A Guide to Sustainability

Discover sustainable practices and take action for a better future. This guide is curated by the McMaster University Library Sustainability Committee and designed to offer the campus community a range of relevant resources and information.

• Learn about sustainability-related events and projects hosted by the Library
• Find books, articles, websites, and initiatives on various topics of relevance, including energy, waste reduction, sustainable transportation, and food sustainability, among others.

Suggestions are welcome! Visit feedback to share comments on existing content or recommend additional resources.

McMaster University Libraries, in collaboration with campus and community partners, are presenting a series of events, collections, resources, exhibits and initiatives focused on environmental action. From our seed library to online Archives Alive presentations, there is a vast array of free programming and initiatives to participate in.

Sustainability is an ongoing priority for the university libraries, but our programming for the Year of Environmental Action runs from fall 2025 through spring 2026. The series comes from the university libraries in partnership with the Campus Sustainability Committee, McMaster Centre for Climate Change, Nature @ McMaster, and the Innovation, Leadership, Engagement, Action and Discovery Office (formerly the Academic Sustainability Program).

McMaster University Libraries regularly presents “Year of” programming to collaborate with campus partners, as well as to highlight the libraries’ vital roles in supporting the research, teaching, and learning mission of the university. Year of Environmental Action follows past years of programming, including Celebrating 50 Years: The Bertrand Russell Archives in 2018, Celebrating STEM in 2019, and Transformative Stories: Year of Gender and Justice in 2023-2024.

Please check this website regularly for events updates. Stay connected by following our social media accounts!

Featured Collection: Environmental Sustainability & Climate Change

Explore our curated collection in honour of Earth Day (April 22nd), a global movement to protect the environment and raise awareness about sustainability. Our featured collection showcases a diverse range of perspectives on environmentalism, ecology, and conservation, including a spotlight on Indigenous Voices and the Environment in a special sub-collection of titles written by Indigenous authors.