Before you delve into the newest pumpkin spice treat, enjoy the end of summer with ICL’s top picks for environmental reading.

In celebration of our environmental community, this year’s summer reading recommendations came from all of you! The list includes field guides, humorous stories, poetry, history, and even talking trees.

Thank you to all who all who shared their favorite environmental books with us! We enjoyed hearing your thoughts and viewing the collection of wide-ranging works. Here are some of our favorites:

To See the Earth Before the End of the World

Ed Roberson

“A break from the traditional, romantic, and sublime view of the natural world, Roberson’s poems provide an alternate lens through which to view humanity’s connection to nature”

The Edge of the Sea

Rachel Carson

“A classic book on marine life, beautifully written by Ms. Carson”

All Our Relations

Winona LaDuke

“I was struck by the link LaDuke makes between the loss of biodiversity and the loss of cultural diversity. She provides eye-opening insights into an ongoing history of toxicity and environmental injustice and the people, groups, and communities fighting to preserve and restore Native lands.”

Encounters with the Archdruid: Narratives About a Conservationist and Three of His Natural Enemies

John McPhee

“I can’t believe I never read this book before: it challenged me to re-think the strategies and life of a conservationist in a way few books have since I read the likes of Sand County Almanac, Desert Solitaire, and other pivotal ‘environmental’ narratives”

Beyond the War on Invasive Species: A Permaculture Approach to Ecosystem Restoration

Tao Orion

“Utilizing the latest research on the changing nature of ecological systems, Tao closely examines the factors that are largely missing from the common conceptions of invasive species and the best practices for their management based on a holistic, permaculture-inspired framework”

Fishing Through the Apocalypse: An Angler’s Adventures in the 21st Century

Matthew Miller

“Matt is a great story teller… he examines how humans have changed US fisheries and the environmental dominoes that fell in response, but ends on a positive note of hope.”

How to Be an Antiracist

Ibram X. Kendi

“Hot off the presses – this new book is a great read for anyone who wants to understand racism and how to address it. I like that Kendi combines storytelling, history and science to make a case for why we must all take action, including within the environmental field.”

Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time

Jonathan Weiner

“It was mind blowing, eye opening, engaging, and informative. I really enjoyed reading about the complex interactions that rule the Galapagos and the examples of environmental factors that further pushed / pulled and influenced the species. I have always wanted to go to the Galapagos, and this only added onto that desire.”

Community Climate Change Education: A Mosaic of Approaches

EE Capacity and North American Environmental Education Association: Community Climate Change Fellows

“A perfect guide and wealth of information for practitioners looking to successfully build and implement community climate change projects. The first-hand accounts of on-the-ground community work are both inspiring and practical. Climate change education, public art, climate justice, marine science, youth programming, resilience gardening, and more!”

The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World

Peter Wohlleben

“If you love ecology and scientific discovery, read this book! This is an amazing tale of the connectedness of trees and support they provide to one another. Who knew that trees, like humans, are social beings?”

Swoope Almanac: Stories of love, land, and water, in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley

Robert Whitescarver

“Very educational yet humorous with lots of real-life stories on clean water, restorative agriculture, and cows in streams”