A Guide to Sustainability: Home

Discover sustainable practices and take action for a better future. This guide is curated by the McMaster University Libraries 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.

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.

Over the past eight months, McMaster University Libraries invited the campus community to explore environmental sustainability in both practical and creative ways. Running from September 2025 through April 2026, the Year of Environmental Action featured events, exhibits, collections, and hands-on activities that encouraged students, faculty, and staff to take small steps toward positive change.
Throughout the year, the libraries hosted programs and displays designed to spark curiosity and encourage meaningful action. Some of the engaging activities included monthly book displays in the libraries, crafting sessions using recycled materials, repair cafes at Thode Makerspace, an Archives Alive event featuring John Evelyn’s Sylva, seed harvesting and the seed library, a presentation on Indigenous seed teachings, a plant giveaway, the Theory of Water book club, a Climate Action Week art show, sustainable gift wrapping, and more.

This year also saw the opening of the student-led Well-Suited Community Closet at the lower level of Thode library. The community closet allows students to borrow professional attire for important academic and career moments, free of charge.

Many of these initiatives were organized by the Libraries Sustainability Committee, a volunteer group of staff members dedicated to advancing climate action within the libraries and across campus.

Although the themed year has come to a close, the libraries remain committed to prioritizing sustainability. McMaster University Libraries will continue to support environmental action through programming, collections, partnerships, and internal initiatives.