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Earth Month at QPL
Earth Month at QPL
Education
| April 01, 2026
Join QPL to Celebrate Earth Month in April!
QPL is working to advance sustainability and climate resiliency right here in Queens. Did you know that promoting climate resiliency was
one of eight key priorities in our 2025 strategic plan
? Climate change is a major issue facing our communities, with neighborhoods increasingly impacted by flooding, drought, extreme heat, and other severe weather events. Queens residents are especially vulnerable, given the borough’s 113 miles of coastline, inadequate sewer infrastructure, and dense development that creates
urban heat islands
We’re investing in environmentally sustainable policies to divert more solid waste from landfills, reduce energy consumption at our locations, and educate staff and customers about the impact of the changing climate.
From clean energy advocacy and pollution reduction to community-led conservation, the focus is clear: real change starts with people, communities, and everyday action.
QPL's Earth Month Brochure
for highlighted programs and browse our calendar for
all programs
Browse below to discover:
Program Highlights
Recommended Books for Adults
Recommended Books for Teens
Recommended Books for Kids
Digital Platforms Available for Free with Your QPL Card
Recommended Resources
Program Highlights
All programs will be held in-person unless otherwise noted.
FOR CHILDREN (Ages 0-5)
TOY SWAP STORYTIME & MUSIC
Monday, April 6, 11am
Ridgewood
20-12 Madison Street
Saturday, April 11, 2pm
Forest Hills
108-19 71 Avenue
Saturday, April 18, 10:15am
Hunters Point
47-40 Center Boulevard, Long Island City
Saturday, April 25, 10:30am
Glen Oaks
256-04 Union Turnpike
Thursday, April 30, 3pm
Rosedale
144-20 243 Street
LITTLE SPROUTS: EARTH MONTH ART & STORYTIME
Thursday, April 9, 2pm
Flushing
41-17 Main Street
Wednesday, April 22, 10:30am
Broadway
40-20 Broadway
Thursday, April 23, 12pm
Corona
38-23 104 Street
Thursday, April 23, 4pm
Lefferts
103-34 Lefferts Boulevard
Wednesday, April 29, 11am
Laurelton
134-26 225 Street
QPL PLAYDATE – GROWING READERS
Friday, April 24, 11am
Glendale
78-60 73 Place
FOR CHILDREN (Ages 6-11)
UPCYCLING WORKSHOP
Friday, April 3, 3:30pm
South Hollis
204-01 Hollis Avenue
Wednesday, April 22, 4pm
Ridgewood
20-12 Madison Street
RAINFOREST TERRARIUMS WITH QUEENS COUNTY FARM
Monday, April 6, 3:30pm
Glen Oaks
256-04 Union Turnpike
Thursday, April 9, 3:30pm
South Ozone Park
128-16 Rockaway Boulevard
Tuesday, April 21, 4pm
Queens Village
94-11 217 Street
PLANET VIBES ONLY: DESERT BIOMES WITH IDLEWILD ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER
Thursday, April 9, 4pm
St. Albans
191-05 Linden Boulevard
PLANET VIBES ONLY: ANIMAL LIFE CYCLES WITH IDLEWILD ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER
Monday, April 13, 4pm
Poppenhusen
121-23 14 Avenue, College Point
SUPER ZOOM WITH MS. BUTTERFLY
Monday, April 13, 4pm
Steinway
21-45 31 Street, Astoria
Wednesday, April 15, 4pm|
Fresh Meadows
193-20 Horace Harding Expressway
Thursday, April 16, 4pm
Long Island City
37-44 21 Street
Friday, April 17, 4pm
Langston Hughes
100-01 Northern Boulevard, Corona
Saturday, April 18, 3pm
Glen Oaks
256-04 Union Turnpike
Monday, April 20, 4pm
Howard Beach
92-06 156 Avenue
Thursday, April 23, 3:30pm
Arverne
312 Beach 54 Street
Friday, April 24, 3:30pm
Auburndale
25-55 Francis
Monday, April 27, 3:30pm
Far Rockaway
1637 Central Avenue
Tuesday, April 28, 4pm
Woodhaven
85-41 Forest Parkway
FOR TEENS (Ages 13-18)
INNOVATION STATIONS: ECOPRINT & NATURAL DYE LAB
Friday, April 3, 3pm
Woodside
54-22 Skillman Avenue
Monday, April 13, 20, 4pm
Bayside
214-20 Northern Boulevard
Friday, April 17, 3:30pm
Peninsula
92-25 Rockaway Beach Boulevard
INNOVATION STATIONS: SPECTACULAR SCIENCE - FARMSTEAD ON ROBLOX
Monday, April 6, 3:30pm
Bayside
214-20 Northern Boulevard
Monday, April 6, 3:30pm
Ozone Park
92-24 Rockaway Boulevard
Tuesday, April 7, 3:30pm
Bayside
214-20 Northern Boulevard
Tuesdays, April 7, 14, 21, 28, 3:30pm
Peninsula
92-25 Rockaway Beach Boulevard
Monday, April 13, 3:30pm
Ozone Park
92-24 Rockaway Boulevard
Friday, April 17, 3:30pm
Corona
38-23 104 Street
Monday, April 27, 3:30pm
Thursday, April 30, 3:30pm
Woodhaven
85-41 Forest Parkway
INNOVATION STATIONS: SPECTACULAR SCIENCE - SUSTAINABILITY IN MINECRAFT
