Here in the Northeast the gardening buzz is starting to pick up. I can actually see daffodil sprouts near one of our basement windows. It looks odd next to the 12 inches of snow and ice still piled up on most of the lawn.

I just caught wind of a library out in Kansas doing a community wide Green Fair and it made me start to think of all the programming libraries can be planning right now to ride the wave of people’s joy over the promise of spring.

Programming is a centerpiece of marketing. At MHLS we’ve developed targeted marketing tools over the years through our Building Your Base projects and programming to reach a specific audience and targeted programming has been one of the most effective. Marketing yourself as the hub of “green” can draw in new audiences and build your support in the community – and that makes good “sustainable sense.”

Here’s a list of spring-ish themed programming ideas:

• Spring Cleaning
  • Reduce & Reuse @your library: a program to introduce all you have to offer in your collection (books, movies, music and magazines) and through your web site (downloadable content, magazines, newspapers) that can help people buy and store less.
  • Natural Cleaning Products
  • Recycling Showcase: Invite your county’s Solid Waste Department to come in and talk about how to get rid of household “stuff,” e-waste, yard waste and more without dumping it in a landfill.
  • What to do with…. (how to dispose properly of ewaste, household chemicals, batteries…)
• Gardening
  • Rainwater Catchment
  • Preparing the Garden
  • Edible Flowers
  • Low-Maintenance Gardens
  • Community Garden (@the library?)
  • Landscape Design
  • Hanging Gardens
  • Container Gardens
  • Learn from a Master Gardener
  • Garden Software
  • Youth Garden Grants Program [National Gardening Association]
• Food
  • Eating Local & In Season
  • Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)
  • Growing Your Own
  • Canning
• Home Maintenance/Improvement
  • Natural Lawn Care (mulching, killing weeds without polluting your local ecosystem, non-gas powered lawnmowers…)
  • Less Toxic Choices for Maintaining Your Home (low-VOC products – paint, sealants, caulk)
  • Is Solar Right for your Home?
  • Wind Power Generation
  • Tool Lending Library
• Programs for Kids – childrens’ services staff are some of the most creative people around! Challenge them to come up with programs that instill a love and wonder for nature, environmentally friendly crafts, “save the planet” education
• Movie Night:
  • Blue Vinyl
  • Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax
  • Erin Brockovich
  • FernGully: The Last Rainforest
  • Hoot
  • No Impact Man
  • The End of Suburbia
  • The Warriors of Qiugang
  • The Yes Men Fix The World
  • Wall-E
  • Winged Migration

Got more ideas? Send them my way either in the comments below or via email. I’ll create a master list of green programming ideas and share them!