When I was a child, my family didn’t have a garden; several failed and tearful attempts at forcing petunias to grow, and my mother swore off gardening forever.

But, I’ve recently become a new homeowner and I can’t wait to get growing! I have a 93 square foot, west-facing deck. Let the games begin!

Now, I don’t know anything about gardening, so where do you suppose I looked for information and instruction? The Calgary Public Library, of course! We have an enormous collection of gardening books. Whether you’re growing indoors or out, herbs, shrubs or flowers, it’s all here!

After perusing for a few weeks, I found the perfect book for me: Tomatoes, garlic, basil: the simple pleasures of growing and cooking your garden's most versatile vegetables, by Doug Oster.

Check out your local library branch for more information about herb gardens, composting, landscaping, local plants and trees, and more!

If you’re a fan of CBC’s “Quirks & Quarks”, then be sure to attend Ecopalooza, on April 17th! Ecopalooza is a one-day festival of all things green, and the keynote speaker will be none other than Bob McDonald!

For more information about Ecopalooza, please visit our homepage. Also, check out the information we’ve posted on Facebook.

Ecopalooza

Ecopalooza (Art show and contest)

Join us at the Central library on Saturday April 17^th, for a festival of all things green. We’ll have retailers, businesses and non-profits. We’ll have artists, poets, and green “improv”! We’ll have an art show (with cash prizes) and a keynote speaker – CBC’s Bob McDonald. If it’s green, it’ll be at Ecopalooza! Join free programs and workshops throughout the day and be inspired by local groups and organizations, making a difference here in Calgary.

For more information about Ecopalooza, check out our event on Facebook.

Or, contact Katherine Anderson or Patrick Mealey, for more information.

Katherine.anderson@calgarypubliclibrary.com (403) 260-2782

Patrick.mealey@calgarypubliclibrary.com (403) 221-2091

For the vast majority of human history, the availability of light controlled our daily activities. Obviously, you can’t chop wood in the dark! But with the advent of electricity, we’ve been able to stretch our days, and carry out our business on our time, rather than the Sun’s. That progress is all well and good, until you consider how much electricity is used daily, just to keep lights on – even when they don’t need to be. On March 27, at 8:30 PM, participate in Earth Hour and turn off your lights!

Earth Hour is celebrated all around the world! If you’ve never participated, let 2010 be your first year!

Check out the Earth Hour website, for more information.

Want to get an idea of just how much electricity you're using? Visit your local library branch and borrow a kill-a-watt meter.

Calling all artists and creators! If you work with recycled, found, reclaimed or second-hand materials, the Calgary Public Library wants to hear from you! On April 17^th, we’ll be hosting Ecopalooza, a one day festival of all things green. Art, fashion, science and business – if it’s green it’ll be at Ecoplalooza! An important component of the festival will be an art show and competition. If you’d like to display your work, please contact katherine.anderson@calgarypubliclibrary.com for more information. If you’re a Facebook user, why not check out our event listing?

There will be cash prizes for first, second and third place winners, so get crafting, building, making and recycling!

Does the idea of just that – smart, fearless journalism – appeal to you? Well, such is the promise (and slogan) of Mother Jones magazine. And, if you’ve got a Calgary Public Library card, you’re already a subscriber.

From our e-library, select Science, Technology and Environment. Then, from the list of databases provided, select GREENER. Once GREENER opens, you’ll notice an “advanced search” tab near the top left. Simply type “Mother Jones” and use the drop down menu to indicate that this is the Publication Title. You’ll find the three most recent articles, as well as a list of over 600 earlier ones.

What ype of articles will you find? Check out some of these titles:

Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal

Shock and audit: we dissect the Pentagon's budget so you don't have to.

Paying through the hose: why is wasting water so damn cheap?

Out of mind, out of sight: inside the psychiatric hospitals the world forgot.

Class is the new black: how I had to look beyond race and learn to love equality

America's most dangerous librarians: meet the radical bookworms who fought the Patriot Act--and won

Addmittedly, a lot of the content is American, but the topics are timely, and very interesting. If you're a lover of non-fiction and current events, then be sure to check it out! Mother Jones and a huge variety of other popular and academic publications are available on our e-library.