Tuesdays, April 7, 14, 21, 3:30pm
Ridgewood
20-12 Madison Street
Wednesday, April 8, 2pm
Queensbridge
10-43 41 Avenue, Long Island City
Wednesdays, April 15, 22, 3:30pm
Woodhaven
85-41 Forest Parkway
Wednesday, April 15, 3:30pm
Corona
38-23 104 Street
INNOVATION STATIONS: GHOST NETS
Friday, April 10, 3pm
Saturday, April 11, 3pm
Bayside
214-20 Northern Boulevard
Monday, April 27, 3:30pm
Ozone Park
191-05 Linden Boulevard
Tuesday, April 28, 3:30pm
Peninsula
92-25 Rockaway Beach Boulevard
Wednesday, April 29, 3:30pm
Hunters Point
47-40 Center Boulevard, Long Island City
SPIRAL HERBAL GARDEN WITH MAZORCA COLECTIVA
Monday, April 13, 4pm
Queens Village
94-11 217 Street
Tuesday, April 14, 4pm
Flushing
41-17 Main Street
Wednesday, April 15, 4pm
Peninsula
92-25 Rockaway Beach Boulevard
Thursday, April 16, 4pm
Rosedale
144-20 243 Street
Monday, April 20, 4pm
South Jamaica
108-41 Guy R. Brewer Boulevard
Tuesday, April 21, 4pm
East Flushing
196-36 Northern Boulevard
Friday, April 24, 3pm
North Hills
57-04 Marathon Parkway, Little Neck
Wednesday, April 29, 3:30pm
South Hollis
204-01 Hollis Avenue
FOR ADULTS
CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS CORPS: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Monday, April 13, 2pm
Bay Terrace
18-36 Bell Boulevard, Bayside
Tuesday, April 21, 4pm
Long Island City
37-44 21 Street
Thursday, April 23, 5pm
Lefferts
103-34 Lefferts Boulevard, Richmond Hill
WALL ART WITH MOSS
Thursday, April 16, 6pm
Peninsula
92-25 Rockaway Beach Boulevard
CLIMATE READY WORKSHOPS
Wednesdays, April 15, 22, 29 at 1pm
Thursdays, April 16, 23, 30 at 6pm
Long Island City
37-44 21 Street
Fridays, April 17; May 29; June 12
3pm
Poppenhusen
121-23 14 Avenue, College Point
NATURE AS MEDICINE: STRESS, BURNOUT & RESILIENCE FOR COMMUNITY WELL-BEING (VIRTUAL)
Join here:
queenslib.org/4r1gGX
Meeting ID: 814 3959 4619
Passcode: nature
Monday, April 20, 6pm
FOOD FOR LIFE: HEALTHY BASICS: THE POWER OF YOUR PLATE (IN-PERSON & VIRTUAL)
In-person
Tuesday, April 21, 11am
Central Library
89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica
Virtual
Thursday, April 23, 6pm
Join here:
queenslib.org/3Kqx
Meeting ID: 828 4202 8833
Passcode: 148490
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Books for Adults
Abundance
by Ezra Klein
eBook
audiobook
All the Water in the World
by Eiren Caffall
eBook
audiobook
Carbon: The Book of Life
by Paul Hawken
eBook
The Deluge
by Stephen Markley
eBook
No Straight Road Takes You There: Essays for Uneven Terrain
by Rebecca Solnit
The Overstory
by Richard Powers
eBook
audiobook
The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family's Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life
by Amy Bowers Cordalis
We Are Eating the Earth
by Michael Grunwald
eBook
When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America's Black Botanical Legacy
by Beronda Montgomery
Wildfire Days
by Kelly Ramsey
eBook
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Books for Teens
Dry
by Neal Shusterman
Earth Day and the Environmental Movement
by Christy Peterson
eBook
Green Nation Revolution: Use Your Future to Change the World
by Valentina Giannella
Love in the Time of Global Warming
by Francesca Lia Block
No Planet B
by Lucy Diavolo
Orleans
by Sherri L. Smith
Trash
by Andy Mulligan
Unnatural Disasters
by Jeff Hirsch
War Girls
by Tochi Onyebuchi
audiobook
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Books for Kids
Black Beach
by Shaunna Sith
Curious George Plants a Tree
by Monica Perez
Print |
eBook
The Earth Book
by Todd Parr
eBook
It's Earth Day, Cookie Monster!
by Mary Lindeen
eBook
Kids Fight Climate Change
by Martin Dorey
eBook
Nate the Great and the Earth Day Robot
by Andrew Sharmat
eBook
audiobook
The Night Before Earth Day
by Natasha Wing
eBook
We Are Water Protectors
by Carole Lindstrom
audiobook
Chinese 中文
You Can Change the World
by Lucy Bell
Print |
eBook
Your Planet Needs You
by Philip Bunting
eBook
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Digital Platforms Available for Free with Your QPL Card
Queens Public Library offers free access to a range of digital platforms which provide informative and helpful guidance to learn more about our planet and what we can do to protect our future. Log-in to the platforms listed below with your library card account to access for free!
