Earth Day

Let’s Celebrate with Less to Waste

by Jean Boone, Central Branch

Earth Day (April 22) challenges us to find new ways to protect and preserve our planet. No doubt you’ve heard the mantra “reduce, reuse, and recycle.” The 3 R’s are all important strategies but REDUCE comes first for a reason: waste prevention is the number one priority to protect the Earth. The less we consume, the fewer things need to be reused or recycled. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American produces almost five pounds of waste every day and a family more than 18 pounds, adding up to almost a ton of garbage annually.

If you want to shrink your footprint and reduce waste, libraries can help. Clearly, by borrowing books instead of buying them, we reduce the number of books in garbage heaps or recycling bins. This Earth Day, lighten your load. Before you buy, TRY IT at the library!

Video games: Don’t gamble on buying a game that may not have staying power. Borrow games from the Library and take them for a test drive before you buy.

Toys: Have your children mastered all the puzzles at home, or outgrown the toys from their last birthday? Surprise them with free toys borrowed from the Library. Play with them for three weeks, then trade them for a whole new bunch!

DIY Tools: Don’t buy something you’ll only use for one project - come to our DIY Center (see p. 4). Whether you need an aerator for your lawn, a pressure washer for your deck, or a special Mickey Mouse cake pan for a birthday, you can borrow it the Elkridge Branch DIY Center.

Artwork: Spice up your home or office walls with artwork borrowed from our Central and Glenwood branches. You can trade it out every six weeks - a waste-free wonder of redecorating!

Identifying Wild Edible Plants

For adults. Register at bit.ly/3QTfo08

Learn about safe and respectful foraging practices, basic concepts to help with plant identification, and examples of wild edible plants.

Sat Mar 18 2:30 – 4:30 pm Central

100 Square Foot Gardening

For adults. Register at bit.ly/3GyKJAD

Master Gardeners discuss how to optimize the production from a 100 square foot garden.

Sat Mar 25 11:30 am – 12:30 pm Savage

Create a Pollinator Patch

For teens and adults. Register at bit.ly/3GUlyKg

Discover how to create a small native garden that attracts and supports butterflies and bees.

Wed Apr 5 7 – 8 pm Savage

Building a Better Garden with Less Effort

For adults. Register at bit.ly/3JbpEPo

Establishing a vegetable garden can require a lot of time and money and yield minimal results. Learn how you can establish a productive vegetable plot with less effort than you are currently expending.

Tue Apr 25 7 – 8 pm Miller

Gardening for the

Budget–Minded Kitchen

For adults. Register at bit.ly/kitchengarden23

While some veggies are already affordable at the grocery store or farmer's market and might not be worth the effort to grow (hello onions!), you can easily grow other kitchen staples at home to save money. Find out what they are and discover other money-saving cooking tips.

Thu Apr 27 7 – 8 pm online

Title and branch:

My name is Patricia Henlon, and I am the Customer Service Supervisor at the Savage Branch.

How long have you been with Howard County Library System?

I have been with the Library for 26 years; the years went by quickly! I started as a part-time staff at Savage, moved to the Central branch for a full-time position, returned to Savage after four years, and became the Customer Service Supervisor.

What excites you the most about your work and/or HCLS as a whole?

I am a people person! I get excited when I help others, for example giving a child their first library card and seeing a smile on that child’s face or just welcoming a new customer and telling them about our resources.

How are you involved in the community?

The events I have done over the years are Savage Fest, Back-to-School nights at our partnership schools, and community fairs. Being able to see and interact with members of the community outside of the library is lovely.

Favorite movie or show?

The first movie I saw was the James Bond movie called Goldfinger. My dad took me to see it, and I have been thrilled with Bond movies ever since.