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
