By Ellyssa Valenti Kroski, editor of this upcoming ALA title
Sustainable living embraces making changes in your everyday life to ensure that you leave the planet a better place after you’re gone including reducing waste, recycling, saying no to plastic, growing your own food, repairing rather than replacing, and reducing your overall carbon footprint. This doesn’t have to happen overnight, it can start with baby steps such as adopting re-usable shopping bags, buying from local farmers, and carpooling.
Living in a time of a worldwide pandemic, supply chain shortages, civil unrest, and the ongoing global political uncertainty of today’s world has awakened an increased interest in sustainable and self-reliant living. In what Forbes Magazine has dubbed an “urban exodus”, many Americans have chosen to leave densely populated cities behind in favor of rural locales where they can build a more self-sufficient lifestyle. [1]
Far from the need to social distance or battle morning traffic, I walk out to my chicken coop each day at sunrise to collect a basket full of pastel-colored eggs from my Easter Egger chickens which lay pink, blue, and olive-green eggs and serenade me with their egg song that they sing in order to congratulate themselves after a fresh one is laid. I am one of the many people who opted for the freedom of building a self-sufficient and sustainable way of life during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I traded my four-bedroom 2,500 square-foot home in a planned community for 14 acres in the country and an 1,100 square foot manufactured home with just enough room for everything I need at a fraction of the mortgage and energy consumption. I work from home, managing technology and marketing projects for my library and I wander outside when I need a break to pet my goats and sheep and tinker around with my gardens and hothouses. With no daily commute I save a ton in gas as well as my own precious time while helping to reduce my carbon footprint.
The author bottle-feeding a lamb on her homestead
In the short time that I’ve lived here I have learned to can, freeze, and dehydrate my vegetables, beef, herbs, and flowers, cook and bake on a daily basis, cut and style my own hair, and make my own beauty products. After living in New York City’s Upper East Side for over 25 years this is quite a change, but I couldn’t be happier. My family has since followed me on this adventure with my sister and parents each adding their own homes to the property to create a family homestead we call “The Shire” where we share resources, experience, and expertise. 
This has been a huge learning curve for me as I have never met anyone who has done anything like this, and I would have loved guidance on any number of topics from my local library. Libraries in both urban and rural areas are in a unique position to be able to offer library patrons timely instructional programs that teach this type of sustainable and self-reliant living. From homesteading topics such as how to reduce food waste to creating sustainable grab and go kits, to growing and preserving one’s own food, libraries can support patrons who wish to live “off-grid”, those who want to start their own hobby farm, others who are seeking to create a homestead, or patrons who simply want to learn how to garden. 
The author's goat and sheep meadow.
25 Ready-to-Use Sustainable Living Library Programs was compiled to help guide librarians who want to institute these types of programs in their libraries. Programs range from gardening events such as mason jar hydroponics and straw bale gardening to teaching pioneer crafts such as making rolled beeswax candles and repair events, to homesteading topics such as beekeeping and raising backyard chickens to hosting food preservation events. Each program includes step-by-step instructions, a materials and equipment list, budget, and recommendations for age ranges and type of library. Programs range in cost, topic, and difficulty so there is something for every size and type of library, both rural and urban. This book provides real-world programming ideas written by librarians and experts who are knowledgeable about running these types of events.
I’ll be speaking on this topic for the Massachusetts Library System later this month if you’re interested in attending the webinar, on Wednesday, September 28th at 11AM EST. Click HERE to register.
Ellyssa Valenti Kroski is the Director of Innovation and Engagement at the New York Law Institute as well as an award-winning editor and author of 75 books. She is a librarian, an adjunct faculty member at San Jose State University, and an international conference speaker. She can be found at: http://www.amazon.com/author/ellyssa and contacted at ekroski@gmail.com.
1. Dorsey, Chris. Pandemic Leads To Urban Exodus As Families Turn To Self-Reliance And Off-The-Grid Living. Forbes, June 10, 2020. https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisdorsey/2020/06/10/pandemic-leads-to-urban-exodus-as-families-turn-to-self-reliance-and-off-the-grid-living/?sh=4cabac10cdaa
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