One Book 2023-2024: Environmental Justice & No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies: A Lyric Essay

Fresh Water, Pollution, and Water-Related Issues


Despair is paralysis. It robs us of agency. It blinds us to our own power and the power of the earth. Environmental despair is a poison every bit as destructive as the methylated mercury in the bottom of Onondaga Lake. But how can we submit to despair while the land is saying “Help”? Restoration is a powerful antidote to despair. Restoration offers concrete means by which humans can once again enter into positive, creative relationship with the more-than-human world, meeting responsibilities that are simultaneously material and spiritual. It’s not enough to grieve. It’s not enough to just stop doing bad things.

- Kimmerer, from Braiding Sweetgrass, p. 328

Featured Resources by Source Type: Water Pollution

Featured Organizations & Online Resources

Featured Articles 

Use the links below to find articles from different publication types.

Reference Articles

These background or overview articles are useful for defining and understanding the history and key concepts of a topic. They come from subject-specific books and reports and aim to help you understand the basics. Find more articles like these in the databases Gale Ebooks, Opposing Viewpoints, or CQ Researcher.

Popular Source Articles

These kinds of articles are from mainstream publications like the "Washington Post," "The Atlantic," or other publications aimed at the general public., as well as a wide variety of websites, both commercial, educational, and governmental. Find more sources like this in Academic Search Complete, ProQuest  Combined, or Science In Context.

Scholarly Articles

Scholarly journal articles are written by scholars/experts/researchers for others in their field with the aim of sharing, reviewing, and building new information. These publications can give us insight into the ways that environmental justice topics are being studied at a research-based, academic levels. Find more articles like these in ProQuest Combined, Agricola, OR Global Issues in Context. 

Featured Videos

There are some DVDs you can check out from the library on environmental topics as well. The links here, however, are largely for online videos as there are so many great organizations with content. Streaming education films can also be searched in the database Films on Demand, linked in the "Digging Deeper in Your Research" tab of this guide, or from the library's homepage.

Featured Podcasts

Featured Books & eBooks - click on titles to access

Search Tips & Terms

Search Terms & Topics


Consider searching some of these topics as search words when trying to locate resources in the library's collection.

  • Wastewater testing
  • Wastewater
  • Watersheds
  • Levees 
  • Microplastics
  • Chemical pollution
  • Groundwater pollution & management
  • Microbiological pollution
  • Nutrient pollution
  • Oxygen-depletion pollution
  • Surface water pollution
  • Tribal Water Issues & Rights
  • Droughts & water shortages