Grown in Detroit

Thu, 09/06/2012 - 12:24pm by manz

Detroit is a city that has been reviving itself for decades, as new generations bring new life to the city. With the city’s growth has also come growth in urban agriculture, as people are turning vacant lots into fertile land. Some call it the greening of a gray city.

The documentary film Grown in Detroit focuses on a group of students at Detroit’s Ferguson Academy for Young Women, a high school for pregnant teens, as they work in the school's urban garden and learn how to grow nutritious food for their children. One of only three schools in the country for this population, the curriculum focuses on helping these teens care for themselves and their children, and uses urban farming as a means to teach them.

The students featured in Grown in Detroit are at first underwhelmed by the amount of physical labor required for farming. The teen moms eventually realize that they can profit from the food they are growing, as well as provide nutritious food for their children and themselves, all stemming from the fruits of their labor. It’s a beautiful film that places an eye on this unique opportunity happening for these girls -- right here in Detroit.

In addition to being available on DVD at AADL, the film is also available for instant online streaming to logged-in AADL cardholders here! You can also watch it on the Grown in Detroit website, where you pay whatever denomination you want in order to view it.

Composting

Tue, 07/31/2012 - 1:31pm by ballybeg

The comforting reality is: you cannot fail at composting. Nature’s whole impulse is to break down organic substances and in her service are gazillions of bacteria, fungi and crawly critters. It will happen slowly without any intervention. For the purposes of a gardener, or just your average recycler, it is very useful to speed up the process and that is where this lovely book comes in to tell you how.

I have read all the books in our collection on compost and more besides (ok, I love the stuff) but, though they all individually have merits, all you need is Composting by Bob Flowerdew. With a name like that you’ve got to trust this guy. A small, handsome book, in this case less is more, and he says it all succinctly and clearly and gets it right.

Everyone can compost. Initially it takes some effort to get set up, but then it is painless. You can take your yard scraps and weeds, your kitchen scraps and garbage, that inedible zucchini you overlooked in the garden which grew to baseball-bat length, your leaves in the fall and, if you are lucky enough to find a source, manure from animals that eat grass, and turn it all into rich, ‘black gold’, which will enrich your soil and actually inoculate it against pests which like to attack what grows in your garden. It will make your vegetables and bushes and flowers grow beyond belief and give you a rich medium for your houseplants and seedlings. Add to that the fact that you keep all of those things out of the waste cycle. Everything wins! Besides it is magical to watch and participate in the life cycle of nature.

The best apologist for compost turns out to be Walt Whitman. His poem, “This Compost” is a beautiful statement about the efficiency with which the Earth will transform waste to fertility.
“Now I am terrified at the Earth, it is that calm and patient, It grows such sweet things out of such corruptions.”

"Tales of the New World"

Mon, 07/16/2012 - 8:17am by ErinDurrett

From time to time, the desire or the time to commit to a full length novel just isn't there; this is where short stories come in. The best selling point of short stories is that if you are not particularly interested in one story, you can move on the the next without the guilt that can come with putting an entire book to rest without consideration.

Tales of the New World is a collection of ten short stories by PEN/Faulkner Award winner Sabina Murray. Some of the stories are firsthand accounts and others outside perspectives of exploring new lands around the world. Murray delves into the complex world of writing historical fiction focused on recognized historical figures. A few well-known explorers are represented in this compilation, including Magellan and Balboa, as well as lesser known explorers, such as English-born Mary Kingsley.

While there is a definite tone of bleakness and isolation, Tales of the New World offers a fascinating glimpse into the perspective of world explorers, with fictional tales of adventure tinged with strife.

Orion Book Awards: Sacred & Subversive Literature

Mon, 04/30/2012 - 5:50pm by ballybeg

Orion blends ethics, opinion, literature, nature, economy, travel and art into the most thoughtful and beautiful environmental magazine available. Its writers are intelligent, brave, eloquent and informed. It examines the most urgent and complex cultural and environmental issues of our time, while offering inspiration and optimism. Hope for the future echoes in its pages, without glossing over its belief that we have work to do.

Every year in April, Orion rewards the five books published the previous year which they feel best deepen our connection to the themes of the magazine. One winner and four finalists receive the honors for how they engage the reader with a fresh and thought-provoking awareness of the human relationship with the natural world. Orion also publishes an extended list of recommended fiction and non-fiction titles in 2011 Books We Really Liked.

The five finalists for the award this year are all owned at your Ann Arbor District Library:
Fire Season by Philip Connors. Read more about it here.
Oil on Water by Helon Habila. Read more here.
Swamplandia by Karen Russell. Read more here.
The View from Lazy Point by Carl Safina. Read more here.
Raising Elijah by Sandra Steingraber. Read more here.

