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Climate Action Booklist For Educators: Waste and Recycling

By Amber Certain and Dhariyah Luqman, Librarian & School Outreach Specialists, Center for Educators & Schools
October 30, 2024
collage of five book covers

New York City public schools have designated four days of Climate Action during the 2024-25 school year to highlight climate education and sustainability with schoolwide events and activities. The suggested themes are "Waste," "Energy," "Health, Wellness and Green Space," and "Water." In support of these Climate Action days, The New York Public Library will be creating booklists and highlighting library resources around these themes to aid elementary and middle school educators. If you are interested in inviting a librarian to introduce these titles and materials to students please use this Invite an Outreach Librarian form to schedule a visit. Below are materials themed around waste and recycling.

Picture Books

Non-Fiction

Fiction

MyLibraryNYC Teacher Sets

MyLibraryNYC provides participating schools with enhanced library privileges including fine-free student and educator library cards, school delivery and the exclusive use of 14,000+ Teacher Sets designed for educator use in the classroom; and student and educator access to the unparalleled digital resources of New York City's public library systems as well as instructional support and professional development opportunities. Learn more.

Prompts for Classroom Discussion

NYA (National Youth Administration) girls who live at the resident center at the FSA (Farm Security Administration) farm workers' community at Eleven Mile Corner, Arizona, learn to use waste materials for toys, jewelry, etc

NYA (National Youth Administration) girls who live at the resident center at the FSA (Farm Security Administration) farm workers' community at Eleven Mile Corner, Arizona, learn to use waste materials for toys, jewelry, etc

NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 58732513

  1. Have students write an action plan about recycling and going green for school.
  2. Have students write a letter to Earth about what they will do to protect the planet.
  3. What are some ways we can recycle at school and at home?
  4. What is composting?
  5. Tell us some ways your family already recycles?
  6. What are ways you can reuse items you have like the young women in this photo found in our Digital Collections?

Bonus Prompts!

  1. Looking at these two photos that feature garbage trucks, what are some differences that you notice about then and now?
  2. Pair these prompts with this new 2024 title, Gifts From the Garbage Truck: A True Story About the Things We (Don't) Throw Away by Andrew Larsen and illustrated by Oriol Vidal.
Sanitation.

Sanitation workers.

NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 732913F

Group of Harlem youths recruited as street sweepers on 117th Street, ca. 1940s

Group of Harlem youths recruited as street sweepers on 117th Street, ca. 1940s

NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 1800872

Database Discovery

Have students explore these databases, accessible with a library card, for primary resources and fun tidbits.