Resources

Conversation Starters

Looking for more book ideas? Check out the recommended reading for our previous Action Book Club themes.

When your Action Book Club gathers to talk about the book you’ve chosen, use these questions—or your own—to get the conversation flowing.

• What is your favorite book written about nature or the environment? 
• Did you read books about environmentalism when you were a child? Why or why not?
• In the book you read, what did you learn that surprised you most? 
• How did the book you read change or reaffirm your feelings about nature and the environment?
• Do you feel you live an eco-conscious lifestyle? Why or why not? 
• What are some ways you can support environmental justice in your community? Are there organizations or groups that need additional allyship and support?

Activities

Is your Action Book Club group ready to choose a project to benefit your community? Be inspired by one of the activities from the list below or dream up another fitting project to make your neighborhood a better place.

Our list includes actions that directly relate to our mission to provide equitable book access, as well as actions that more generally spread kindness and build community. Tip: Don’t be afraid to start small!

Book-Related Activities:

• Donate books about nature and environmentalism to schools, public libraries, or Little Free Libraries in your area.
• Build a Little Free Library book exchange with recycled materials to place in your front yard.
• Host a Little Free Library at your local laundromat, community park, or schoolyard (with permission).
• Do you already have a Little Free Library? Host an event at your Library, like a book swap, story time for kids, poetry reading, or community get together.

Additional Activities:

• Donate food, funds, or volunteer hours to a local food bank serving families in your area.
• Make or buy small gifts for children in local family shelters or hospitals.
• Organize a Meal Train for a new parent or someone struggling with illness.
• Organize a clothing swap for kids in your area to trade their outgrown clothes.
• Sign up to help Project Linus, which has delivered more than six million handmade blankets to kids and families in need.
• Volunteer to do yard work, house painting, snow shoveling, and other chores for elderly members of your community or families who need an extra hand.
• Organize a community clean-up day, when your group can pick up trash, remove graffiti, and beautify your neighborhood.
• Paint a “kindness rock” and leave it for someone in your neighborhood to find.
• Write thank-you notes to neighbors and businesses in your community who are making a positive impact on where you live.
• Plant a community garden. At harvest time, invite everyone in the neighborhood to a garden party where they can meet new people, get to know each other, and take home free produce.
• Collect new socks and donate them to a homeless shelter.
• Provide gently used shoes to people who need them via Soles 4 Souls
• Collect items like toiletries and stationery for care packages going to U.S. troops through Operation Shoebox.
• Visit the Habitat for Humanity website to find out if there is a chapter in your area. Your group may be able to help build a new house for a family going through a difficult time.
• Organize a “fun run” to raise money for your favorite cause.
• Explore social justice training opportunities in your area.
• Attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators to your area by planting native flowers or by making “seed bombs” with beneficial blooms.
• Make care packages for people who are homeless and deliver them around your area. The packages could include items like bottled water, granola bars, and kind notes.