Sustainable Ann Arbor Forums 2012: Community

Thu, 04/12/2012 - 12:57pm by hillary dorwart

Thursday April 12, 2012: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

This final in a series of four monthly discussions co-sponsored by the City of Ann Arbor focuses on Community and includes discussion on housing, economic development, public safety, recreation, outreach, civic engagement, and stewardship of community resources. The presentation will examine past successes and challenges, and feature a think tank of local stakeholders. The ensuing discussions will help guide the city's sustainability planning efforts.

View Ann Arbor's current environmental goals.

Sustainable Ann Arbor Forums 2012: Public Discussion

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 8:20am by hillary dorwart

Thursday March 29, 2012: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm -- Downtown Library: 4th Floor Meeting Room

On March 29th from 6pm to 8pm, the City of Ann Arbor will hold a public meeting to discuss a set of draft overarching sustainability goals developed from existing plans and goals by commissioners from each of the key sustainability commissions and a team of city staff. These goals are an important step in developing Ann Arbor's sustainability framework.

The sustainability goals build on goals already developed through a variety of public processes - from city plans, council resolutions, and the council-approved ten environmental goals. These draft sustainability goals include the three key aspects of sustainability - environment, economy, and equity.

Green My House: Energy Savers Edition With Experts From The Clean Energy Coalition

Wed, 03/28/2012 - 8:45am by hillary dorwart

Wednesday March 28, 2012: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

The energy efficiency experts at Clean Energy Coalition return to AADL and invite you to learn all about home energy upgrades. Topics will include what to do, how to pay for it and where you can get more help on your project.

Sustainable Farmer and Entrepreneur Joel Salatin to Visit Ann Arbor

Wed, 03/21/2012 - 8:44pm by prlhw

Joel Salatin, the well-known organic farmer, will be coming to Ann Arbor's Michigan Theater on Tuesday, April 24th by way of the People's Food Co-op of Ann Arbor (PFC), to "share how his farm serves as a prototype to the way local food can lead to our agricultural, environmental, and nutritional salvation. Noting that our food system now faces challenges in biosecurity, food safety, energy, integrity, and humane animal husbandry, he will explain how local production, processing, distribution, and patrons in the Ann Arbor area can reshape our food future."

Salatin's ideas and progress in the world of sustainable farming have been featured in Michael Pollan’s bestselling book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, in the documentary films Food, Inc. and Fresh, and also in his very own books, Folks, this Ain't Normal and Holy Cows and Hog Heaven. "Since his cutting-edge sustainable farm, Polyface Inc., began inspiring people throughout the world, his charismatic nature and ability to produce provocative and poignant proclamations about the unfortunate state of our food system have made him one of the most influential voices in the sustainable food movement today."

The event will take place at the Michigan Theater in Downtown Ann Arbor on Tuesday, April 24th, 2012 from 8pm to 10pm. Tickets are $15 for the General Public, and $13 for Students & PFC Members. Available at ticketmaster.com or surcharge-free at the People's Food Co-op of Ann Arbor.

Wandering the High Himalayas With Will Weber Of JOURNEYS International

Wed, 03/21/2012 - 11:12am by hillary dorwart

Wednesday March 21, 2012: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Will Weber, founder of JOURNEYS International of Ann Arbor, shares images and memories of some of his favorite vistas, valleys and villages from more than four decades of travel in Himalayan Asia. Come travel with Will as he shares his experiences in Ladakh, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and Burma and his encounters with Buddhist highland cultures.

Ann Arbor's JOURNEYS International is the longest standing family-owned global eco-tourism company in the US, offering full-service exotic, guided cross-cultural explorations, nature safaris, treks and eco-tours in remote corners of Asia, Africa, the Americas and the Pacific.

Sustainable Ann Arbor Forums 2012: Climate and Energy

Thu, 03/08/2012 - 3:00pm by hillary dorwart

Thursday March 8, 2012: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

This third in a series of four monthly discussions co-sponsored by the City of Ann Arbor focuses on a community Climate Action Plan to address greenhouse gas emissions. The forum is an opportunity to learn and contribute towards the developing Climate Action Plan, and discuss solutions that can reduce emissions in the community. The presentations will look at past successes and challenges, discuss possible future priorities and feature a think tank of local stakeholders. The ensuing discussions will help guide the city's sustainability planning efforts. Panelists include city officials, UM faculty and representatives from local environmental agencies.

Please note that on March 29th from 6pm to 8pm in the 4th floor meeting room of the Downtown Library, the City of Ann Arbor will hold a public meeting to discuss a set of draft overarching sustainability goals developed from existing plans and goals by commissioners from each of the key sustainability commissions and a team of city staff. The public meeting will build on the Sustainable Ann Arbor Forums sponsored by the Ann Arbor District Library and the City of Ann Arbor and provide an opportunity for attendees to share comments on the draft set of sustainability goals.