Not the End of the World Book Club

Not the End of the World Book Club (formerly Earth Lovers Book Club) is a monthly discussion of books on the environment, climate change and related topics. Join us for tea, homemade cookies and thoughtful conversation. This is a hybrid book club.

Please register with Barbara Shatara at bshatara@burlingtonvt.gov for meeting info and how to obtain the book.

What We are Reading in 2025:

The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

Tuesday, February 18th, 6:30PM--Pickering Room

Tracking the natural beauty that surrounds us, The Backyard Bird Chronicles maps the passage of time through daily entries, thoughtful questions, and beautiful original sketches. With boundless charm and wit, author Amy Tan charts her foray into birding and the natural wonders of the world.

In 2016, Amy Tan grew overwhelmed by the state of the world: Hatred and misinformation became a daily presence on social media, and the country felt more divisive than ever. In search of peace, Tan turned toward the natural world just beyond her window and, specifically, the birds visiting her yard. But what began as an attempt to find solace turned into something far greater—an opportunity to savor quiet moments during a volatile time, connect to nature in a meaningful way, and imagine the intricate lives of the birds she admired.

The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Tuesday,March 18th, 6:30PM--Pickering Room

As Indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude. The tree distributes its wealth—its abundance of sweet, juicy berries—to meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution ensures its own survival. As Kimmerer explains, “Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.”

What If We Get It Right? by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

Wednesday, April 16 at 6:30PM -- Pickering Room

Sometimes the bravest thing we can do while facing an existential crisis is imagine life on the other side. This provocative and joyous book maps an inspiring landscape of possible climate futures.

Through clear-eyed essays and vibrant conversations, infused with data, poetry, and art, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson guides us through solutions and possibilities at the nexus of science, policy, culture, and justice. Visionary farmers and financiers, architects and advocates, help us conjure a flourishing future, one worth the effort it will take—from every one of us, with whatever we have to offer—to create.

If you haven’t yet been able to picture a transformed and replenished world—or to see yourself, your loved ones, and your community in it—this book is for you. If you haven’t yet found your role in shaping this new world or you’re not sure how we can actually get there, this book is for you.

With grace, humor, and humanity, Johnson invites readers to ask and answer this ultimate question together: What if we get it right?

Led by Jennifer Green, Director of Sustainability and Workforce Development, Burlington Electric

Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright

Tuesday, May 20 at 6:30PM -- Pickering Room

n a small town in the north of Australia, a mysterious haze cloud heralds both an ecological catastrophe and a gathering of the ancestors. A visionary on his own holy quest, Cause Man Steel seeks the perfect platinum donkey to launch an Aboriginal-owned donkey transport industry, saving Country and the world from fossil fuels. His wife, Dance, seeking solace from his madness, studies butterflies and moths and dreams of repatriating her family to China. One of their sons, named Aboriginal Sovereignty, is determined to end it all by walking into the sea. Their other child, Tommyhawk, wants nothing more than to be adopted by Australia’s most powerful white woman. Praiseworthy is an epic masterpiece that bends time and reality―a cry of outrage against oppression, greed, and assimilation.

More Environmental Programs!

Environmental Documentary: My Octopus Teacher

Thursday, April 24, 6:00 PM | Pickering Room

After years spent filming some of the planet’s most dangerous animals, Craig Foster was burned out and depressed, his family relationships in turmoil. He decided to put a halt to his career to reconnect with his own roots - the magical underwater world of the kelp forest off the coast of his hometown - Cape Town, South Africa. For nearly a decade, Craig went diving daily in the icy cold waters, ditching wetsuit and scuba rig in one of the most predator dense places on earth. The common octopus he met and tracked became first his subject, then his teacher, showing him things no human had ever witnessed. Shot over eight years, with 3000 hours of footage, this Netflix film, My Octopus Teacher, documents a unique friendship, interaction and animal intelligence never seen before.

Hike Like A Geologist with Joanne Garton

Tuesday, May 20th, 5:30PM | Salmon Hole Trailhead Parking area on Riverside Drive, Burlington

Join FFL and Joanne Garton for an informative hike. Learn more about the underlying geology of the area. Joanne Garton has a geology degree and worked as a geologist in Quebec and Vermont before transitioning into the UVM Field Naturalist Program for graduate school. She now works with Vermont Forests, Parks & Recreation in the Urban & Community Forestry Program.

Where: Meet at 5:30PM at the Salmon Hole Trailhead Parking area on Riverside Drive.

Map: https://wvpd.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/SalmonHole.pdf

Expect to walk 1/2 mile each way on gentle but sandy and uneven terrain. We’ll arrive at the Salmon Hole rock outcrops on the Winooski River by 5:30pm. Programming will finish by 6:30pm, allowing the group to hike back to the parking lot together or separately.

Weather: In case of rain, the hike will continue! In case of severe thunderstorms, the hike will be rescheduled.

Register with Barbara at bshatara@burlingtonvt.gov

Hike Like An Ecologist with Bob Zaino

TBD

TBD, 5:30PM | TBD

Join Vermont Fish and Wildlife's Natural Community Ecologist, Bob Zaino to learn about Vermont's natural communities and the many plants and animals that inhabit them.

Thank you to our partners ! Supported in part by the Vermont Humanities