How can LFPL educate the 50,000 children and teens who participate in its summer reading program about environmental issues while encouraging them to read?

Our 2010 Summer Reading (SR) theme was Think Globally, Read Locally for both the children’s and teen programs. Following are a few of the things we did to think green:

• Recycled paper with soy ink was used for print pieces by an eco -friendly printer & sponsor.
• The SR prize, a daypack with journal, was made out of recycled water bottles.
• LFPL partnered with Jefferson Memorial Forest, a 6,000 acre municipally-owned forest, who provided environmentally-themed programs, a free family pass for children as a SR prize and a forest party, complete with ropes course, for 36 winning teens.
• Programming included green-themed storytimes, animal, nature and gardening programs, and a digital photography program for teens showing them how to save paper, chemicals and ink.
• In addition to reading, teens could choose one of the following to complete the program: “Do something for the environment” or “Create an art piece out of recycled materials.”
• The Main Library hosted an art invitational exhibition featuring 25 local artists, whose work was created out of recycled, renewable, or eco-friendly materials, garnering much media attention.
• Clever graphics and promotional materials emphasized the eco-friendly theme.

--SR Participants: 51,432 / Completers: 23,271
--Forged new partnership with Jefferson Memorial Forest; 21,186 children won forest passes
--Media attention included coverage in newspaper and blogs, and multiple radio and TV interviews regarding the Library’s push to be environmentally conscious
--Partnerships with green businesses and organizations, such as Louisville Water Company, and Breaking New Grounds, a local urban agricultural cooperative, provided programming and seedlings