Spilling the beans on our new sustainability books

This month we have new books spilling the beans (but not letting them go to waste!) on how to eat sustainably. We can learn about the journey our fruits and vegetables take to get from the tree to our plate in Avocado Anxiety. If we want to grow our own food, there are many books to choose from, like The Sustainable Homestead or A Conscious Garden. If we want to see the bigger picture, we can learn about the mechanism of the food industry that impacts the world in Ravenous. Check them out now:

The sustainable homestead : create a thriving permaculture ecosystem with your garden, animals, and land / Ferraro-Fanning, Angela
“Whether you’re just dreaming, working on site selection, or an experienced homesteader, The Sustainable Homestead is the go-to resource to bring permaculture techniques to your crops, animals, and more.” (Catalogue)

Avocado anxiety : and other stories about where your food comes from / Gray, Louise
“How do we stop worrying about our food choices and start making decisions that make a difference? Through visits to farms, interviews with scientists and trying to grow her own, Louise Gray digs up the dirt behind organic potatoes, greenhouse tomatoes and a glut of courgettes.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Sustain : groundbreaking recipes and skills that could save the planet / Barrett, Jo
“Sustain: Groundbreaking Recipes And Skills That Could Save The Planet features over 90 recipes across 30 meals mastering a series of skills, which lead to a more sustainable kitchen.” (Catalogue)

 

Continue reading “Spilling the beans on our new sustainability books”

Reserve now our Power Meters!

You can borrow a POWER METER  to test your home appliances and get a better breakdown of your electricity usage. Reserve a power meter from our online catalogue, to be delivered to your nearest branch for a free 10 day loan period.

Get a better picture of which of your appliances are power hungry and save on electricity costs this winter!  Just click here !

Here are copies of the instructions for your reference:

ELTO EMA1:

Elto EMA1 Power Meter Instructions

POWER-MATE LITE:

Power-Mate Lite Quick-Start

powermeters_carousel

Life on the rocks: Recent books on sustainability

Here are some of our recently acquired books related to sustainability and the environment. Below, you’ll find books about green urban transport and architecture, saving our coral reefs, travelling the world in a more eco-friendly way and avoiding sustainable consumption.  

Post-Growth Living: For an Alternative Hedonism: For an Alternative Hedonism / Soper, Kate
“An urgent and passionate plea for a new and ecologically sustainable vision of the good life.The reality of runaway climate change is inextricably linked with the mass consumerist, capitalist society in which we live.” (Catalogue)

The art of gifting naturally : simple, handmade projects to create for friends and family / Maynard, Angela
“The Art of Gifting Naturally is a unique and contemporary guide to the joy of making gifts by hand. Inspired by the seasons, Angela Maynard showcases more than 25 inspiring projects that are easy to make and perfect to gift to friends and family. From soothing skincare and fragrance to jam-making and natural dyeing, Angela shows us ways to reconnect with nature and reflect its importance in gift-giving.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The bucket list eco experiences : traveling the world, sustaining the Earth / Kinsman, Juliet
“A bucket list focused on sustainable travel featuring 1,000 vacation ideas that are eco-friendly, respectful of local cultures, and highlight opportunities to give back”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

Life on the rocks : building a future for coral reefs / Berwald, Juli
“Coral reefs are a microcosm of our planet: wondrously diverse, deeply interconnected, and critically imperiled. They sustain entire ecosystems and protect vulnerable coasts. But corals across the planet are in the middle of an unprecedented die-off, beset by warming oceans, pollution, human damage, and their own devastating pandemic […] Life on the Rocks is a meditative ode to the reefs and the undaunted scientists working to save them against almost impossible odds.”– Provided by publisher.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Image sourced from amazon.co.ukGarden City: Supergreen Buildings, Urban Skyscapes and the New Planted Space / Yudina, Anna
“A spectacular global survey of the new buildings merging architecture and nature to transform our cities for a sustainable future.” (Catalogue)

Faster, smarter, greener : the future of the car and urban mobility / Sumantran, V.
“A call to redefine mobility so that it is connected, heterogeneous, intelligent, and personalized, as well as sustainable, adaptable, and city-friendly […] this book, by three experts from industry and academia, envisions a new world of mobility that is connected, heterogeneous, intelligent, and personalized (the CHIP architecture). ” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Bees at the Library!

They are here! You probably read about our new resident bees up on the rooftop of the Central Library.

Dompost article

You can find the Dominion Post daily on PressReader free via our website here

Here are a few “behind the scenes” photos we took as we brought the bees in. The bees arrived in the boot of a car, tightly strapped and wrapped, making their way up the library rooftop on library trolleys… They are library bees after all!
(Click on images to enlarge)

UnloadingBW

The hives were secured to pallets we had installed some weeks before. Their little doorways were opened.

Arrival of the bees Arrival of the bees

It was very exciting to watch the first bee come out of the mysterious wooden boxes we had been peering at!

Arrival of the bees

As Cenna was watching her brood anxiously, more or more bees came out and discovered their new environment.

Arrival of the bees

Arrival of the bees Arrival of the bees
Some bees landed on our shoulders as if to say hi.

Arrival of the bees
The weather wasn’t great but everything went well and we came back to very active and happy bees a few days later.  After months of preparations, we could finally celebrate the arrival of our new residents!
Arrival of the bees