Great Courses Library Collection
This leading global media brand for life-long learning is available for free with your library card account! Search for these recommendations after log-in.
Recommended:
How the Earth Works
Big History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity
Oceanography: Exploring Earth's Final Wilderness
Hoopla Digital
A digital streaming service for library users to access movies, TV shows, audiobooks, comics, and music.
Recommended:
Climate Justice
by Mary Robinson (audiobook for adults)
A Brief History of the Earth's Climate
by Steven Earle (audiobook for adults)
Climate Warriors
(documentary film for teens and adults)
Climate Trailblazers: Reimagining Our Futures
(documentary film for teens and adults)
OverDrive
Offers full color eMagazines, audiobooks, and eBooks for all devices. You may access offline reading on
OverDrive's
Libby app
Recommended:
NatureVolve: Exploring Earth and Space
Issue 13 (eMagazine for all ages)
Imagine5 Magazine
Vol. 4 (eMagazine for teens and adults)
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Recommended Resources
Residential waste makes up 35 percent of the total waste stream in NYC. Take this Earth Month to make greener choices about your waste and energy consumption. Find recommended resources below to learn simple ways you can produce less waste, consume less energy and help support sustainability in New York City.
The Sanitation Foundation’s
NYC Trash Academy
is accepting applications for the
2026 Independent Study
. Participants gain access to 10 on-demand modules covering waste management, environmental justice, and the circular economy. Rolling enrollment is now open from April 1 through November 1, 2026!
Don’t have time for a full Trash Academy course? Take a DSNY Clean Buildings Training for NYC residents. This one-hour online course covers the basics of recycling, composting, and special waste in NYC, and gives participants the tools to help improve waste management where they live.
Find NYC resident courses online at the DSNY Eventbrite page
Adopt a Spot
for the Sanitation Foundation! The Adopt a Spot program asks New Yorkers to select a spot—from the park down the street to the storm drain outside their front door—and keep it clean and free of litter as part of their daily or weekly routine.
Compost your organic waste. Curbside composting is now mandatory citywide, including yard waste, greasy paper, and all food scraps. Over one third of NYC refuse sent to landfills by New Yorkers could be diverted through curbside composting.
Visit the DSNY website for more information on compliance
, and to learn about free compost giveback programs to get compost for your garden.
Study to be a Master Composter through the
NYC Community Compost Network
. Nonprofits in this network promote composting through local food scrap collection and workshops on soil health and maintenance. Check back later in 2026 for Master Composter classes at Queens Public Library!
Textiles form a small but challenging portion of NYC’s waste stream. Keep textiles out of landfills by buying clothes second-hand, participating in a local clothing swap, and donating or recycling unwanted textiles.
Find a textile recycling site near you using the DSNY website.
Participate in a toy or clothing swap. Local Buy Nothing group (
The Buy Nothing Project
) or join a toy swap at your local QPL branch.
Study up!
Join a Climate Ready workshop at QPL
to learn how climate change impacts our community and what you can do to create a more climate-resilient Queens.
Shop local at a Grow NYC greenmarket. Farmers Markets are a great way to reduce carbon emissions through shorter transport distances and minimal packaging.
Find a market near you on the Grow NYC website.
Find out how much you contribute to climate change!
Use the EPA's easy carbon footprint calculator
to simulate how much carbon emissions you and your household are contributing and what you can do to reduce both emissions and cost. Then,
join the climate pledge
to see what else you can do to reduce the effects of climate change.
Request a flood kit and get Rainfall Ready with NYC DEP.
Chronic tidal flooding is projected to impact thousands of households in communities across NYC, half of which surround Jamaica Bay. Explore the city’s new Flood Vulnerability Index through the
NYC Flood Hazard map
The
EJNYC Mapping tool
, developed by the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, equips New Yorkers with the information necessary to advocate for and make informed decisions about environmental justice issues in NYC.
Get prepared for extreme weather. Attend a Citizen Preparedness Corps workshop at QPL this Spring to learn how to pack a go bag, develop a family emergency plan, and check on vulnerable neighbors during storms or excessively hot or cold periods.
Find more resources online at Ready NY.
Bike to school or work this month!
Request a free copy of the NYC Bike Map
and plot a route today using a personal bike or a Citi Bike.
Learn about bike safety classes through Bike New York
or
free helmet giveaways from the Department of Transportation.
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