Earth Day turns 40 this year

Who would you guess was the original founder of Earth Day?

	Rachel Carson, the pioneering author of Silent Spring.
	Jacques Cousteau, the world-famous explorer, photographer, and ecologist.
	Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin.

The answer is Senator Nelson. In the mid-1960s, Senator Nelson observed that more and more Americans were expressing concern about the health of our rivers, oceans and wildlife, and yet politicians didn't seem to be getting the message. In 1969 he conceived the idea of a single day of teach-ins and gatherings, a "nationwide, grassroots demonstration on behalf of the environment." That was the first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970.

Forty years later, every schoolchild reminds his parents to recycle, and you can buy organic foods (and the canvas reusable bag to put them in) at Wal-mart. How will we celebrate Earth Day in another 40 years? Will our progress towards a more sustainable lifestyle speed up, or slow down?

At the library we have books and films on all aspects of environmental questions. Here are just a few you might find interesting:

• In A World Without Ice, geophysicist Henry Pollack paints a compelling portrait of the delicate geological balance between ice and climate, and why its rapid disappearance portends serious consequences in our not-so-distant future.
• Bjorn Lomborg argues in his book, Cool it - The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide To Global Warming that many of the expensive actions now being considered to stop global warming are based on emotional rather than strictly scientific assumptions, and may very well have little impact on the world's temperature for hundreds of years.
• In Power to Save the World: The Truth About Nuclear Energy, Gwyneth Cravens makes the case that nuclear energy should be reconsidered by environmentalists as a source of sustainable energy for a cleaner, greeener world.

Spotlight on: The Beardsley Zoo. Beardsley Zoo in nearby Bridgeport will be the site of a Party for the Planet on the weekend of April 17th-18th -- a two-day Earth Day celebration, from 10 am - 3 pm each day. "The Party for the Planet is about encouraging local, organic, earth-friendly choices as a way of promoting better health for our planet and ourselves," said Gregg Dancho, Zoo director. An educational "Citizen Science Corner" will show families how to get involved with caring for our environment, and environmentally-friendly products and services will be on display. Live music and the special displays are included in the regular zoo admission.

Can you farm in Stratford? Why, yes, you can.

Spotlight on: The Farm at Stratford

The Farm at Stratford is a local sustainability project of Soundkeeper, Inc. with the Town of Stratford. It's a community garden located at Pirhala Fields Park on Connors Lane in Stratford.

Low-cost garden plots are available now for Stratford residents to rent for the spring garden season. Experienced gardeners and newcomers are both welcome to get their hands in the soil and raise some fruits, vegetables and flowers on their own plot of land. See the Farm's website for details and an application.

You may ask, "Why a community garden?" Organizer Terry Backer says, "Our hope to help you reduce your food bills, your pollution footprint, learn sustainable practices and get healthier all at the same time... We hope to make The Farm at Stratford a place where we learn from each other."

The Stratford Library has how-to information to help you on every step of your journey down the garden path, from planning, to planting, to pruning, to preventing pests. And just in case you were wondering about keeping your own chickens.... yeah, we have books on that, too.

	Just starting out as a gardener? The Complete Idiots' Guide will start at the very beginning and lead you all the way to harvesting your own vegetables.
	Does your heart skip a beat at the thought of planting new flower beds? Does the smell of freshly tilled ground make you weak in the knees? This is the book for the green-thumb wizard who knows his or her way around a rototiller and is ready to move up to the next expert level.
	The Library has DVDs on gardening, too, from popular experts like Martha Stewart and Jerry Baker. See for yourself as they demonstrate on-screen just how much mulch is too much mulch.
	And finally... chickens. Judging from how popular our books on chickens are, there are a lot of fresh eggs in Stratford's back yards. How about making an omelet from your own eggs, with fresh herbs from the community garden? That would be a fantastic Stratford speciality.

You could meet your new best friend this weekend

We love stories about the friendship between dogs and people. And some of the best dogs we know are those "mutts" with sweet faces and big hearts who are gazing through the bars at the animal shelter waiting for the right person -- their person -- to come along and take them home.

If you've been thinking about adding a dog to your family, you probably would guess that the library has dozens of books and DVDs on naming, training, and caring for your dog. But did you know we have books all about adopting a rescued dog?

Community Event alert! The Stratford Animal Rescue Society & Stratford Animal Control will be having an adoption event and Pet Boutique on Saturday March 27, 2010 from 11 am-3 pm at the Stratford Animal Control Facility, 9 Frog Pond Lane, Stratford, CT 06614 (map) Dogs and cats will be available for adoption to homes that meet AC guidelines. See the Animal Control website for details: www.stratfordac.org/

These books are available at the Stratford Library for those special people that want to bring a special dog home:

	The Adopted Dog Bible is the one-stop handbook on the needs of these special dogs and covers every detail of daily life. --Where to find your perfect canine companion --How you can adopt any type of dog --Smart guidelines for adoption success --Realistic expenses of dog care
	Your Adopted Dog is a thorough guide to discovering the one-of-a-kind personality and one-of-a-kind love each rescued dog wants to share, if he is only given the chance. It's filled with helpful advice and successful techniques tailored to each dog's needs -- a complete and total resource.
	Saved: Rescued Animals and the Lives They Transform isn't a how-to book about pet care. Instead, it digs deep into the emotional reasons between human and animal can be so strong. One reader said, "You’ll be crying--and laughing--as you read about the powers pets have to heal people.”

Snapshot Day Statewide results

PEOPLE NEED LIBRARIES….LIBRARIES NEED YOU IN JUST ONE DAY – FEBRUARY 18, 2010 ◦80,616 people walked through the doors of Connecticut libraries ◦99,537 books, movies and more were borrowed from Connecticut libraries ◦988 new borrowers were registered at Connecticut libraries ◦ 8,960 reference questions were answered at Connecticut libraries ◦12,982 people used computers at Connecticut libraries ◦591 programs/classes were offered at Connecticut libraries ◦9,599 people attended programs/classes at Connecticut libraries ◦113,143 people visited Connecticut library websites See the pictures from that day - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ctlibrariessnapshot2010/

Stratford Library - Stratford Library eNews

Stratford Library - Stratford Library eNews

Author Jennifer Baszile Returns to the Library

“One Book, One Stratford” continues on Tuesday, March 2, at 6:30pm, in the Lovell Room of the Stratford Library. Author Jennifer Baszile will be part of the intergenerational discussion about her book "The Black Girl Next Door". The memoir is the true story of Baszile’s growing up black in a white section of Los Angeles in the 1970s and ‘80s. Professor Baszile commented to the Post that although her particular story is set in previous decades, her theme of how families struggle to achieve the American dream and become part of the cultural landscape of the US is still vitally relevent today. Jennifer Baszile received her B.A. from Columbia and her Ph.D. in American history from Princeton. She was the first black female professor to join Yale University's history department and has been named one of the "Thirty Leaders of the Future" by Ebony magazine. She currently lives in Connecticut.

SNAPSHOT: ONE DAY in the LIFE of CONNECTICUT LIBRARIES

Don't miss this-Thursday, February 18, 2010 Libraries all over Connecticut will be taking a “snapshot”—collecting information to capture the impact that Connecticut libraries have on their communities on a typical day

Please stop in and tell us what you love about Stratford Library and why it’s important.

We’ll take your answers and let you know what other people all around the state think of their libraries and how they use them.

Results and pictures will be posted online at http://snapshotctlib.wordpress.com/ after March 10th

Snapshot: One Day in the Life of Connecticut Libraries is a project of the Connecticut Library Association, the Connecticut State Library and the Connecticut Library Consortium.