April 22 is Earth Day, but I have a question: Shouldn’t every day be Earth Day? Our beautiful blue marble is special and unique, and as tenants of this one-of-a-kind planet, we should be tender caretakers. If we don’t do our job, the landlord might force us to relocate to another space in the universe. That’s a move I really do not want to make.
Earth Day started in April 1970 as a way to show support for environmental protection. According to the website earthday.org, the theme for 2024 is “Planet vs. Plastics,” and the Earth Day Organization is looking for a 60 percent reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040.
Searching the term “earth sciences” in the library’s catalog provides an intriguing list of titles. It makes sense that there are a lot of books about the Earth because, hello, the Earth is really BIG, and there’s a lot to write about. So, go do some good things for our planet — plant trees, reuse and recycle, conserve energy — and add some good Earth-friendly reads to your TBR pile.
- “Back to Earth: What Life in Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet — and Our Mission to Protect It” by Nicole Stott.
- “A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters” by Andrew H. Knoll.
- “Earth in Human Hands: Shaping Our Planet’s Future” by David Harry Grinspoon.
- “Rescuing the Planet: Protecting Half the Land to Heal the Earth” by Tony Hiss.
- “View from Above: An Astronaut Photographs the World” by Terry Virts.
