ABOUT THE INITIATIVE
Books for Sustainability is CHARM‑EU’s World Book Day initiative (23 April) that brings our whole community together—students, alumni, staff and partners—to spark inspiration through reading. By sharing book recommendations, we celebrate stories that drive sustainability and empower collective change.
Books can inspire sustainable futures, hopeful alternatives, but they can also challenge us, unsettle us, and denounce sustainability crisis or shed light on overlooked environmental injustices.
What book inspires yours?
OBJECTIVES
- Strengthen community engagement.
- Promote sustainability literacy through reading.
- Increase the visibility of CHARM‑EU values.
- Build a sense of belonging through shared cultural resources.
Who can participate?
- Students (CHARM-EU and CHARM-EU partner universities)
- Alumni
- Academic staff
- Professional and administrative staff
- Stakeholders (sustainability offices, libraries, student associations, etc.)
How to participate?
- Choose a sustainability-related book (fiction or non-fiction)
- Take a photo of it (or a selfie with the book)
- Write a 150–200 character recommendation
- Add keywords, title/author, category
- Submit your book
- (Optional) Join the conversation by uploading the picture to your Instagram:
- tag @charmeu.eu
- add #BooksForSustainability #CHARMEUWorldBookDay
Topics and examples
Suggested topics: Food, Water, Energy & Smart Cities, AI, Climate Justice, Biodiversity, Circular Economy, Social Innovation
Explore our reading list
| Image | Title | Details |
|---|---|---|
 | On Time and Water | AUTHOR: Andri Snær Magnason WHY THIS BOOK?: The Icelandic author recounts the story of water and time through personal family histories, environmental conferences, climate research reports, and explorations—both from a personal and a scientific perspective. The book highlights the crucial importance of Earth’s water resources and how global warming threatens this delicate balance. Guiding the reader from Icelandic glaciers to the Himalayas, it draws attention to serious issues that urgently require solutions. An exceptionally engaging and thought-provoking volume. TAGS: water resources, water, glacier, global warming Recommended by: Ferenc Takó from the: Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem |
 | Antropocéano | AUTHOR: Cristina Romera WHY THIS BOOK?: AntropOcéano by Cristina Romera Castillo shows how human activity is transforming marine ecosystems through climate change, pollution, and overfishing, while stressing the ocean’s key role in regulating Earth’s climate. This connects directly to sustainability, as protecting the ocean is essential for maintaining biodiversity, food security, and climate balance. The book highlights that sustainable practices—such as reducing waste, conserving resources, and supporting marine protection—are crucial to preserving ocean health and ensuring a viable future for both ecosystems and humanity. TAGS: sustainability, water, ocean, climate change, biodiversity Recommended by: Cristina Galván from the: Universitat de Barcelona |
 | The Garden Against Time | AUTHOR: Olivia Laing WHY THIS BOOK?: In The Garden Against Time, Olivia Laing writes about the history of ‘the garden’ as a physical and cultural space, while describing the daily work in her own garden over the course of the seasons (almost meditatively working to rebuild this green space against the backdrop of covid, Trump, and climate change). She writes thoughtfully about the politics of the garden as a sanctuary (who can own and access green spaces?), and traces the idea of the garden as ‘paradise’ through time (including wonderful examples of queer subversions of the notion of paradise — in the form of actual gardens). I will freely admit: I have become a total garden-nerd since reading this book! TAGS: Non-fiction; memoir; gardens; culture; cultural history; botany; Recommended by: An Prudon from the: Universiteit Utrecht |
 | Birnam Wood | AUTHOR: Eleanor Catton WHY THIS BOOK?: Birnam Wood is an eco-thriller about what happens when heartfelt principles meet obscene wealth. Meet Mira Bunting, who together with her friends, has founded an activist guerilla gardening collective: Birnam Wood. They are struggling financially, but that all changes when Mira meets a mysterious billionaire who manufactures drones. Recommended by: Sylvia den Hengst from the: Universiteit Utrecht |
