The Santa Monica Public Library celebrated the twelfth annual Green Prize for Sustainable Literature with the Aero Theater screening of Junk, a movie based on Junk Raft, one of the 2018 recognized titles by Marcus Eriksen. Like other winners of this year’s Green Prize, the book unpacks for the reader how even the seemingly tiniest impacts we have can add up to global headaches. In the case of Junk Raft, it is the crushing pressure plastics pollution is placing on our oceans and marine wildlife. The same is true for Drawdown, by celebrated author Paul Hawken, which literally breaks down into “the most comprehensive plan of action ever proposed to address global warming” – the actual subtitle of the book. Don’t fret, if the heavy stuff is not for you there are some great youth titles to share with your kids.

The winners of the 2018 Green Prizes, honoring the best books on sustainability published in 2017, are:

The Rights of Nature: A Legal Revolution That Could Save the World

by David R. Boyd; published by ECW Press

Are We Screwed? How a New Generation is Fighting to Survive Climate Change

by Geoff Dembicki; published by Bloomsbury USA

Junk Raft: An Ocean Voyage and a Rising Tide of Activism to Fight Plastic Pollution

by Marcus Eriksen; published by Beacon Press

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power: Your Action Handbook to Learn the Science, Find Your Voice, and Help Solve the Climate Crisis

by Al Gore; published by Rodale Books

Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming

edited by Paul Hawken; published by Penguin Books

Rewilding: Giving Nature a Second Chance

by Jane Drake and Ann Love; published by Annick Press

Climate Migrants: On the Move in a Warming World

by Rebecca Hirsch; published by Twenty-First Century Books

Creekfinding: A True Story

written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and illustrated by Claudia McGhee; published by University of Minnesota Press

The Last Panther

by Todd Mitchell; published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Green Planet (series)

by Rebecca Pettiford; published by Jump!

If Sharks Disappeared

written and illustrated by Lily Williams; published by Roaring Book Press

The Green Prize recognizes authors, illustrators, and publishers who produce quality books for adults and young people that make significant contributions to, support the ideas of, and broaden public awareness of sustainability. The Pioneer Award is given to authors who have made major lasting contributions to the field. This year’s Pioneer is Vice President Al Gore. As a politician, author, filmmaker, and public intellectual, Gore has become the leading figure in raising awareness of the dangers of climate change, humans’ role in causing it, and our options for addressing the crisis.

The Green Prize for Sustainable Literature is co-presented by the City of Santa Monica’s Office of Sustainability and the Environment and Sustainable Works.

Submitted by Miranda Iglesias, Santa Monica Public Information Coordinator

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