Stir It Up -- In the Pot and on the Web: Making Media about Making Food

What do you get when you mix food in San Francisco, social media, green living ideas, and wrap it up with an assortment of Web 2.0 technologies? Find out by joining our upcoming program on April 7th when professors Melinda Stone and David Silver from the University of San Francisco stir up intriguing tales and experiments cooked up in their Media Studies classes with their students.

Stone will screen several videos from her How-To Homestead collection and discuss how student research assistants and the University's community garden play a vital role in the creation of these pieces. Silver will showcase examples of social media produced by students in Green Media--a class devoted to making media about making food.

As with last year's "When Wikipedia Meets the Library," this event is sure to spark many ideas and topics that will inspire creative food for thought.

Address: 100 Larkin Street

Location: Main Library, Latino/Hispanic Community Meeting Room

Event Date and Time: Wednesday, April 7 (6 - 7:30 p.m.)

Go Eco with the Ecocard

Are you going green yet? It wasn't too long ago in our April posting when we highlighted titles from our Magazines & Newspapers Center collection in honor of Earth Day. In that same month, we also launched our Green Stacks program. Since then, the library has been showcasing a series of programs and exhibits ranging from community gardens and photographs of the urban wilderness to green cleaning products and organic foods, many of which were planned in part by staff in our Wallace Stegner Environmental Center. Check our Green Stacks Events page for an ongoing list of programs and special events.

Next, prepare for the launching of a pilot project in producing our very first San Francisco Public Library ecocard. For a limited time, you can exchange your current plastic library card for a more eco-friendly one manufactured from a renewable and biodegradable resource. This card is just one of many elements in the Library's new Green Stacks program, dedicated to helping San Francisco go green with the assistance of SF Environment and Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Green Power

April marks a month for many green living, sustainability events and activities. This year, starting as early as March 28, many of us turned out the lights in an effort to conserve energy during Earth Hour. April 22 marks the arrival of Earth Day, and two days later, we have Arbor Day.

Last year, we featured some "green titles" in our "Going Green" posting to assist you with your personal green living needs. This year, we would like to showcase some more titles. At the Magazines & Newspapers Center, you'll find diverse magazines like Friends of the Earth, Mother Earth News, Plenty, and World Watch to help you adopt an environmentally conscious, green living lifestyle.

Friends of the Earth - For activists and inquisitive citizens who enjoy a mix of action news and information articles, this quarterly news magazine highlights online resources, blogs, environmental issues, and related news for preserving a safe and healthy environment. Published by Friends of the Earth--"a group of committed people who fight daily for a healthy and just world."

Mother Earth News - This bi-monthly magazine covers country lifestyle with articles dedicated to helping people with how-to information of home building and home improvement, organic gardening, small business development and wood-working projects. Other topics include natural health, green transportation, renewable energy, nature and community, and more.

Plenty - Written for environmentally conscious consumers, this magazine features articles and products in transportation, technology, food, home, family life, and more. Although this magazine has ceased publication as of January 2009, archived articles can still be accessed online.

World Watch - Published by the WorldWatch Institute, an independent research organization dedicated to achieving an "environmentally sustainable and socially just society," this bi-monthly magazine explores current issues in energy, population, biodiversity, agriculture, climate change, the economy, politics and sustainability in general.

Last but not least, look for the Green Stacks initiative at the San Francisco Public Library as we highlight even more online resources, reading lists, programs, and events to help you live and maintain a healthy, eco-friendly lifestyle. In April, unleash your Green Power by keeping up to date with the latest news and happenings from these and other periodicals in the Magazines and Newspapers Center.

Going Green

Recycling bins, compact fluorescent lightbulbs, composting piles, organic foods—using these products can help you save energy, live a healthier lifestyle, and overall, preserve the environment. The Magazines & Newspapers Center has a variety of magazines such as BackHome, Home Energy, Home Power, and Natural Home that offer a wealth of ideas and tips on conserving energy.

BackHome – Features articles on maintaining self-sufficiency and sustainable living in a how-to format. Covers organic gardening, home education, solar and renewable energy, conservation, healthy cooking, mortgage-free building, and more.

Home Energy – Provides objective and practical information from an systems engineering standpoint on residential energy efficiency and home comfort including super-efficient appliances to indoor air quality.

Home Power – Written for homeowners, business owners, and renewable energy professionals, this magazine offers practical, do-it-yourself information for people who want to use solar, wind, water, hydrogen, methane and other renewable energy sources.

Natural Home – Provides environmentally practical ideas and tips for creating a healthy lifestyle. Topics covered include energy conservation, innovative remodeling, redecorating, homebuilding, cooking, gardening, and more.