope and beauty of Your world in the morning. I can't hear my neighbor when she complains of deprivation, or the cry of children who lack love. I can't hear the hum of the trees that tell me I am part of creation. Help Lord. Touch my ears and open my soul so that I can hear it all and listen to the silence in which You dwell. Through Christ our Lord, Amen. Originally written in Polish by Dominika Borkowska, Laudato Si’ Animator. Kielce, Poland. Laudato Si' Movement Prayer Book Laudato Si' Mo
The Catskill Animal Sanctuary is looking for a new home.
I visited this place when I lived in the Hudson Valley. It was a wonderful home for all kinds of animals, mostly farm animals, who had been rescued. A place where they could live out their lives in peace and love. Sad to see that they have to move because of climate change.
"Why move? Quite simply, climate change has transformed our property. Despite extensive work to our infrastructure to mitigate its worst effects, we've experienced extreme erosion, excessive tree loss, and flooding that worsens with each passing year. Engineers, flood mitigation experts, and soil and water specialists all tell us the same thing: We’re in a valley. There’s nothing more that we can do.
And so, for the safety and happiness of our animals, for the opportunity to build a Sanctuary that will withstand unpredictable weather events and allow us to fully realize both parts of our mission, it's time to move on. While sadness accompanies such a move, there is joy and excitement in equal measure!
Our hope is to find, fund, and open our new home in 2024/2025; our search is underway."
Here's a story from Sierra (The Sierra Club's magazine) by Cynthia Kaufman.
I was intrigued by this because my favorite thing (besides my family) is travel,
and it sounded like a fun, upbeat article.
Climate Stories Project
The Sierra Club's magazine Sierra had a wonderful article about people in all kinds of places recording oral histories about climate change entitled Word of Mouth. There are stories written down, audio recordings, videos and even music. Please check them out:
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/1-spring/critic-s-notebook/word-mouth
Most High, all-powerful, good Lord,
Yours are the praises, the glory, and the honour, and all blessing.
To You alone, Most High, do they belong,
and no human is worthy to mention Your name.
Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun,
Who is the day and through whom You give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour; and bears a likeness of You, Most High One.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather, through whom You give sustenance to Your creatures.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom You light the night,
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with coloured flowers and herbs.
Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love,
and bear infirmity and tribulation.
Blessed are those who endure in peace for by You, Most High, shall they be crowned.
Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whom no one living can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin.
Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will,
for the second death shall do them no harm.
Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks and serve Him with great humility.
St. Francis of Assisi (1224 A.D.) Laudato Si' Movement Prayer Book