The Santa Monica Public Library celebrates the ninth annual Green Prize for Sustainable Literature with the program “Paul & Anna Cummins: A Father and Daughter in Conversation” on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 7 pm, in the MLK Jr. Auditorium at the Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica’s own educator and author Paul Cummins and emerging environmental leader Anna Cummins discuss how the city can envision ourselves as leaders for social justice and a sustainable planet. Paul Cummins is the lead founder of Crossroads School and the founder and CEO of the Coalition for Engaged Education (formerly New Visions Foundation). He is the author of four books on education and two volumes of original poetry. Anna Cummins, Paul’s daughter, is the co-founder and Executive Director of The 5 Gyres Institute, whose goal is to empower citizens to become leaders in combatting the global health crisis of plastic pollution.
This year, the Library has awarded Prizes to nine titles. The 2015 Green Prize Pioneer Award, which honors a writer who has paved the way for discourse on sustainable issues, goes to E.O Wilson, biologist, conservationist, and the author of many books including the 2011 Green Prize-winner “Anthill.”
The winners of the 2015 Green Prize for Sustainable Literature Awards are:
Youth Winners
Our Green Earth Series
By Anne Flounders, Published by Red Chair Press
Branching Out: How Trees Are Part of Our World
By Joan Marie Galat, Published by Owlkids Books
The Soda Bottle School: A True Story of Recycling, Teamwork, and One Crazy Idea
By Laura Kutner & Suzanne Slade, Illustrated by Aileen Darragh, Published by Tilbury House Publishers
Every Last Drop: Bringing Clean Water Home
By Michelle Mulder, Published by Orca Book Publishers
National Geographic Kids Cookbook: A Year-Round Fun Food Adventure
By Barton Seaver, Published by National Geographic Children’s Books
Adult Winners
The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food
By Dan Barber, Published by The Penguin Press
War of the Whales: A True Story
By Joshua Horwitz, Published by Simon & Schuster
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate
By Naomi Klein, Published by Simon & Schuster
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
By Elizabeth Kolbert, Published by Henry Holt and Company
Pioneer Award Winner
E.O.Wilson
The Green Prize for Sustainable Literature is co-sponsored by the City of Santa Monica’s Office of Sustainability and the Environment, and was established to encourage and commend authors, illustrators, and publishers who produce quality books that make significant contributions to, support the ideas of, and broaden public awareness of sustainability. The City of Santa Monica’s Sustainable City Plan defines sustainability as “meeting current needs – environmental, economic and social – without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same.” For more information on the Green Prize, visit smpl.org/greenprize.
This event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and on a first arrival basis. The Santa Monica Public Library is wheelchair accessible. For special disabled services, call Library Administration at 310.458.8606 at least one week prior to event. For more information, call 310.458.8600 or smpl.org. The Main Library is served by Big Blue Bus lines 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Ride your bike. Bicycle parking racks are available at the Library.
