Library, Research, and Teaching Resources

Access information resources from Penn State Berks Thun Library and beyond to advance sustainability initiatives, curriculum, and research. Jump to a collection:

Ethics & Sustainability Collection

Thun Library has an entire collection dedicated to serving the sustainability needs of Penn State Berks.  This collection comprises hundreds of recent titles on climate change, pollution, recycling, policy, activism, as well as environmental issues specific to nearly every academic major.  Integrate the collection into research assignments as a suggested research resource, advertise it in campus programs or social media, or browse it for personal reading. Browse the collection.

Collection Highlights

Higher Education

Environment and Pedagogy in Higher Education (2018). A toolkit of teaching ideas to stimulate environmental action among students.

Universities as living labs for sustainable development : supporting the implementation of the sustainable development goals (2020). Approaches to implementing sustainability policies and practices in higher education.

General Audience

Understanding climate change : science, policy, and practice (2021). An accessible introduction to climate science and policy.

The cartoon introduction to climate change (2022). A graphic novel introduction to climate change.

Imperfect Environmentalist: How to Reduce Waste and Create Change for a Better Planet (2024). Advice for small changes in everyday life that can add up to a big impact for the environment.

How to prepare for climate change : a practical guide to surviving the chaos (2021). A self-help guide to climate change.

Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Scarcity : a history from the origins of capitalism to the climate crisis (2023). A history of economic scarcity.

The great displacement : climate change and the next American migration (2023). Stories of climate change-driven migration within the U.S.

Vegans on Speciesism and Ableism: Ecoability Voices for Disability and Animal Justice (2022). Looks at the intersection of disability studies and animal rights initiatives.

Environmental Justice: Key Issues (2021). An introduction to the field of environmental justice.

The Routledge Companion to Contemporary Art, Visual Culture, and Climate Change  (2021). A pathbreaking book on the new school of ecocritical art history.

Engineering, Business, and Computing

Gaia’s web : how digital environmentalism can combat climate change, restore biodiversity, cultivate empathy, and regenerate the Earth (2024). Argues for the use of digital technologies to organize and innovate for sustainability.

AI in the wild : sustainability in the age of artificial intelligence (2020). Analyzes the impact of AI on sustainability.

No miracles needed : how today’s technology can save our climate and clean our air (2023). Argues that existing technologies can solve climate change, air pollution, and energy scarcity.

Electrify: An Optimist’s Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future (2021). A fast-action plan for decarbonizing the U.S. economy.

You can’t make money from a dead planet : the sustainable method for driving profits (2023). A business case for addressing climate change and sustainability.

Climate travels : how ecotourism changes mindsets and motivates action (2023). Demonstrates how direct experience through travel can raise awareness of climate change.

Science

Understanding global climate change : modelling the climatic system and human impacts (2022). Discusses data modelling techniques for understanding and forecasting climate change.

Engaged Scholarship Collection

The Engaged Scholarship consists of research methods handbooks, service-learning guides, and student- or -novice-oriented writing and presentation guides.  Many books in the collection can help guide sustainability research. Browse the collection.

Collection Highlights

The Field Guide to Citizen Science: How You Can Contribute to Scientific Research and Make a Difference (2020). A field guide of fifty citizen science projects, including climate change and endangered species-related projects. Useful for designing learning experiences and research projects.

Ground truth : a guide to tracking climate change at home (2018). A citizen science guide to making observations about the natural world in everyday life.

The biomimicry revolution : learning from nature how to inhabit the Earth (2023). Argues for adapting solutions found in nature for meeting the needs of human civilization.

River ecology : science and management for a changing world (2023). An introduction to river ecology in the Anthropocene.

Wellbeing economics : how and why economics needs to change (2020). Introduced the Wellbeing Economic Matrix framework and argues for placing human wellbeing at the center of economic policy and activity.

Handbook of the circular economy (2020). Examines the mechanisms, benefits, and limitations of the circular economy.

A Research Agenda for Global Environmental Politics (2018). Reviews research techniques for examining global politics on sustainability-related issues, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Topics include trade, finance, governance and politics, waste, food, and climate justice. Useful as course readings, research topics, or for class discussions.

Idea Collection

The Idea Collection features introductory texts and thematic surveys of facts and trivia.  It is meant to be a launch pad for student research projects. Browse the collection.

Collection Highlights

The Ecology Book (2019). Uses infographics and engaging visual design to deliver a primer on 85 key concepts related to ecology, environmentalism, and climate change.

