Last Friday at The Green Paraprofessional Conference at East Carolina University Libraries, Suzanne Metcalf presented on her project of recycling book jackets into amazing gift bags. She got the idea several years ago working at Georgia Southern University when she noticed that the decorative book covers removed from the hardback books before being placed on the shelves. After she saw a student at the circulation desk sporting a bag made of foil Capri Sun juice pouches, she got the idea. She graciously offers a how-to turn book jackets into gift bags (PDF). Here is an article by Her Magazine with more information and with a photos of Suzanne and some of the awesome bags!
Book Jackets into Gift Bags May 19, 2009
Community Gardens May 13, 2009
A great resource for you and your patrons: search for a community garden near you. This web site is maintained by the American Community Gardening Association who’s mission is to build community by increasing and enhancing community gardening and greening across the United States and Canada. The site also offers some resources on gardening to purchase, a how to start a community garden, and as section on action items you can take.
Green @ the library April 22, 2009
Our Green Library Group came up with a list of ways to be green @the library to tell students (& promote the library) in honor Earth Day. We created a bookmark with the ideas (which also promotes our sustainable film series):
Save Gas. Talk to your librarian online.
Buy Local—Borrow Local. Why pay for your books when they are available for free?
Do the Commute Challenge. Bike lanes and buses end right in front of the library.
Unplug. (and visit the library.) We’re open 24 hours and paying the heat and electricity anyway. Ditch your utility bills for ours.
Want a cheap night out? Come see a (free) sustainable film.
Save a Tree. Ask your professor about emailing your paper or uploading it to blackboard.
Don’t pay for entertainment. Borrow movies from the TLC (5,000+ popular DVDs for free)
Get exercise. Climb up nine floors of Jackson Library.
Stop your junk mail, catalogs and magazines. The library has them in the Reading Room.
Top 10 Affordable Green Retrofits April 14, 2009
From Green Strides Blog Post:
The Environmental Building News just issued it’s top 10 affordable green retrofit strategies that are useful even if your building doesn’t undergo a professional energy audit or major operational changes:
- Fluid applied roofing products that can be applied over existing roofing to extend its life, increase reflectivity and reduce cooling loads.
- Solar-Control Window Films (like those used on the headquarters building for the American Institute of Architects, pictured here) which filter out the sun’s heat without blocking visible light.
- Entryway Track-Off Systems that will extend the life of indoor flooring, as well as help maintain good indoor air quality.
- Low-Flow Showerheads can save as much as 6.4 gallons of water per minute in older shower facilities.
- Dual-Flush Flushometer Valves will cut water usage and utility savings associated with toilet flushing (the largest single use of water in most buildings).
- Duct Sealants will help you stop throwing money out the window with those energy-wasting, leaky ducts.
- Condensing Boilers (okay, this one isn’t that cheap, but neither is the waste from conventional atmospheric-combustion boilers). The GreenSpec directory can help you find a high-efficiency condensing boiler when replacement is needed.
- Lighting and Plug Load Occupancy Sensors will reduce lighting energy use.
- Energy Dashboards are great energy-saving devices.
- Use of LED Exit Signs is another way to reduce energy consumption.
EcoLogical Mail Coalition April 1, 2009
After employees leave their job for good, mail accumulates for them for years following their departure. Some of the mail is relevant for their replacement, but many times its junk and a waste of not only paper, but the mail room staff’s time. Check out this FREE service which helps eliminate this problem - EcoLogical Mail Coalition. They have been around since 2002 and many companies use this service. Some questions you might have:
Looking for green speakers? March 31, 2009
Check out this web site EcoSpeakers.com (a subset of EcoIQ – which focuses on media and educational products and services, strategies, tactics and 
tools needed by leaders, educators)
You can search by name or topic. On the main page is a listing (w/ photos) of features speakers. There are other great resources too such as green event planning, green lodging, green transportation, green food, greening your travel etc.
Insiders Guide to Greening I.T. Free E-book March 16, 2009
Great handout with various articles called Insider’s Guide to Greening I.T (PDF) – a collection of stories, blog posts, and practical advice for employees from high-level to grassroots who want to start green initiatives within their organizations. Here is the TOC:
- Time To Stop The Greenwashing By Glen Barry with www.ecoearth.info
- Steps In Getting The Workplace Green & Saving Money By Michael Cassisi www.itcostsolutions.com/
- Online Conversations With Sustainable Cities By Ferne Edwards www.sustainablemelbourne.com
- “Greening” Employee Get-Togethers by Jennifer Mattern bizammo.com/green-business/
- Hidden Vampires Go Green By Paul Muller caffination.com/
- 6 Ways To Convince Someone To Go Green By Max Norman, of AsktheKid.org
- We Are Frogs In Boiling Cold Water By Simon Tay, of sgenergycrisis.blogspot.com
- Could Greenwashing Be Beneficial? By Marc Thibault, of green-age.org
Green Publishing Webcast Summary March 11, 2009
(Article from Publishers Weekly) In late February a webcast sponsored by Green Press Initiative, Webcom and PW called Successful Green Publishing was held with over 250 publishers in attendance. The webcast consisted of a panel of various publishers with an overview of the industry and discussing issues like setting goals for where the industry can go, how to determine saving by printing on recycled paper, and importance of having eco type book labels on books to explain to the public a publisher’s commitment to the environment. One main issue that came up was cost - it costs 15% – 25% more per book to print on recycled paper (but The Green Book was mentioned – the first 100% recycled book Crown published in 2006 which became a bestseller, selling more than 200,000 copies.) Another issue was finding FSC-certified printers and paper overseas and whether they should focus on printing (at a higher price) in the US. Another issue was printing in general and how the industry might be able to cut back.
You will still have to register but you can listen to the archived session for FREE.
Also, you might want to check out a post I did last fall of a summary of the US Book Industry Trends & Findings.
Create your own Green Cleaners March 3, 2009
I posted previously about the number of green cleaning products and green janitorial products and services on the market these days that are affordable and readily available. But even cheaper, less toxic, less waste (from the purchased plastic bottle products) and simpler, is the idea of creating your own cleaning products for home or around the office. Care2′s Health and Green Living web site has a how-to article on Making a Non-Toxic Cleaning Kit. Inhabitat has a post as well on How to Make Your Own Green Cleaning Products. Also my local government web site has a page on Household Cleanser Alternatives with easy recipes.
Follow up: I can across this blog recently Natural Cleaning Product Reviews, which seems to be on topic with this posting.
