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Nourishing a Community: Mechanicville Farmers Market, Garden & Orchard

Submitted by brussell on Fri, 2017-12-22 00:00

A booth at the Farmers Market

In June 2017, the Mechanicville District Public Library kicked off a community farmers market on the library’s front lawn. Throughout the summer, on Mondays from 4 to 7 p.m., hundreds of people came to stock up on vegetables, pasta, eggs, honey and other goods from local farms.

For a community with a 16.3 percent poverty rate, a market delivering fresh, local goods at affordable prices was a game-changer, and it also gave local farms an opportunity to sell their products.

8 Last-Minute Ways to "Go Green" for Earth Day

hand holding "#green" sign with park in background

Being eco-friendly has taken center stage in recent years. Many library users want to make more sustainable choices but may lack the knowledge of how to do so. Programs focused on "going green" are a fun, accessible way for patrons to celebrate Earth Day, and they can also be an easy lift for a busy librarian. Below are eight eco-friendly program ideas that you can use to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day with hardly any prep work at all.

The Tunnel Tour: Heading Underground to Learn About Local Waterways

tour group walking through tunnel

Enticing patrons to attend lectures on climate change and sustainability can be a real challenge. It’s hard to deny: these topics can be a real downer.

But there are ways to make learning about the environment fun. This was my goal when I set out to create my library’s Earth Day programming last year.

Swap It Like It's Hot

Submitted by lcarlton on Thu, 2019-02-07 10:52

woman holding jeans

Swap It Like It’s Hot is a free clothes-swap program aimed at adult patrons. Patrons bring along their gently-used clothing and receive tokens. They use their tokens to swap for others' items. All remaining clothes after the swap are donated to the city mission. 

The library also offered sewing and upcycling workshops in collaboration with Conscious Layers, a local organization that works to popularize the re-use of fashion.

Don’t Throw It Out! Fix It at a Repair Café

broken toaster

It’s probably not news to anyone that landfills contribute to climate change and contain wasted recyclable material. Oftentimes it’s easier and less expensive to replace an item that technically could be repaired. A lot of people — including me — just don’t have the tools or knowledge to fix things anymore.

Hail to the Green

Hands holding shamrock slime

I love March — partly because green is my favorite color and, of course, on St. Patrick's Day everyone gets to wear green. I remember as a kid picking out something green to wear so I wouldn't get pinched at school. As the years went by, I would try to hide my green just to trick everyone.

Whether you love the holiday or just love green like me, have fun indulging in green galore with these St. Patrick’s Day crafts.

 

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