Sustainability: What Everyone Needs to Know (2021). A primer introducing systems thinking to understand sustainability topics and issues.

Climate Change: What Everyone Needs to Know (2022). A primer on climate change, projected impacts, and potential interventions.

The Anthropocene : 101 questions and answers for understanding the human impact on the global environment (2023). An introduction to human impact on the environment and the human-environment relationship.

The ecology of everyday things (2021). An accessible introduction to ecological concepts in everyday life.

Biodiversity conservation : a very short introduction (2023). An introduction to biodiversity conservation.

Renewable Energy: A Very Short Introduction(2020). An introduction to key concepts in renewable energy.

Charged : a history of batteries and lessons for a clean energy future (2022). Considers the development of battery technology and what it reveals about innovation, sustainability and social justice.

Sustainable investing (2022). An introduction to sustainability investing and ESG (environment, social, and governance) considerations in finance.

Next generation tourism : touching the ground lightly (2021). Illustrates sustainable tourism concepts.

Ebooks

Ebooks can be utilized as course readings by linking out in Canvas.

Collection Highlights

Experiential learning and community partnerships for sustainable development : a foundational model for climate action (2025). Examples of experiential learning in higher education related to sustainability and climate issues.

Environmental Liberation Education: Diversity, Mindfulness, and Sustainability Tools for Teachers and Students (2025). Synthesizes multicultural and environmental education through mindfulness practices.

The Wiley handbook of sustainability in higher education learning and teaching (2022). A guide to integrating sustainability in higher education teaching and learning.

Climate Toolkit: A Resource Manual for Science and Action – Version 2.0 (2021). This is an open education textbook for non-science majors who want to do something about the climate crisis.  The introduction explains “Unlike a standard textbook, it is designed to help readers do their own climate research and devise their own perspective rather than providing them with a script to assimilate and repeat.”

Circular Economy Realities: Critical Perspectives on Sustainability (2025). Provides a critical assessment of circular economy concepts and initiatives.

Handbook of theory and practice of sustainable development in higher education (2017). 4-volume set filled with examples of courses, assignment ideas, community projects, research, building designs, and more.  Best practices and practical, evidence-based solutions applicable to Penn State Berks!

Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education(2019). Find overviews of environmental issues at universities related to policy-making, greening of campuses, pedagogy, research techniques, and more.

Braiding Sweetgrass (2013). 2022 MacArthur Fellow Robin Wall Kimmerer’s work fuses Indigenous views of environmentalism with modern scientific views.

Films

Key environmental films from the library that are available in streaming and DVD formats.  Search the entire Penn State collection of videos by entering keywords here.  Please feel free to email requests for additional films to your Berks liaison librarian.

Collection Highlights

Streaming Films from Kanopy. Browse a list of Penn State’s current Kanopy streaming films on environmental science topics.

Half-mile, Upwind, on Foot [streaming]. A documentary about the Mariner East pipeline project, which has been a focal point for environmental debates in Pennsylvania.

Mariner East, The Web Series [streaming]. A series of video interviews with residents of Pennsylvania affected by the Mariner East pipeline.

Meat the Future [streaming]. Jane Goodall narrates this film about animal rights and the possibility of creating meat without slaughtering animals.

Radar Talks: Anne Currie on Cloud Native and Going Green [streaming]. Examines how climate change is shaping technology development.

Nature’s Cleanup Crew [streaming]. Spotlights oft-overlooked urban animals who scavenge garbage produced by humans.

Plant This Movie [streaming]. Takes viewers to urban farming projects around the world, including Philadelphia. Screened by the PSU Berks Sustainability Team in 2019.

Thirst for Justice [streaming]. Covers the water crisis in Flint, Michigan; the Navajo Reservation; and Standing Rock.

Kiss the Ground [streaming]. An inside look at the Regenerative Agriculture movement, a multinational campaign to balance farming with sustainability.

On the Fenceline : A Fight for Clean Air [two streaming films]. Traces the fight of Philly Thrive, a local environmental league, to block an oil refinery from operating in the Philadelphia area.

The True Cost [streaming]. Expose of fast fashion.

Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story [streaming]. A couple finds out just how much food is wasted each year in America and decides to make food wasted by others their main staple.

Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch [streaming]. Learn how a swirling, giant mass of plastic refuse coalesced in the Pacific and what can be done about it.

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power [DVD]. The follow-up to An Inconvenient Truth.

The 11th Hour [DVD]. Explores the impact of human activity on the planet and proposes restorative practices.