 | A Plam for the Wild-Built | AUTHOR: Becky Chambers WHY THIS BOOK?: The "A Monk and Robot" duology is a novella exploring sustainability, consciousness, and purpose. It follows tea monk Sibling Dex and robot Mosscap on a journey through a post-industrial, rewilded moon in a utopian future where technology is integrated with nature, offering a "hopepunk" meditation on environmental balance and companionship. TAGS: fiction, science fiction, fantasy, solarpunk, LGTBIQA+, utopia Recommended by: Mireia Via Nadal from the: Universitat de Barcelona |
 | The Word for World is Forest | AUTHOR: Ursula K. Le Guin WHY THIS BOOK?: This book is a seminal work of eco-fiction, exploring the catastrophic impact of colonialism and deforestation on an alien world. It highlights the contrast between the sustainable, indigenous culture who live in harmony with its forested planet, and the destructive exploitation by human settlers seeking to exploit wood resources. TAGS: Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopia, Ecology, Colonisation Recommended by: Mireia Via Nadal from the: Universitat de Barcelona |
 | The Fifth Season | AUTHOR: N. K. Jemisin WHY THIS BOOK?: N.K. Jemisin’s "The Broken Earth" trilogy ("The Fifth Season" being the first book) explores sustainability through a post-apocalyptic, environmental justice lens, portraying a fictional world where chronic, human-induced climate change —or "Fifth Seasons"— forces a brutal, unsustainable existence. The series links ecological destruction with systemic social inequality, showing how environmental abuse and societal oppression are intertwined. TAGS: Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopia, LGTBIQA+ Recommended by: Mireia Via Nadal from the: Universitat de Barcelona |
 | Sobre los huesos de los muertos | TITLE IN ENGLISH: Drive your plow over the bones of the dead AUTHOR: Olga Tokarczuk WHY THIS BOOK?: Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead has been described as a “feminist ecothriller,” offering a provocative exploration of the blurred boundaries between sanity and madness, justice and tradition, autonomy and fate. At its core, the novel asks a pressing question: Who is worthy of a voice?
Set in a remote Polish village, the story delves into the complexities of human nature through the perspective of Janina Duszejko, an eccentric woman in her sixties who narrates the events following the disappearance of her two beloved dogs. Reclusive and unconventional, Janina prefers the company of animals to people, places her trust in astrology, and treasures the poetry of William Blake—whose work inspires the book’s title. Written by Nobel Prize–winning author Olga Tokarczuk, this novel is a brisk yet thought‑provoking journey guided by an unusual narrator who invites us to empathise with her deep concern for the environment and the welfare of animals. TAGS: #ecofeminism #nature #thriller Recommended by: Laia Alonso from the: Universitat de Barcelona |
 | Silent spring | TITLE IN ENGLISH: Silent Spring AUTHOR: Rachel Carson WHY THIS BOOK?: Can a book change the world? Rachel Carson’s 1962 work did just that. By revealing the harmful effects of chemical pesticides like DDT, she sparked a global awareness that fueled the rise of the modern environmental movement and ultimately led to restrictions on these products. A foundational and inspiring read for anyone interested in sustainability. TAGS: #Environment #contamination #pesticides #DDT #health Recommended by: Bibiana Bonmati from the: Universitat de Barcelona |
 | La Pared / The Wall | AUTHOR: Marlen Haushofer WHY THIS BOOK?: The Wall is a landmark of ecofeminism because it strips away the "man-made" world to reveal a deeper connection to the Earth. At the same time, the narrative forces you to "slow down" to the pace of the seasons. The author replaces the frantic "clock-time" of modern life with "natural-time." As a reader, the author makes you feel the fresh air from the mountains or the tension before a storm. TAGS: #ecofeminism #zerowaste #nature Recommended by: Blanca Burillo Lago from the: Universitat de Barcelona |