Renting a hybrid May 15, 2008

When traveling for work to a conference or meeting out of town, why not consider cutting down on your carbon footprint by taking only public transportation (bus/trains/metro are available in most large cities) or renting a hybrid vehicle to get around town. More and more rental car companies (such as Avis, Budget, etc.)  have hybrid vehicles as rental options. Enterprise/Alamo/National also offer a carbon offset program for $1.25/day that goes toward certified offset projects that work to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. In many large cities, there are options for hybrid taxis and limos as well.  Do a search in google for your city and “hybrid taxi” or “hybrid limo” and many options appear.

50 Ways to Make a Difference May 15, 2008

Here is a great list of ideas called Top 50 Things To Do To Stop Global Warming.  It’s a quick, easy to skim list to see what ideas could be implemented at your library (or home).  Why not pass along to fellow colleagues or post in your staff lunch room — #50 says Share this list hence my posting here!

It’s Bike to Work Week May 12, 2008

The League of American Bicyclists is promoting Bike-to-Work Week from May 12-16 with Bike-to-Work Day on Friday, May 16.  Can you bike to work this week?

The whole month of May is considered Bike Month (started in 1956!). For ideas check out this PDF file called 50 Ways to Celebrate Bike Month.

Carbon Footprint Calculators May 12, 2008

Though it may not seem directly library related, perhaps figuring out as individuals how we can reduce our impact on greenhouse gas emissions could become a postive challenge you could ask of some of your fellow work colleagues. Here are two Web sites to calculate your carbon footprint:

From Nature Conservancy Web site

From Newsday.com

 

 

Green Roofs May 8, 2008

When planning a new library building or upgrading an existing one, could you add a green rooftop?  A green roof is a multi layer roofing system, an extension of the existing roof, with waterproofing, a root-repellent membrane system, a drainage system, and a multitude of plants that grow on top of a building.  Many credits toward LEED Certification (from my previous post) can be earned by building green rooftops.

Green rooftops have been established in Europe for centuries due to both private and public benefits. Private benefits include cost savings (green roofs are estimated to last up to twice as long as conventional roofs AND provide savings on energy heating/cooling costs), sound insulation. (4.7″ layer can reduce sound by 40 decibels), and to provide food production (grow your own food for employees and events).   Public benefits include economic (increase green jobs and products markets), improved air quality (reduce airbourne particulates and increase oxygen), temperature regulation (reducing the urban heat island effect), water (natural storm water retention and filtration), social (aesthetics, health, recreation, and horticulture), and  preservation of habitat & biodiversity (native flora, fauna, and habitat… and education!).

Libraries could offer events, children’s programing, luncheons, evening concerts, meeting space, and relaxing reading spaces on their green rooftop. For urban libraries, this can be especially welcoming.

For more information visit these Web sites:

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities

The Scoupe on Green Roofs

ACRL OnPoint Chat 5/14/08: Green Libraries May 6, 2008

(Cross posted on anss-l and tfoe discussion lists)

WHAT: Online, live discussion and place to share ideas about green libraries and campuses.

WHEN: Wednesday, May 14, 2008, 1:00 p.m. (Eastern), 30-45 minutes.

CONVENERS: Mary Carr, Dean Instructional Services, Spokane Community College and Dr. Debra Rowe, President of the US Partnership for a Sustainable Future

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: From a library/librarians’ perspective, how are our library resources when it comes to sustainability? Are we supporting the college’s curricular efforts? What about the “greening” of the library and the campus? Can we practice sustainability? Can we promote it by speakers, presentations, etc.? What can we do within our library associations, and other professional groups? The whats, whys and wherefores of sustainability? What is happening on our campuses and in our communities regarding sustainability? How can we support what is happening and how can we contribute to moving the needle?