Before the Flood [DVD]. A documentary on the dramatic impacts of climate change, and what some are doing to reverse them.

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret [DVD]. Examines the impact of the cattle industry on climate change.

Databases

Research databases hand-picked for the Sustainability Council at Berks.  Browse the alphabetical list of all databases on the library’s web site or identify databases for specific subjects by scrolling down to “Library Guides” in the next section.

Collection Highlights

Opposing Viewpoints. Find articles that represent multiple perspectives on environmental issues. For example, find articles for and against the use of solar energy.

Gale Virtual Reference Library. Find quick, readable summaries of environmental topics by experts.  The “wikipedia of the library.”

GreenFile. Find articles on global warming, pollution, preservation, extinction, renewable energy, and most other sustainability topics.

Policy Commons. Search gray literature, reports of environmental groups and quasi-government organizations, for recommendations on policy.

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE). Research what incentives are available for industries considering sustainable changes in their operations.

Environment & Energy Newsletters. Very up-to-date news and video interviews with environmental leaders

Ecology Abstracts. Research how organisms interact with each other and the environment.

Environmental Sciences Collection. Scholarly journal articles about ecology, sustainable engineering, and all types of pollution.  Please note it may require some technical knowledge to read these materials.

Wildlife & Ecology Studies Worldwide. Wildlife management and general zoology.

Library Guides

These curated lists of resources are gateways to research in various subfields of environmental science.  Instructors: you can integrate any of the existing subject guides below into your Canvas course by using this form.  To have a guide designed specifically for a course assignment, please contact your Berks liaison librarian.

Collection Highlights

BI SC 003 Environmental Science. Guide for students in Dr. Mahsa Kazempour’s BI SC 003 Environmental Science course. The goal of this page is to provides resources to support their work for the  Environmental Awareness & Community Action Project (EACAP) 

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Access library resources curated for each of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Environmental Science and Resource Management. Best starting point for general environmental research.

Energy and Sustainability Policy. Covers scientific and social aspects of energy sustainability. Energy Resources and Engineering. A guide for each type of renewable energy source.

Fracking. Research the environmental impact of this controversial petroleum extraction method.

Community, Environment, and Development. Extensive coverage of farming and industry.

Wildlife and Fisheries. Research the impact of human activities on animals.

Teaching Resources

Ejournals, books, and web sites for instructors about the theory and practice of sustainability teaching.

Collection Highlights

Ejournals

The Journal of Environmental Education Journal of Sustainability Education

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education

Green Teacher

Environmental Education Research

Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science

Books

Revolutionizing sustainability education : stories and tools of mindset transformation. “Guides educators and practitioners, their students and colleagues for taking action on finding urgent solutions for the grand challenges stated in the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.”

The Wiley handbook of sustainability in higher education learning and teaching. “A reference for the higher education community to embed sustainability in learning and teaching.”

Teaching and learning strategies for sustainable development. Team of international scholars discuss the integration of the UN Goals into curriculum.

Environment and pedagogy in higher education. “The book provides innovative pedagogical approaches and instructional tools for educators to inspire, motivate, and lead students to take active steps toward environmental respect, sustainability, and preservation.”

Narratives of educating for sustainability in unsustainable environments. Variety of “how I did it” stories by college instructors.

Teacher education for sustainable development and global citizenship : critical perspectives on values, curriculum and assessment. Ideas on how teachers and college education faculty can operationalize the UN goals.

Handbook of Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development in Higher Education. “Offers a unique overview of what universities around the world are doing to implement sustainable development (i.e. via curriculum innovation, research, activities, or practical projects) and how their efforts relate to education for sustainable development at the university level. The Handbook gathers a wealth of information, ideas, best practices and lessons learned in the context of executing concrete projects, and assesses methodological approaches to integrating the topic of sustainable development in university curricula.”

Higher education for sustainability: cases, challenges, and opportunities from across the curriculum. “Provides a glimpse at the ways colleges and universities have integrated sustainability across the curriculum.”

Web sites

College Assignments on Sustainability–Merlot. Peer-reviewed worksheets, lesson plans, and more for college faculty.

Tips for Teaching Sustainability. Practical advice, including the use of ecological footprint calculators and discussions about eco-rhetoric.

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Offers general ideas for integrating sustainability in education.  Paid members can also access a “campus hub” with toolkits.

Teaching Sustainability in Higher Education: Pedagogical Styles That Make a Difference. Pedagogical models for approaching environmental education.