BACKGROUND READINGS:

• Inside Higher Ed blog “getting to green” http://insidehighered.com/views/blogs/getting_to_green
• Do Colleges Need Green Czars?” Inside HigherEd. April 15, 2008. http://insidehighered.com/news/2008/04/15/sustainability
• Greening your library blog http://greeningyourlibrary.wordpress.com/

IMPT NOTES: ACRL OnPoint chats are free and open to the public.  Sessions are unmoderated, 30 to 45 minutes long, and take place in a Meebo chat room. While no registration is necessary to participate, ACRL recommends creating a quick and easy Meebo account for the best experience while participating in ACRL OnPoint discussions. Full details are available on the ACRL Web site at www.acrl.org/ala/acrl/acrlproftools/OnPoint/onpoint.cfm.

LEED Certification for Green Building May 3, 2008

Are you building or remolding your library? Check out Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. It’s a “third party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.” (LEED Rating System Info) LEED looks at 5 areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

For new construction check out LEED for New Construction. There are 4 levels: certified, silver, gold, platinum (levels are according to how many points you are awarded for meeting criteria in design, operations, construction and management). There is also specific LEED Certification for K-12 school (which can included higher ed)

Why LEED? There are environmental and financial benefits to getting certified green building (from LEED certification site):

• Lower operating costs and increased asset value.
• Reduce waste sent to landfills.
• Conserve energy and water.
• Healthier and safer for occupants.
• Reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
• Qualify for tax rebates, zoning allowances and other incentives in hundreds of cities.
• Demonstrate an owner’s commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility.

Read this article/study which shows LEED Buildings Outperform Peers for more info. The US Green Building Council Web site also provides many resources, details, templates, guides, and tools that would be a great help when considering LEED certification.

You also don’t have to be constructing a new building to go green. Here is an article on how to take existing buildings and transform them into LEED for Existing Buildings Certification (for Operations and Maintenance).

Green Guide to Plastics April 28, 2008

I recently posted about bringing your own container for leftovers when eating out (which I still believe is very worthwhile) but I have also been dwelling on the what container to buy, use or reuse.  Some plastics can transmit chemicals into your food/drinks.

This Green Guide breaks down (no pun intended!) the seven types of plastics, you know that number on the bottom of the container. Generally it is #1, 2, 4, 5 that are safer  plastics but note that #1, 4 and 5 are often hard to find a place to recycle them.  #7 is miscellanious but those that are made with PLA are very safe and renewable - made from corn, potatoes, sugar cane, etc. and can be composted breaking down in less than 2 weeks.  Plastics #3, 6, 7 (all others besides the PLA items) should be avoided.

Green Dining Out April 28, 2008

The Green Restaurant Association (GRA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to create an ecologically sustainable restaurant industry. Using the collective powers of both restaurants, who want to be more environmentally sustainable and cost-effective, as well as the customers, who want to support these types of businesses, GRA created this organization and Web site: dinegreen.com.

Use the Web site to search for restaurants that are in various stages of becoming a certified green restaurant, which means they (1) use a comprehensive recycling system for all products that are accepted by local recycling companies; (2) are free of polystyrene foam (”Styrofoam”) products; (3) commit to completing four Environmental Steps per year of membership; (4) and at least one Environmental Step after joining.

You can also print the Suggestion Card off to leave with your bill at restaurants who are not part of GRA to educate them to the opportunity.  If you know someone that works in a restaurant there is a quiz to assess the environmental responsibility of the restaurant.  A library could also peruse the guide to endorsed products for ideas on tissue, cleaning products, hand dryers, etc.

If none of these restaurants are in your local area, think about checking some of these places out while traveling for events, conferences, or workshops. There are many in large cities especially NYC, Boston and several in California.

SLA to Honor “Knowledge to Go Green” Champions April 24, 2008

(press release) Special Libraries Association (SLA) President Stephen Abram is accepting nominations through November 15, 2008 for a special Presidential Citation honoring “Knowledge to Go Green” Champions.  Recipients will be announced at the SLA Leadership Summit in January 2009, which is the start of SLA’s Go Green Initiative Year (read more about it in my previous post).  SLA Members or Units are eligible for the citation if they “have implemented green policies, or made significant changes to the manner in which business is conducted, with an eye toward reducing the impact on the environment.”  The nomination form is available on the SLA Awards Page for Presidential Citations.